10 Most Underrated John Wayne Movies, Ranked

John Wayne was one of the greatest actors during Hollywood’s Golden Age and gained universal recognition for his no-nonsense, tough-guy roles in Western and war films such as True Grit, The Longest Day, and Red River. Born in Winterset, Iowa, Wayne, also known as the Duke, never intended to become an actor, but after an injury lost him his football scholarship at the University of Southern California, he landed a job working as a prop boy for several John Ford productions. In 1939, Wayne delivered his breakthrough role in Ford’s iconic Western, Stagecoach, as Ringo the Kid and went on to become one of cinema’s most beloved leading men.

Decades later, Wayne continues to be a favorite among classic film fanatics for his riveting performances in dozens of notable classics, including Rio Bravo, The Shootist, and The Searchers, but out of the Duke’s extensive list of filmography, there are several underrated titles that deserve just as much praise. From the adventure film, Reap the Wild Wind, to the Western, The Sons of Katie Elder, these are the 10 most underrated John Wayne films, ranked.

10 ‘Reap the Wild Wind’ (1942)

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille

Cecil B. DeMille‘s second Technicolor film, Reap the Wild Wind, tells the story of Loxi Claiborne (Paulette Goddard), who has taken over her father’s marine salvage business and when a ship’s captain, Jack Stuart (John Wayne) is injured in a planned shipwreck, she nurses him back to health. Soon, Claiborne begins to fall in love with Stuart, but their romance is tested when another suitor, an attorney, Steve Tolliver (Ray Milland), also seeks to earn Claiborne’s affection.

Wayne’s role in Reap the WildWind is one of few that has a sinister, dark side and a willingness to break the law for his own personal gain, proving he’s more than capable of playing just the dashing hero. The film was released shortly after the United States entered World War II and was a major hit with audiences and the box office. Critics praised Wayne’s performance and the film’s impressive special effects featured in the underwater scenes. Reap the Wild Wind earned three Academy Award nominations, including Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction, winning for Best Visual Effects.

Reap The Wild Wind can be purchased on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon in the U.S.

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9 ‘Dark Command’ (1940)

Directed by Raoul Walsh

Set during the Civil War, Mary McCloud (Claire Trevor) believes she’s married a wholesome school teacher, William Cantrell (Walter Pidgeon), only to discover that he attacks both the Union and Confederate sides for his own financial gain. When a Union supporter and former suitor of McCloud’s, Bob Seton (John Wayne), is captured by Cantrell, McCloud and her brother (Roy Rogers) help him escape and race to a nearby town before Cantrell and his men can execute a devastating attack on the helpless residents.

Raoul Walsh‘s Western crime film, Dark Command, is based on the events surrounding the 1863 attack in Lawrence, Kansas, known as the Lawrence Massacre, which claimed the lives of over one hundred unarmed men and boys. Wayne delivers a knock-out performance as the heroic Seton who embodies the cost of unwavering loyalty and self-sacrifice. The movie marked the second collaboration between Wayne and Walsh, who first worked together on the 1930 film, The Big Trail, which is credited as Wayne’s first leading role. Dark Command earned two Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Score and Best Art Direction.

Dark Command can be streamed on Tubi in the U.S.

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8 ‘The Long Voyage Home’ (1940)

Directed by John Ford

Set during the early days of World War II, the crew of an English cargo ship, S.S. Glencairn, are sailing from the West Indies to Baltimore, Maryland. Once they arrive, the crew discovers that their new cargo is a load of dynamite, causing them to feel uneasy about traveling with such high, unpredictable explosives. To make matters worse, they begin to suspect that someone among them is secretly a Nazi spy.

John Ford’s The Long Voyage Home is essentially a modern-day Odyssey, following the crew as they wander the open seas and are soon faced with a series of obstacles that ultimately test their patience, determination, and faith in each other. Even though it isn’t regarded as one of Ford’s best pictures, The Long Voyage Home is a beautiful picture skillfully directed and distinctly portrayed by an overall exceptional cast, specifically, Wayne’s performance, which is considered to be one of the actor’s most underrated.

The Long Voyage Home can be streamed on Max in the U.S.

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7 ‘Rooster Cogburn’ (1975)

Directed by Stuart Millar

Wayne reprises his Oscar-winning role as U.S. Marshal, Rooster Cogburn in the 1975 sequel, Rooster Cogburn, who is trying to earn back his badge by tracking down a group of bandits who have stolen a shipment of explosives. What was intended to be a solo mission soon turns into Cogburn taking along the daughter of one of the bandit’s unfortunate victims, Eula Goodnight (Katharine Hepburn), who insists on accompanying Cogburn on his journey.

Rooster Cogburn might not stand up to the triumph of True Grit, but it does stand on its own as a pretty solid sequel, which pairs Wayne alongside fellow Hollywood icon and Oscar-winning actress, Katharine Hepburn. While the film earned mixed reviews from critics, Rooster Cogburn did receive positive chatter regarding Wayne and Hepburn’s excellent performances, and even though they don’t have electrifying chemistry, both still complement each other’s characters with a dynamic similar to Hepburn’s and Humphrey Bogart’s in The African Queen.

Rooster Cogburn can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.

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6 ‘El Dorado’ (1966)

Directed by Howard Hawks

When a wealthy businessman, Bart Jason (Edward Asner), hires a group of men to force a family off their property for him to claim it, the town’s sheriff, J.P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum), has become an alcoholic and is unable to help the poor family. A gunfighter and friend of Harrah’s, Cole Thorton (John Wayne), learns about the incident and Harrah’s current state and travels to the town of El Dorado to help his friend dry out and prepare to run Jason’s men out.

El Dorado is one of three Westerns Wayne starred in directed by Howard Hawks and also co-stars a young James Caan who is best known for his role as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. Despite having a similar plot to the two other Hawks Westerns, El Dorado received positive reviews which noted the film as a tough, but also an amusing Western carried by two of Hollywood’s greatest stars. Film critic, Roger Ebert, gave El Dorado three out of four stars, calling it, “a tightly directed, humorous, altogether successful Western.”

El Dorado can be streamed on Paramount+ in the U.S.

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5 ‘The Cowboys’ (1972)

Directed by Mark Rydell

Wayne stars in one of his best Westerns, The Cowboys as a gruff rancher, Will Anderson, who is about to set out on a large cattle drive when his crew abruptly quits to join the gold rush. With no other option, Anderson trains a group of willing schoolboys to become cowboys and soon Anderson and his new ranch hands embark on their long journey, but unbeknownst to them, they’re being watched by a ruthless bandit (Bruce Dern) who is planning to steal Anderson’s herd.

Throughout his career, Wayne took on several father-like roles and in The Cowboys he taps into this familiar formula with thoughtful tact as he initiates a group of boys into adulthood, preparing them for the harsh reality of the real world. Wayne’s performance features a perfect portion of tough love and blunt banter and while his character embodies the traditional masculine male, he still expresses a glimmer of affection and nurturing empathy rarely seen in Westerns, making The Cowboys one of Wayne’s most underrated movies.

The Cowboys can be streamed on Apple TV in the U.S.

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4 ‘The Alamo’ (1960)

Directed by John Wayne

As the Mexican army invades the state of Texas, General Sam Huston (Richard Boone) plans to try and create a diversion by ordering three of his colonels, William B. Travis (Laurence Harvey), Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark), and Davy Crockett (John Wayne) to lead a group of soldiers to defend the Alamo. Despite being out numbered by the massive Mexican troops, the men still fought the good fight to the bitter end, defending the post at all costs.

Wayne stars and directs the epic historical film, The Alamo, which depicts the legendary Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. Wayne gives a harrowing performance heightened by his own personal patriotism and successfully balances his dual role as performer and director.The Alamo earned mixed reviews from critics, ranging from being a flat display of a film to a top-notch war drama, but despite the reviews, the film earned seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor, winning for Best Sound.

The Alamo can be streamed on Tubi in the U.S.

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3 ‘Donovan’s Reef’ (1963)

Directed by John Ford

At the end of World War II, Navy veterans, Michael Donovan (John Wayne), Doc Dedham (Jack Warden), and Thomas Gilhooley (Lee Marvin) decide not to return to the United States and instead, settle on the French Polynesian island of Haleakaloha. Years later, word reaches the island that Dedham’s estranged prim daughter, Amelia (Elizabeth Allen), is coming to the island to reclaim his shares in the family company. With the Doc away, Donovan plays host and tries to keep Amelia from discovering that her father married a local woman and has three children.

While Wayne is best known for his Western and war films, he also successfully starred in a series of romantic comedies such as John Ford’s Donovan’s Reef. It might not be one of Ford’s award-winning films, but it is definitely one of his most entertaining, featuring a fun-loving plot and heartfelt performances by the entire cast. Wayne still embodies his usual rough-around-the-edges role but also gets to show off his comedic chops and full-blown sarcasm, which perfectly aligns with Allen’s aristocratic character.

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Donovan’s Reef can be streamed on Pluto TV in the U.S.

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2 ‘McLintock!’ (1963)

Directed by John Ford

Wayne stars in the Western comedy, McLintock!, as an aging wealthy rancher, George McLintock, who deals with professional issues regularly, most notably everyone from high-ranking government officials to his own children, wanting a piece of his profitable property. To add to his list of problems, his wife, Katherine (Maureen O’Hara), who left him several years ago, returns to town, but not for her husband, but for their daughter.

Wayne and O’Hara are pure comedy gold in John Ford’s McLintock!, which was one of five films the stars had made together, resulting in a lifelong friendship. In one particular scene, Wayne is involved in a massive mud fight, and at one point, Wayne pushes O’Hara (who is dressed to the nines) down a large hill leading to a giant pool of mud, which according to SlashFilm, was not in the script. Of course, O’Hara was a good sport about it and the two’s natural chemistry and Ford’s phenomenal direction is what ultimately makes McLintock! one of Wayne’s most underrated movies.

McLintock! can be streamed on Tubi in the U.S.

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1 ‘The Sons of Katie Elder’ (1965)

Directed by Henry Hathaway

When four brothers return home to attend their mother’s funeral, they discover that a gunsmith and entrepreneur, Morgan Hastings (James Gregory), has claimed the Elder family’s ranch after their father gambled it away and was murdered the same night. Led by the oldest sons, gunfighter, John (John Wayne), and gambler, Tom (Dean Martin), the brothers search for their father’s killer and fight to reclaim their land, which leads to violent conflicts with the Hastings family and the local sheriff (Paul Fix).

Wayne delivers a bulletproof performance in Henry Hathaway‘s old-fashioned Western, The Sons of Katie Elder, which is noted for its straightforward plot, authentic scene settings, and excellent use of color. The film features every element of a traditional action-paced Western, including a story of vengeance, suspenseful shootouts, and the unpredictable lawlessness of the Wild West. Wayne and Martin are a well-balanced duo who bring the same energy and tenacity as they did together in Howard Hawks’ classic Western, Rio Bravo, deeming this to be Wayne’s most underrated film.

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The Sons of Katie Elder can be streamed on Pluto TV in the U.S.

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KEEP READING: The 25 Best John Wayne Movies of All Time, Ranked