Can You Survive This Epic Western Movie Quiz?

Answers Below – No Peeking!

Saddle up for an epic showdown! This 20-question trivia quiz tests your knowledge of legendary Western films, from sprawling John Ford classics to gritty Spaghetti Westerns and modern masterpieces. Questions range from ranch-rodeo easy to outlaw-hard – can you rope in a perfect score?

20 Trivia Questions on Epic Western Movies

Question 1: Who directed the 1956 epic Western The Searchers?

A. Sergio Leone
B. Clint Eastwood
C. John Ford
D. Howard Hawks

Question 2: In Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), who plays the mysterious harmonica gunslinger?

A. Henry Fonda
B. Lee Van Cleef
C. Charles Bronson
D. Jack Elam

Question 3: Which actor plays Lieutenant John Dunbar in Dances with Wolves (1990)?

A. Kevin Costner
B. Graham Greene
C. Rodney A. Grant
D. Wes Studi

Question 4: Unforgiven (1992) was directed by and stars which actor as William Munny?

A. Gene Hackman
B. Morgan Freeman
C. Richard Harris
D. Clint Eastwood

Question 5: In The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), who portrays “The Good”?

A. Eli Wallach
B. Lee Van Cleef
C. Clint Eastwood
D. Klaus Kinski

Question 6: Which epic Western won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1990?

A. Unforgiven
B. Dances with Wolves
C. The Searchers
D. Tombstone

Question 7: Who composed the iconic score for Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)?

A. Elmer Bernstein
B. Jerry Goldsmith
C. Ennio Morricone
D. John Williams

Question 8: In the original True Grit (1968), who plays the one-eyed U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn?

A. Glen Campbell
B. Kim Darby
C. Robert Duvall
D. John Wayne

Question 9: There Will Be Blood (2007) stars Daniel Day-Lewis as what central character?

A. A ruthless oil prospector
B. A fanatical preacher
C. A corrupt sheriff
D. A pioneering rancher

Question 10: Who directed the neo-Western No Country for Old Men (2007)?

A. Paul Thomas Anderson
B. Joel and Ethan Coen
C. Tommy Lee Jones
D. Sam Mendes

Question 11: How many gunslingers assemble in The Magnificent Seven (1960)?

A. Five
B. Six
C. Eight
D. Seven

Question 12: Who directed the violent epic Western The Wild Bunch (1969)?

A. John Ford
B. Sergio Leone
C. Sam Peckinpah
D. Don Siegel

Question 13: In High Noon (1952), Gary Cooper plays which character facing a noon showdown?

A. Marshal Will Kane
B. Frank Miller
C. Harvey Pell
D. Amy Kane

Question 14: In Django Unchained (2012), who plays the German bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz?

A. Jamie Foxx
B. Leonardo DiCaprio
C. Christoph Waltz
D. Walton Goggins

Question 15: Who directed Little Big Man (1970), starring Dustin Hoffman as Jack Crabb?

A. Arthur Penn
B. John Frankenheimer
C. Sam Peckinpah
D. Robert Altman

Question 16: Which director helmed the survival epic Western The Revenant (2015)?

A. Clint Eastwood
B. Alejandro G. Iñárritu
C. Denis Villeneuve
D. David Mackenzie

Question 17: In Shane (1953), who portrays the mysterious gunslinger Shane?

A. Van Heflin
B. Jack Palance
C. Alan Ladd
D. Brandon DeWilde

Question 18: Who directed the cattle-drive epic Red River (1948), starring John Wayne and Montgomery Clift?

A. John Ford
B. King Vidor
C. Howard Hawks
D. Raoul Walsh

Question 19: How many Academy Awards did Dances with Wolves (1990) win, including Best Picture and Best Director?

A. Four
B. Five
C. Seven
D. Nine

Question 20: In The Searchers (1956), what is the name of the kidnapped girl Ethan Edwards searches for over years?

A. Debbie
B. Laurie
C. Lucy
D. Martha

Answers

  1. C. John Ford – John Ford directed this iconic John Wayne Western about a Civil War veteran’s obsessive quest; Leone and Eastwood are Spaghetti Western directors, Hawks directed other Wayne films like Rio Bravo.
  2. C. Charles Bronson – Bronson plays the vengeance-driven Harmonica; Fonda is the villain Frank, Van Cleef and Elam are other gunmen.
  3. A. Kevin Costner – Costner stars as and directs the film about a Union officer befriending Lakota Sioux; others play Sioux characters.
  4. D. Clint Eastwood – Eastwood directs and stars as the ageing gunslinger; others are supporting cast.
  5. C. Clint Eastwood – Eastwood is “Blondie” the Good in Leone’s Dollars Trilogy finale; others are the Ugly, Bad, and a bandit.
  6. B. Dances with Wolves – It swept Oscars including Best Picture; Unforgiven won in 1992, others were nominated but didn’t win.
  7. C. Ennio Morricone – Morricone’s score is legendary for its tension-building motifs; others scored different Westerns.
  8. D. John Wayne – Wayne won his only Oscar as Cogburn; others are supporting roles, Bridges remade it in 2010.
  9. A. A ruthless oil prospector – Day-Lewis plays Daniel Plainview in this PT Anderson epic; Paul Dano is the preacher.
  10. B. Joel and Ethan Coen – The Coens directed this Best Picture winner; others directed other neo-Westerns.
  11. D. Seven – The remake of Seven Samurai features Yul Brynner leading six others against bandits.
  12. C. Sam Peckinpah – Peckinpah’s bloody film redefined Western violence; others directed earlier classics.
  13. A. Marshal Will Kane – Cooper’s Kane stands alone against outlaws; others are antagonists or allies.
  14. C. Christoph Waltz – Waltz won an Oscar as Schultz; Foxx is Django, DiCaprio the villain Candie.
  15. A. Arthur Penn – Penn directed this satirical take on Custer and Native American history; others made different Westerns.
  16. B. Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Iñárritu won Best Director for the Leonardo DiCaprio survival tale; others directed other films.
  17. C. Alan Ladd – Ladd’s stoic Shane becomes a farmhand hero; others play townsfolk or villains.
  18. C. Howard Hawks – Hawks co-directed this father-son rancher feud; others helmed similar epics.
  19. C. Seven – It won 7 Oscars, including for Costner; not the full sweep of 9 or fewer.
  20. A. Debbie – Debbie Edwards (Natalie Wood) is Ethan’s niece; others are family members killed earlier.

How many did you get right, partner? Share your score in the comments and challenge your posse to beat it!