Classics Never Die
For many Western fans, the genre tapered off somewhere in the 60s and 70s. Some purists will even say the last great Western was 1958’s The Big Country or 1969’s The Wild Bunch. In the 1990s, a slew of neo-Westerns like Tombstone, The Quick and the Dead, and Unforgiven brought the genre to a whole new generation.
But every good Western fan knows—just because something looks like it’s dead, doesn’t mean you should count it out. There are a number of talented filmmakers out there making great new Westerns and keeping that flame lit.
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Starring Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox
If there’s one living actor who can lead a Western, it’s the incredible Kurt Russell. Bone Tomahawk is one part classic Western, and maybe one part Deliverance. It begins as a straightforward take on the genre before bringing in some quite terrifying horror elements, keeping tension throughout. The cherry on top is the incredible ensemble cast, featuring not just the aforementioned stars but also beloved character actors Richard Jenkins, Fred Melamed, and Sig Haig.
Caliber Media Company, Bone Tomahawk (2015)
The Power Of The Dog (2021)
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kristen Dunst
Writer and director Jane Campion can slip easily and effortlessly into whatever genre she chooses to make, from serious historical drama (The Piano) to racy thriller (In the Cut). In The Power of the Dog, she takes on the American West, bringing to the table a tale of a blended family living on a Montana ranch.
The film mixes the stunning landscapes of a classic Western with taut psychological drama.
New Zealand Film Commission, The Power of the Dog (2021)
The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Starring Tom Waits, Tim Blake Nelson, Liam Neeson
This Coen Brother-helmed anthology film features six vignettes, each taking on a different tone—but with a consistent comedic tone. As with many Coen movies, the music is fantastic, and there’s a little something for everyone within the stories, and everyone will have their favorite (ours is “All Gold Canyon”).
Annapurna Pictures, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Hell Or High Water (2016)
Starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster
Taylor Sheridan is now known as the man behind the hit show Yellowstone and however many spin-offs it has, but back in the mid-2010s he was working on a series of films which was described as a trilogy of “the modern-day American frontier”. The second film in the series, Hell or High Water, follows two bank robber brothers in Texas and the sheriff chasing them.
Once you watch Hell or High Water, you’ll instantly understand why TV execs were tripping all over themselves to give Sheridan a deal.
CBS, Hell or High Water (2016)
Godless (2017)
Starring Jeff Daniels, Jack O’Connell, Sam Waterston
Though not a feature-length film, this miniseries, featuring just seven episodes, could easily be knocked out over the course of a weekend. Set in 1884, Godless is the tale of a former outlaw on the run from his absolutely diabolical boss, played by Jeff Daniels—a man so evil he’s wiped out entire towns. And what’s a Western without some sort of white hat going after the outlaws? That role is fulfilled by Law & Order icon Sam Waterston.
The series landed on many “Best Of” lists and took home a handful of Emmys when it came out.
Django Unchained (2012)
Starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio
If you haven’t seen Django Unchained yet…what exactly are you waiting for? Another of Quentin Tarantino’s revisionist treats—see also Inglourious Basterds and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood—this Antebellum South-set tale of a slave who trains under a bounty hunter in order to find his wife was pretty much regarded an instant classic from the moment it came out. And for good reason—it’s brutal and bleak but also incredibly rousing.
Columbia, Django Unchained (2012)
3:10 To Yuma (2007)
Starring Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda
If there was a single movie that brought about the revival of the Western genre in the 2000s, it was 3:10 to Yuma, brought to the screen by James Mangold, the consistently reliable director behind beloved films like Walk the Line and Logan. In the film, Bale plays a rancher driven by poverty to take on a job going after a notorious outlaw, played by Crowe.
And if that doesn’t sell it, the film was based on a short story written by Elmore Leonard, the legendary writer whose books and stories were the basis for some incredible adaptations, including the classic Western Hombre and the series Justified.
Lionsgate, 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Forsaken (2015)
Starring Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Brian Cox
With a cast of heavy hitters like that, what else is there to say? This revisionist take on the genre follows a former Civil War soldier who returns home a decade later, clearly still struggling with what he’d seen and done during the conflict. He runs into trouble with his ex’s new husband and the local saloon owner and his gang of henchmen.
Minds Eye Entertainment, Forsaken (2015)
The Harder They Fall (2021)
Starring Idris Elba, Delroy Lindo, Zazie Beetz
This impressive entry to the genre features an all-Black cast portraying a slew of legendary Old West historical figures, including lawman Bass Reeves, cowboy Nat Love, and Rufus Buck, leader of a gang of outlaws. Forget a slow, meditative take on the Western—The Harder They Fall is a fun and action-packed wild ride from start to finish.
Netflix, The Harder They Fall (2021)
Paradox (2018)
Starring Neil Young, Lukas Nelson, Micah Nelson
A Western…musical? It’s not just for Roy Rogers! Paradox is certainly an unconventional take on the genre, focusing not just on music but also somewhat on the supernatural, as a group of outlaws searching for treasure also wait for a full moon, hoping that it’ll bless them. The film was written and directed by Darryl Hannah, who cast her husband, iconic musician Neil Young, in the lead. He’s supported by a great cast that also includes Willie Nelson and his two sons.
Hostiles (2017)
Starring Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Jesse Plemons
Are Christian Bale and Jesse Plemons our generation’s equivalents to Clint Eastwood and John Wayne? These two frequently pop up in Westerns, and they play to their strengths in Hostiles, where Bales plays a Cavalry Captain escorting a dying Cheyenne chief home to Montana.
Waypoint Entertainment, Hostiles (2017)
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Starring Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell, and Walton Goggins
The Hateful Eight didn’t get as much love when it came out as Tarantino’s first Western, Django Unchained, but it’s nonetheless a heck of a watch. Originally conceived as a sequel to Django, Tarantino eventually decided to make it a standalone film during the development process. Set in the late 19th century, it features a group of bounty hunters, fugitives, cowboys, militiamen, and various other motley characters hunkering down during a blizzard.
The film also features the first original film score composed by the legendary Ennio Morricone in 34 years.
FilmColony, The Hateful Eight (2015)
Wind River (2017)
Starring Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Graham Greene
As mentioned earlier, Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan’s career really took off when he wrote and directed his modern-day American Frontier trilogy. While Hell or High Water was more straightforwardly a Western, Wind River is interesting for the way it confronts what happened to spaces and places that would’ve once been settings for the classic Western, and what they look like today—taking place primarily on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, and a nearby oil drilling site.
The movie can be bleak and heartbreaking, but that’s an inextricable part of its unflinching exploration into this aspect of the modern-day frontier and the lives of the people who inhabit it.
Acacia Filmed Entertainment, Wind River (2017)
True Grit (2010)
Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin
Few remakes live up to the promise of the original—which is why none have really made it to the list so far. But 2010’s True Grit does pay respect to its 1968 predecessor while also bringing something new to the table, telling the story from the point of view of Mattie (Hailee Steinfeld)’s character. Audiences and critics loved it, and it earned a Best Picture nod at the Oscars.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
Starring Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin
Many of the films on this list might not exist if not for the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men. Why? The film takes on the central tenet of the classic Western—that men are decent, and good wins over evil—and turns it on its head. The resulting look at the evil that men do out in the back country and small towns of Texas became one of the most beloved films of the 2000s.
