Entertainment
The Best Ben Johnson Movies
List Rules
Vote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.
List of the best Ben Johnson movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Ben Johnson's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Ben Johnson movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Ben Johnson movies will be at the top of the list. Ben Johnson has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Ben Johnson movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Ben Johnson films to end the squabble once and for all.
If you think the best Ben Johnson role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Ben Johnson performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.
The list you're viewing is made up of many different films, including The Shadow Riders and Grayeagle.
"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Ben Johnson movies?" and "What are the greatest Ben Johnson roles of all time?"Ranked by
1Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, James Coburn- Released: 1975
- Directed by: Richard Brooks
A disparate group of individuals enter a horse race through 700 miles of the Wild West to win a large cash prize. The contestants include two ex-Rough Riders (Gene Hackman, James Coburn), an aging ...more
2John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar- Released: 1949
- Directed by: John Ford
The last job of Calvary Captain Nathan Brittles (John Wayne) before retirement is to soothe relations with the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians after Custer's last stand. At the same time, he must ...more![The Train Robbers]()
3John Wayne, Ann-Margret, Rod Taylor- Released: 1973
- Directed by: Burt Kennedy
After the death of her husband, Mrs. Lowe (Ann-Margret) posts a $50,000 reward in return for help recovering her train-robber beau's hidden fortune, under the pretense of returning it. Lane (John ...more![Will Penny]()
4Charlton Heston, Joan Hackett, Donald Pleasence- Released: 1968
- Directed by: Tom Gries
When aging loner Will Penny (Charlton Heston) is hired to ride the lines around a vast ranch, he stumbles upon Catherine Allen (Joan Hackett) and her son, who are secretly living in an abandoned ...more![The Shadow Riders]()
5Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, Katharine Ross- Released: 1982
- Directed by: Andrew V. McLaglen
Mac Traven (Tom Selleck) is a Civil War veteran who fought for the North, while his brother, Dal (Sam Elliott), was allied with the South. In spite of this considerable point of contention, the ...more![Junior Bonner]()
6Steve McQueen, Robert Preston, Ida Lupino- Released: 1972
- Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
When wandering middle-aged rodeo rider Junior Bonner (Steve McQueen) returns to his Arizona hometown, he reunites with his family, which includes his charming, troublemaking father, Ace (Robert ...more![The Wild Bunch]()
7William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan- Released: 1969
- Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
In this gritty Western classic, aging outlaw Pike Bishop (William Holden) prepares to retire after one final robbery. Joined by his gang, which includes Dutch Engstrom (Ernest Borgnine) and brothers ...more![The Undefeated]()
8John Wayne, Rock Hudson, Tony Aguilar- Released: 1969
- Directed by: Andrew V. McLaglen
Unaware that the Civil War has ended, Col. John Henry Thomas (John Wayne) successfully attacks a Confederate company led by James Langdon (Rock Hudson). With the remnants of Langdon's squadron ...more![Shane]()
9Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin- Released: 1953
- Directed by: George Stevens
Enigmatic gunslinger Shane (Alan Ladd) rides into a small Wyoming town with hopes of quietly settling down as a farmhand. Taking a job on homesteader Joe Starrett's (Van Heflin) farm, Shane is drawn ...more![Mighty Joe Young]()
10Terry Moore, Ben Johnson, Robert Armstrong- Released: 1949
- Directed by: Ernest B. Schoedsack
Jill Young (Terry Moore) has raised Joe, her gentle pet gorilla, since he was a baby. When a Hollywood, Calif., nightclub owner (Robert Armstrong) travels to Africa and notices the amazing animal, he ...more![The Last Picture Show]()
11Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd- Released: 1971
- Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich
High school seniors and best friends, Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane (Jeff Bridges), live in a dying Texas town. The handsome Duane is dating local beauty, Jacy (Cybill Shepherd), while Sonny is ...more![Wagon Master]()
12Ben Johnson, Joanne Dru, Ward Bond- Released: 1950
- Directed by: John Ford
When a group of Mormons are run out of town for their religious beliefs, Elder Wiggs (Ward Bond) searches for a wagon master to guide the outcasts to the San Juan Valley. Happening upon horse traders ...more![Chisum]()
13John Wayne, Geoffrey Deuel, Forrest Tucker- Released: 1970
- Directed by: Andrew V. McLaglen
Kind-hearted, fatherly John Chisum (John Wayne) owns a large ranch in Lincoln County, New Mexico, in the 1870s. With the help of his faithful sidekick, Pepper (Ben Johnson), and a hot-headed young ...more![Breakheart Pass]()
14Charles Bronson, Ben Johnson, Jill Ireland- Released: 1976
- Directed by: Tom Gries
When diphtheria breaks out at Fort Humboldt, a train is dispatched with medical supplies and relief troops. Also on board are Utah's governor (Richard Crenna), his mistress (Jill Ireland), a marshal ...more![The Rare Breed]()
15James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith- Released: 1966
- Directed by: Andrew V. McLaglen
During the 1880s, Martha Price (Maureen O'Hara), a widowed cattle breeder, travels from England to St. Louis with her daughter, Hilary (Juliet Mills). Martha hopes to crossbreed her bull, Vindicator, ...more![My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys]()
16Scott Glenn, Kate Capshaw, Ben Johnson- Released: 1991
- Directed by: Stuart Rosenberg
H.D. Dalton (Scott Glenn) is a big-name rodeo rider until an injury forces him to give up the sport. He returns home to start over, but the life he expects is nowhere to be found. The family farm is ...more![Dillinger]()
17Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Michelle Phillips- Released: 1973
- Directed by: John Milius
During the Great Depression, John Dillinger (Warren Oates), a ruthless, arrogant criminal, is the most wanted man in America. Along with his gang, which includes the likes of "Baby Face" Nelson ...more![Major Dundee]()
18Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Jim Hutton- Released: 1965
- Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
During the end of the Civil War, Major Dundee guards Confederate prisoners, Union deserters and ordinary hard-bitten criminals in a remote fort. When Apaches attack the fort and make off with three ...more![The Getaway]()
19Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson- Released: 1972
- Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
When convict Doc McCoy (Steve McQueen) is refused parole, he enlists his wife, Carol (Ali MacGraw), to strike a deal with crooked Texan Jack Benyon (Ben Johnson), who agrees to pull strings for Doc ...more![The Sugarland Express]()
20Goldie Hawn, William Atherton, Ben Johnson- Released: 1974
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Married small-time crooks Lou-Jean (Goldie Hawn) and Clovis Poplin (William Atherton) lose their baby to the state of Texas and resolve to do whatever it takes to get him back. Lou-Jean gets Clovis ...more![One-Eyed Jacks]()
21Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Katy Jurado- Released: 1961
- Directed by: Marlon Brando
After pulling a bank heist in Mexico, the outlaw Rio (Marlon Brando) and his partner, Dad Longworth (Karl Malden), make a run for it, but Dad has bigger plans than freedom. He betrays Rio and ...more![Angels in the Outfield]()
22Danny Glover, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tony Danza- Released: 1994
- Directed by: William Dear
Foster kid Roger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) loves the Anaheim Angels, even though they're the worst team in the major leagues. His estranged dad promises to reunite the family if the Angels make it to ...more![Bonanza: The Return]()
23Linda Gray, Dean Stockwell, Jack Elam- Released: 1993
- Directed by: Jerry Jameson
Bonanza: The Return is a 1993 TV-movie sequel to both the 1959-1973 television series Bonanza and the 1988 made-for-television film Bonanza: The Next Generation . The movie was directed by Jerry ...more![The Town That Dreaded Sundown]()
24Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine, Dawn Wells- Released: 1976
- Directed by: Charles B. Pierce
A hooded madman stalks the lovers' lanes of Texarkana in this fact-based account of a 1946 killing spree.![Runaway!]()
25Ben Johnson, Ben Murphy, Ed Nelson- Released: 1973
- Directed by: David Lowell Rich
Runaway!, also known as The Runaway Train, is a 1973 film made for ABC television directed by David Lowell Rich. It is an action thriller involving skiers trapped on a runaway train speeding down a ...more
