Richard Gere has praised the 1978 classic for decades, and now its reputation has earned it a new accolade as one of the best Western movies ever made.

In 1978, Richard Gere starred in a Western that has often been forgotten in the years since. In addition to the widely respected actor previously calling Days of Heaven the “best film” of his career, the film has recently been ranked among the best Westerns ever made.

Who Ranked ‘Days of Heaven’ Among the ‘Greatest Westerns of All Time’?

On August 13, 2026, Yardbarker updated its list of the “25 greatest Westerns of all time.” Alongside several choices that are staples of rankings like that, including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Unforgiven, and The Searchers, the outlet included Days of Heaven. Directed by the visionary artist Terrence Malick, the film starred Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, and Linda Manz.

An acclaimed movie, Days of Heaven was nominated for a slew of accolades, including four Academy Awards, resulting in a Best Cinematography win for Néstor Almendros. Still respected decades later, the fact that it currently has a near-perfect 93% Rotten Tomatoes score based on critics’ reviews is well-earned.

While considering why Days of Heaven was included on Yardbarker’s list, one thing immediately stands out: The film won a Best Cinematography Oscar because it is so gorgeous that it has to be considered one of the most beautiful Westerns ever produced.

The movie also features a fantastic score and a tragic and fascinating plot that focuses on a young couple scheming to obtain a wealthy and dying farmer’s land and fortune. With its morally ambiguous main characters and Terrence Malick’s atypical storytelling style, Days of Heaven is a challenging film in the best ways. For all those reasons and more, the film’s biggest star has praised it publicly.

Richard Gere Called the 1978 Classic ‘Days of Heaven’ His ‘Best Film’

During Richard Gere’s iconic acting career, he starred in several films that have gone down in Hollywood history. Those titles include Pretty Woman, Chicago, American Gigolo, and Primal Fear, among others. Despite headlining those fantastic films, the actor once ranked his 1978 Western above them all.

While talking to Rotten Tomatoes, Richard Gere described Days of Heaven as one of his five favorite films. During a portion of his remarks to that outlet (via Far Out Magazine), the actor also described it as “probably” the greatest movie he ever starred in while reflecting on his first breakout role.

“I’m gonna start with my first film, Days of Heaven, because it’s my first film. It’s probably, unfortunately, my best film. It’s very hard to follow up on a film like that. It was the first film that Terry Malick made that kind of became Terry Malick in that movie. It also was the first film of mine at the Cannes Film Festival. So, everything about that film kind of was important to me as an actor and as a person.”