Many of legend Clint Eastwood’s western movies are fan favorites and well-known. Movies like Unforgiven, Pale Rider, and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly helped define the genre. But Eastwood’s first-ever Hollywood western movie was lesser known.
It’s called Hang ‘Em High, it was filmed in 1962, and you can watch it for free. The film is offered for free (with ads) by YouTube TV. The movie can also be watched for free on Tubi. It’s also free on Pluto TV and on Amazon Prime (if you have a subscription to that.)
“Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood), an ex-lawman turned rancher, is moving a small herd of cattle when a group of nine men on horseback, led by Captain Wilson (Ed Begley Sr.), ride up and accuse him of having stolen the cattle and killed their owner,” YouTube TV explains. “They refuse to believe his account, stringing him up by the neck and leaving him for dead. Lucky for him, they don’t do the job right, and as Cooper dangles there, barely alive, Deputy U.S. Marshal Bliss (Ben Johnson) spots him and cuts him down.”
Fans Called Clint Eastwood’s ‘Hang ‘Em High’ Gritty, Tense & ‘the Best Ever’
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Fans weighed in on the comment thread of YouTube TV. “Back then these good westerns with Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, etc. were usually on Saturday Night Movies—as kids we took a shower, and watched these movies with a soda and popcorn. Kids today have no clue what they’re missing,” a fan wrote.
“Clint Eastwood’s American debut and he nailed it—gritty, tense, and unforgettable. One of the best revenge westerns ever made,” wrote another fan.
Some fans prefer Eastwood’s older westerns to his modern fare.
“All Clints old western movies are the best ever never get old & watch them everytime on,” a movie fan opined. “No one plays a better western, than Clint,’ wrote another person.
‘Hang ‘Em High’ Has a 92% Critics Rating on Rotten Tomatoes
The movie fares better with critics than audience members on Rotten Tomatoes, but critics have scored it a sky-high 92% positive.
Audience members gave it a 73% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website.
According to Roger Ebert, before this movie, Eastwood had starred in low-budget films in locations like Spain and Italy. Hang ’em High co-starred Ed Begley. He called the movie a “revenge story.”
“Principal photography began 19 Jun 1967 in New Mexico, according to a 23 Jun 1967 DV production chart. Following location shooting in and around Las Cruces, NM, interiors were set to be filmed in rented space at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios in Century City, CA,”AFI Catalog noted, adding that an initial review called the movie “morbidly violent.” However, other reviews “cited the final mass hanging sequence as the film’s dramatic and artistic high point.”
“According to a 21 Jul 1967 DV article, the staged hangings represented a first ‘in that actual noose and gibbet were used, utilizing a tied-off section of the knot that prevented stuntmen’s neck[s] from breaking,'” wrote AFI Catalog.
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This story was originally published by Men’s Journal on Jun 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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