The Best Jack Elam Movies

Reference
Updated August 11, 2023 1.0K votes 243 voters
Over 200 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Jack Elam Movies
Voting Rules
Vote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.

List of the best Jack Elam movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Jack Elam'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 Jack Elam movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Jack Elam movies will be at the top of the list. Jack Elam has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Jack Elam movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Jack Elam films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Jack Elam role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Jack Elam performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

List features films like Grayeagle, Tarzan's Hidden Jungle.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Jack Elam movies?" and "What are the greatest Jack Elam roles of all time?"

If you're a fan of Jack Elam, then check out our lists of the best Bob Hope and Ernest Borgnine movies as well.

Most divisive: Kismet
Ranked by
  • Support Your Local Sheriff!
    1

    Support Your Local Sheriff!

    James Garner, Joan Hackett, Walter Brennan
    71 votes
    • Released: 1969
    • Directed by: Burt Kennedy
    A small-scale gold rush erupts in a Colorado town after treasure is found in a grave. The area quickly becomes a magnet for criminals and other ne'er-do-wells, but everyone is too intent on searching for gold to consider law and order. When Jason McCullough (James Garner), a clever and supremely laid-back gunslinger, wanders into town, he becomes the de facto lawman, aided by local eccentric Jake (Jack Elam). McCullough's ingenuity is tested, however, when he runs afoul of the tough Danby gang.

    Available On:

    subscription

    free

  • Support Your Local Gunfighter
    2

    Support Your Local Gunfighter

    James Garner, Suzanne Pleshette, Jack Elam
    60 votes
    • Released: 1971
    • Directed by: Burt Kennedy
    When traveling con man Latigo Smith (James Garner) drifts into a small Western town, he decides to take advantage of a local rivalry between gold-mining factions. Recruiting the shifty Jug May (Jack Elam) to pose as a notorious gunfighter, Smith sets his scheme in motion, while also taking time to romance the lovely Patience Barton (Suzanne Pleshette). However, after his ruse is uncovered, Smith incurs the wrath of the real hired gun, among others, leading to a big shoot-out.

    Available On:

    subscription

    free

  • The Over-the-Hill Gang
    3

    The Over-the-Hill Gang

    Pat O'Brien, Walter Brennan, Chill Wills
    19 votes
    • Released: 1969
    • Directed by: Jean Yarbrough
    Looking to reform the corrupt government of his Old West town, newspaperman Jeff Rose is running for mayor against officeholder Nard Lundy (Edward Andrews). Jeff's campaign lacks the incumbent's muscle and money, and his quest looks hopeless until the arrival of his father-in-law, Capt. Oren Hayes (Pat O'Brien). Joined by three fellow former Texas lawmen (Walter Brennan, Edgar Buchanan, Chill Wills), Oren and his daughter, Hannah, help Jeff fight back against his antagonist's dirty tactics.

    Available On:

    subscription

    free

  • Once Upon a Time in the West
    4

    Once Upon a Time in the West

    Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson
    40 votes
    • Released: 1969
    • Directed by: Sergio Leone
    In the sprawling epic Once Upon a Time in the West, Harmonica (Charles Bronson), a mysterious harmonica-playing gunman, faces off against cruel assassin Frank (Henry Fonda) amidst the dust and danger of the American frontier. As these two forces clash, Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale), a newly widowed woman, finds herself caught in their deadly game. Directed by Sergio Leone, this iconic western won the David di Donatello for Best Director and is renowned for its stirring Ennio Morricone score and stunning cinematography that paints a vivid picture of life on the untamed frontier.
  • Rio Lobo
    5

    Rio Lobo

    John Wayne, Jorge Rivero, Jennifer O'Neill
    44 votes
    • Released: 1970
    • Directed by: Howard Hawks
    Union leader Cord McNally (John Wayne) is protecting a routine gold shipment when his troops are attacked by Confederate forces. Not only does he lose the gold, but one of his strongest officers is killed in the raid. At the end of the Civil War, McNally learns that the raiders had help from the inside, and he vows to uncover the two traitors. After a chance encounter with one of the turncoats, McNally travels to the town of Rio Lobo and makes an unexpected discovery.

    Available On:

    free

  • The Man from Laramie
    6

    The Man from Laramie

    James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp
    17 votes
    • Released: 1955
    • Directed by: Anthony Mann
    Will Lockhart (James Stewart) comes to the ranch town of Coronado looking for the man who is selling rifles to the Apaches, because his brother was killed with one. There he runs into Alec Waggoman (Donald Crisp), an aging rancher with a violent son named Dave (Alex Nicol). A conflict between Dave and Vic (Arthur Kennedy), Waggoman's top aid, helps Lockhart uncover the source of the rifles -- and also gets him involved in the power struggles at the Waggoman ranch.

    Available On:

    free