There’s nothing quite as powerful and captivating as watching a great, compelling Western film. The Western genre, as most cinema-goers are familiar with, is one of the oldest and most recognizable styles of filmmaking in cinematic history. Even before films had sound, audiences were blessed with thrilling tales of good vs. evil, crime against order, and brave explorations, all set in a time when the Western United States was an untamed frontier.
Today, we have whole lists of some of the greatest Western masterpieces of all time, and there’s no shortage of them. Westerns are an essential piece of cinema that can’t be ignored, nor should they be forgotten for their brilliance and influence on pop culture. In honor of this truly spectacular genre, let’s take a look at the game-changers of the Western genre –the ones that altered its course, saved it from irrelevance, and reimagined or even subverted the genre with new themes and compelling ideas. From a neo-Western to a classic remake that birthed Spaghetti Westerns, these ten classics changed this iconic genre for the better.
10
‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007)
Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Beginning with a Best Picture-winning modern masterpiece, the Coen Brothers‘ neo-Western film No Country for Old Men blows audiences away with its riveting dialog and powerful performances. Based on the novel by author Cormac McCarthy, it shows a deadly cat-and-mouse game between a Texas hunter (Josh Brolin) and a psychopathic cartel hit-man (Javier Bardem) after the hunter stumbles across $2 million in the aftermath of a drug deal that’s gone horribly wrong.
No Country for Old Men is a fascinating tale that brilliantly subverts while also respecting the Western genre. It breaks away from traditional tropes and paints a bleak, unromanticized approach with no clear heroes or a triumphant finale. It’s a deeply psychological story that’s thought-provoking and offers something unique and compelling that Western fans haven’t truly seen before. It’s a modern classic that will likely stand the test of time.
9
‘Tombstone’ (1993)
Directed by George P. Cosmatos
Hailed for its exciting action and riveting performances, George P. Cosmatos‘ 1993 film Tombstone is an absolute blast of entertainment that boosted the genre’s popularity going into the ’90s. Starring Kurt Russell and the late Val Kilmer, it sees the two as legendary historical figures, Wyatt Earp and John “Doc” Holiday, as they stand up against a vicious criminal gang in the booming town of Tombstone.
Tombstone is widely considered one of the most thrilling and enduring Westerns of all time. While admittedly a bit over-the-top and highly romanticized, it’s an incredible story with wonderful characters and some of the most quoted lines in movie history. It revitalized interest in the Western genre with its thrilling style and unique tone, which greatly captures the spirit of the West. Overall, it’s a fascinating story that never gets old and continues to have a significant presence in pop culture.
Tombstone
- Release Date
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December 25, 1993
- Runtime
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130 minutes
8
‘Brokeback Mountain’ (2005)
Directed by Ang Lee
A gripping tale full of heartbreak and tragedy, Ang Lee‘s contemporary Western romantic drama Brokeback Mountain offers a unique take that flips the genre on its head. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger, it follows the ups and downs of a decades-long relationship between two ranch hands after they fall in love with each other on a shepherding trip through Brokeback Mountain, Wyoming.
With riveting performances, brilliant writing, and competent direction, Brokeback Mountain is a powerful story that has become a massive standout in the genre in recent decades. It’s a Western that challenges classic Western archetypes and tropes, following a plot that also paved the way for more LGBTQ representation in the genre. It’s a complex tale that broke away from traditional storytelling and has now become a modern classic, likely to be endlessly studied for its place in the genre’s history.
7
‘Stagecoach’ (1939)
Directed by John Ford
Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking Westerns of all time, the highly revered John Ford‘s action-adventure classic Stagecoach is a film that truly needs to be seen by all fans of the genre. Featuring the director’s first collaboration with Hollywood Golden Age icon John Wayne, it follows a motley group of stagecoach passengers as they brave the western frontier while facing the threat of an Apache raiding party.
Stagecoach is not only the film that launched John Wayne into the mainstream, but it changed the trajectory of the Western genre forever. It raised the bar for these types of movies with its compelling storytelling and complex character development. And it continues to capture the minds of audiences with its riveting action and exciting performances that still hold up incredibly well. It’s a true classic that was a major boost for the genre and continues to be beloved.
6
‘High Noon’ (1952)
Directed by Fred Zinnemann
An innovative classic that hasn’t lost its luster in decades, Fred Zinnemann‘s 1952 Western High Noon is an enduring tale that gets better with every watch. Starring Gary Cooper in a career comeback and Oscar-winning performance, it sees him as a town marshal who, on the day of his wedding and retirement, must take up the badge one more time alone to face a vengeful gang leader he put away years prior.
High Noon is unique in that it offers a groundbreaking storytelling approach that sets itself apart from other Westerns. It takes place in real-time and features a more complex plot that’s less heavy on action and more focused on character drama and dynamics. It’s also been praised for being an allegory of McCarthyism and taking a stand against Hollywood’s blacklistings of the time, proving to be much deeper and thought-provoking rather than being a romanticized Western.
High Noon
- Release Date
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June 30, 1952
- Runtime
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85 Minutes
5
‘The Searchers’ (1956)
Directed by John Ford
Not only considered John Ford and John Wayne’s best film together but also widely seen as one of the most compelling Westerns ever made, 1956’s The Searchers is an iconic tale that continues to be a massive influence on filmmaking. It sees Wayne in his legendary role as hardened Civil War veteran Ethan Edwards as he embarks on a years-long rescue mission to bring his niece home after she was taken by a Comanche raiding party.
It’s a near-flawless tale with incredible acting, innovative visuals, and gorgeous cinematography that has inspired the likes of George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg. It’s also complex for its morally ambiguous protagonist, who is far from a traditional Western hero but certainly one of the most memorable. Overall, The Searchers isn’t just a game-changer for Westerns; it’s a game-changer for all cinema.
The Searchers
- Release Date
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May 26, 1956
- Runtime
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119 minutes
-
-
Jeffrey Hunter
Martin Pawley
4
‘The Wild Bunch’ (1969)
Directed by Sam Peckinpah
For intense violence and thrilling adventure for those who absolutely love the Red Dead Redemption game series, check out Sam Peckinpah‘s The Wild Bunch, a 1969 Western epic starring an A-list cast including Academy Award winners William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Edmond O’Brien, and Ben Johnson. It follows the last days of an aging outlaw gang as they’re on the run after a robbery goes terribly wrong.
It’s one of the bleakest, bloodiest, and most spectacular Westerns you’ll ever see that changed the game with its revolutionary violence and powerful storytelling. It’s not a happy Western in the slightest and brings with it a harsher look at the life of a professional outlaw and the dirty work that comes with it. The Wild Bunch has become timeless because of how unflinching it is, and it’ll likely never be forgotten.
3
‘McCabe & Mrs. Miller’ (1971)
Directed by Robert Altman
A near-perfect Western masterpiece that re-envisioned the genre, 1971’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller is a fascinating tale that flips everything you know about Westerns. Starring Academy Award winners Warren Beatty and Julie Christie, it tells of a drifting gambler and an English prostitute as their thriving co-owned business in a remote mining town becomes threatened by the arrival of a major corporation.
It’s described as a perfect “Anti-Western” for subverting many of the tropes of traditional Westerns, challenging them by featuring complex heroes, moral ambiguity, and an emphasis on self-interest and greed. It’s become a massive influence on a lot of subversive Westerns, as its story doesn’t romanticize the West; it just focuses more on the harsh reality of living in this time period.
2
‘Unforgiven’ (1992)
Directed by Clint Eastwood
A truly breathtaking Best Picture winner, Clint Eastwood‘s powerful deconstruction of the classic Western idea, Unforgiven, is a riveting period drama that’ll leave audiences stunned. Starring Eastwood himself and the late Gene Hackman in an iconic Best Supporting Actor-winning performance, it follows a retired feared gunslinger who takes on one last bounty to save his struggling farm.
It’s a harsh, tragic, and subversive slow-burn Western that sees Clint Eastwood in a role that has never been seen before. It doesn’t shy away from the bleak actions of taking another person’s life and the aftermath that comes with it. It’s truly incredible and puts Westerns in a new light that doesn’t feel cheesy or adventurous; grounded and realistic.
Unforgiven
- Release Date
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August 7, 1992
- Runtime
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130 Mins
1
‘A Fistful of Dollars’ (1964)
Directed by Sergio Leone
Finally, at number one, it is greatly considered the film that catapulted “spaghetti Westerns” into the spotlight, where they’re still revered today. Yes, finally, let’s talk about the film that started it all, A Fistful of Dollars, the first in Sergio Leone‘s iconic Dollars Trilogy. An unofficial adaptation of acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa‘s 1961 Samurai classic, Yojimbo, the story follows a drifting gunslinger (played by Clint Eastwood) as he pits two rival crime families against each other to free their grip over a struggling village.
A Fistful of Dollars is the classic that redefined the genre. It brought with it some of the most recognizable scenes in cinema history, and they continue to be a massive influence today. Everything else, from Eastwood’s legendary performance to Ennio Morricone’s inspiring score, has made A Fistful of Dollars one of the greatest game-changers in the Western genre.