The Western is often thought of as a masculine genre. Hearing the words "Western movie" might make people think of people like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood or picture cowboys riding horses, saving "damsels in distress," and getting into gunfights. That's how many old-fashioned Westerns functioned, at least, and even many Westerns set in modern times still feature men as the main characters.
That doesn't mean every Western has to star men and be about men, though. There are far fewer female-focused Westerns out there, but they are out there. These films feature an actress who gets billed over any of her male co-stars and/or has a woman as the central character.
'Meek's Cutoff' (2010)
Not only does Meek's Cutoff feature a woman as its hero (Michelle Williams), but it's also an example of a Western with a female director (Kelly Reichardt). It's a character-driven film set in the 1840s and focuses on a group of settlers who need to survive in the wilderness after their guide fails to take them correctly along the Oregon Trail.
The cast is split relatively evenly between women and men, but the female characters ultimately become the film's focus. It provides a different perspective on what might otherwise be a familiar Western story and was critically well-received for its unique spin on the Western.
'Johnny Guitar' (1954)
Johnny Guitar is the rare Western made during the golden age of Hollywood Westerns that doesn't feature a male character in the starring role. Sure, Johnny "Guitar" Logan may be the title character, but the movie's protagonist is Vienna, a woman who owns a bar frequented by (mostly) lawless personnel.
Beyond Joan Crawford getting top billing for playing Vienna, the second-highest billed person in the cast is also a woman—Mercedes McCambridge—who plays the antagonist to Crawford's hero. It's a forward-thinking Western for its time, and even if a good deal of the movie revolves around (almost inevitable) romance, it still stands out from the (mostly) male-centered Westerns released around the same time.
'The Quick and the Dead' (1995)
While The Quick and the Dead might be something of an ensemble movie with a huge cast and plenty of memorable characters, it's Sharon Stone's character, Ellen, who's the film's main character. It's a good thing the characters (including Stone's) are all very entertaining because the plot of The Quick and the Dead is otherwise pretty simple.
It takes place in a particularly wild Wild West town holding a quick-draw competition that soon turns deadly, with Ellen proving to be an unexpectedly efficient competitor in the otherwise male-dominated competition. It's a lesser-known Sam Raimi movie, but it's quite underrated, with Stone being backed up by a great ensemble cast that includes Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and a very young Leonardo DiCaprio.
'True Grit' (2010)
True Grit is tricky when it comes to assessing female protagonists in Western movies. The film centers on Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) and her quest for revenge against the man who killed her father. As part of her mission, she hires Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn, played by Jeff Bridges, who received top billing over Steinfeld, despite not being the movie's central character.
It's pretty easy to see Steinfeld's Mattie Ross as the film's hero, or at the very least, deserving of equal billing with Bridges. Without Ross and her desire to seek vengeance for the wrong committed against her family, there would be no True Grit, which also makes Steinfeld's nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars that year somewhat baffling.
'Giant' (1956)
As long as you can look past some unusual casting decisions, Giant is an excellent Western. It follows three generations of a Texas family, exploring their romances, professional lives, struggles, and desires to make it rich during a big oil boom.
There are many actors in the film (including the legendary James Dean in his third and final film role), but it's Elizabeth Taylor's character who emerges as the film's central one. It's no easy feat to steal the limelight away from the likes of Dean and Rock Hudson, but Taylor proves able to do just that, being top-billed in the cast and grounding its huge, sweeping story that plays out over almost three hours. Giant's a giant movie indeed...
'Once Upon a Time in the West' (1968)
With its impeccable visuals, slow but absorbing pacing, distinctly memorable bursts of action, and some stunning music courtesy of Ennio Morricone, Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West is undoubtedly one of the best Westerns of all time. It's the kind of movie where you don't even have to be that big of a Western fan to appreciate and enjoy it.
At the film's center is Claudia Cardinale's Jill, who plays a widow that much of the film's conflict revolves around. There are other significant characters whose lives all intersect with Jill in interesting ways throughout this epic film, but Cardinale is essential to bringing it all together and giving the film a vital emotional core that it might otherwise lack. Because of how great Once Upon a Time in the West is, it may well be the best Western of all time that features a female protagonist.
'Two Mules for Sister Sara' (1970)
While Clint Eastwood tends to be the star of any Western he appears in, Two Mules for Sister Sara is a rare exception within his filmography. As the title would imply, the film's main character is Sister Sara... and it's very unlikely that Eastwood would ever play a character who goes by the name "Sister Sara."
Instead, Shirley MacLaine is top-billed as Sara, with Eastwood playing a mercenary who ends up saving her from a gang of rogues and escorting her to safety. When it comes to screen-time, it's shared fairly evenly by MacLaine and Eastwood, but given MacLaine's character is featured in the title and she's billed above Eastwood, it's reasonable enough to label her the main character of this slightly unusual but ultimately compelling Western.
'Gunslinger' (1956)
Gunslinger is a Western that was clearly made with a meager budget and likely on a tight schedule, and as such, it doesn't exactly hold up super well. Still, the premise is interesting, with the story centering on a woman named Rose Hood, who has to become the new sheriff of her town after her husband's gunned down.
It might not be a great film due to its sloppy filmmaking and lackluster script, but it still stands out as being a female-centered Western released during a decade where Westerns were usually more conservative, male-centric affairs. At least it's only 70-something minutes long, meaning you can admire its premise, uniquely presented story, and some of its themes and not be too bored by the rest of the film, which can tend to drag a bit.
'Calamity Jane' (1953)
Not only is Calamity Jane a Western with a female protagonist, but it's also a Western/musical hybrid. It follows the title character as she escorts an actress to the town of Deadwood and gets wrapped up in a comedic plot that also sees her getting involved in a romance with Wild Bill Hickok.
The two main characters are loosely based on real people from the Old West, but it's safe to say that the events shown in Calamity Jane didn't happen here (for a potentially more realistic depiction of Jane and Hickok, there's always HBO's Deadwood). It's a fun, breezy film and features one of Doris Day's most famous lead performances in the title role.
'Destry Rides Again' (1939)
Destry Rides Again is another example of a Western where screen time is split fairly evenly between the male and female leads. While the film follows the son of a sheriff (James Stewart) attempting to tame a wild Old West town, it's Marlene Dietrich, a saloon singer named Frenchy, who emerges as the film's most memorable character.
A big part of that comes down to Dietrich's performance as she steals the show here. Doing that against a co-star like Stewart isn't something most were able to do, but then again, he was younger here and would hit his stride as an iconic actor more during the 1940s and 1950s. As such, Destry Rides Again is likely among the oldest Westerns to have a female main character, and it's a classic one that still holds up today.