Movies that pass the three-hour mark may be rare, but that makes them all the more memorable. Historically, epics have been a highly-regarded genre, seeing as there are a decent number of Best Picture Oscar-winning movies that go for more than three hours, and it's common sense that an epic-length movie won't be greenlit and funded unless there's a strong chance it'll be compelling and worth a viewer's time.
The Western is a genre in a similar ballpark to the epic, in that both were most popular some decades ago, yet neither has faded from public consciousness entirely. There are some movies that combine the Western genre with epic stories or, at the very least, epic runtimes, with notable films having runtimes that last more than three hours.
10 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' (1966) - 180 minutes (Extended Cut)
Sergio Leone's longest Western (but not Leone's overall longest film) might also be his best. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is an undeniably classic Western, following three shady characters who all want to find a hidden fortune of gold buried in the desert, with uneasy alliances repeatedly formed and broken all along the way, given none are in the business of sharing their wealth.
The theatrical cut of this 1966 classic still clocks in at a hefty 161 minutes, but the extended cut is the one that gets it to three hours. It was re-edited and almost 20 minutes of deleted scenes were edited into the theatrical cut, with Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach re-recording their lines, too. You can't go wrong with either version, and both are quite long, even if it's only the extended cut that gets the runtime to the three-hour mark.
9 'Oklahoma!' (1999) - 180 minutes
The best-known film version of Oklahoma! would be the 1955 version, which is a traditionally shot movie that clocks in at just under 2.5 hours. The 1999 version is three hours, but is a filmed stage show instead of a traditional movie, which arguably makes it less cinematic.
Still, for fans of Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical, maybe the longer a film adaptation is the better. And it is undeniably a Western, thanks to being set in the early 1900s and featuring a rural setting, even if there's more singing and scenes centered on romance than your average Western. This 1999 version is also notable for starring a young Hugh Jackman just one year before his Hollywood breakthrough in the original X-Men movie.
8 'Dances with Wolves' (1990) - 181 minutes
Dances with Wolves was one of the biggest American movies of the 1990s, in terms of both its runtime and its Oscars success. At just over three hours long, and with seven Oscar wins, it was a huge movie, focusing on a now-familiar story of a Civil War soldier who, while on the American frontier, forms an unexpected bond with a Native American group known as the Lakota.
Remarkably, it was also the first time Kevin Costner directed a movie, and he stands as one of the few directors to win a Best Director Oscar with their first film. He did solid work both in front of and behind the camera, given he also starred in this epic Western that's notable for featuring something more nuanced than a typical "Cowboys vs. Indians" plot common in older Westerns.
7 'The Hateful Eight' (2015) - 187 minutes (Roadshow Version)
Like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Quentin Tarantino's cold, violent, and often nasty The Hateful Eight has a few different cuts. The most common (theatrical) version runs for 168 minutes, but the original roadshow version exceeded three hours, thanks to having an extended overture, an intermission and a few extra shots not seen in the theatrical version.
Many would argue 168 minutes was more than enough when it came to The Hateful Eight's runtime, but the roadshow version was intended as a homage to the way epic movies used to get screened theatrically in decades past. Either way, both cuts deliver the violence, razor-sharp dialogue and morally gray characters Tarantino fans have come to expect from the director's movies.
6 'Wyatt Earp' (1994) - 191 minutes
Kevin Costner wasn't content to star in just one 3+ hour Western, given that just four years after Dances with Wolves, he appeared in another (though without also directing again). That movie was Wyatt Earp, and it was an epic story that covered the life of the titular man, who's perhaps one of the best-known real-life figures of the Old West.
There's a good chance the filmmakers wanted to cover as much as they possibly could in one movie, and given Costner's last epic Western had been a success, it was seen as a risk that would hopefully pay off. Unfortunately, it didn't, as the reviews for Wyatt Earp weren't great, and neither was its box office gross (at only $25 million worldwide against a $63 million budget). Still, for those who want an epic-length Western, Wyatt Earp undeniably qualifies, regardless of quality.
5 'Giant' (1956) - 201 minutes
Giant is a huge movie, running for almost 3.5 hours. Thankfully, it uses its epic runtime to its advantage, as it has a story that follows three generations over many decades, tracking the highs and lows of one Texas family as they gain a great fortune, and subsequently fight to keep it.
It's also notable for being a Western that features a female protagonist in Elizabeth Taylor's character, and for having a strong emphasis on romance, at least more so than the conflict between law and crime that you'd see in most Westerns. It's also one of only three movies that James Dean ever starred in, and the only time he played a supporting role.
4 'Sholay' (1975) - 204 minutes
Sholay's one of those movies that branches out into many genres, with the Western being one of them. It's also got elements of the action, adventure, comedy, drama and thriller genres, and is arguably also a musical, thanks to having a few music numbers spread throughout its epic 204-minute runtime.
It's fairly common for Bollywood movies to mix up numerous genres, but few do it as successfully as Sholay. It's an epic and endlessly entertaining movie with plenty of action in its revenge-centered story, and manages to put an interesting spin on the Western by excluding some of its most typical elements (like how it features no cowboys).
3 'The New Land' (1972) - 204 minutes
Another very long film that fits into the Western genre while defying some of its most recognizable conventions, The New Land offers a different perspective on the American Old West. This is because it's a Swedish movie that follows an immigrant family who comes to America during the 1850s seeking prosperity and comfort, only to find that settling in America isn't as easy as anticipated.
There was a good deal of immigration to North America during this time in history, but you wouldn't always know it from the Western genre as a whole, given most Westerns focus on American characters. This makes The New Land stand out, as does the fact it stars two of Ingmar Bergman's most frequently cast actors, Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann.
2 'Heaven's Gate' (1980) - 219 minutes
Few movies are as unfairly controversial as Heaven's Gate. It's a flawed movie, sure, but there are plenty of things about it that make it one 3+ hour movie that's worth watching, including its compelling plot about class warfare, its remarkable cast, and some huge setpieces.
It was criticized and looked down upon for its production troubles and going over budget, but those things don't necessarily make the movie a failure. And at the very least, viewers can plainly see where all the money went, given the film's scope and attention to detail. The tide has turned on it critically in the decades since its release, helping it to be recognized as the messy, flawed, and impressive movie it truly is.
1 'Lonesome Dove' (1989) - 384 minutes
It might be cheating to list Lonesome Dove as one complete story, given it was released in four parts. However, it undeniably tells one consistent story over those four parts, totaling just over six hours, and is cinematic enough (and features a remarkable enough cast) to make it feel more like a movie than a typical miniseries.
Lonesome Dove's main characters are all nearing the end of their lives right as the Old West itself is coming to an end, too. It's an often exciting but sometimes very sad story about hardships, loyalty and sacrifice, featuring numerous great characters whose journeys will likely leave an impact on all but the most hardened of viewers.