We've all heard of "The Magnificent Seven," "The Searchers," "Unforgiven," "Tombstone" and "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly." Those are the most famous Westerns ever — the best-performing in terms of awards and critical acclaim. But unless you were born in the 1930s, you haven't really lived in a golden age of western films.
That doesn't mean good Westerns haven't come out since, though. There are plenty of amazing and deeply under-appreciated modern classics that people might have missed. If you want to check out our picks, we've linked below where you can stream them.
'The Good, The Bad, The Weird' (2008)
What a strange Western to start things off with. This is from South Korean director Kim Jee-woon, and it's a crazy mash-up of Spaghetti Western tropes, but with anime mixed in for good measure. This movie is a fun action flick that you've probably never seen and are probably not prepared for.
'Red Rock West' (1993)
This is another genre-bending Western that's more of a postmodern deconstruction than your traditional guns 'n' arrows. Nic Cage and Dennis Hopper star in this neo-noir thriller that can also serve as a comedy, depending on how you feel about Cage's acting.
'Stagecoach' (1939)
"Stagecoach" is one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. John Ford basically cemented what a Western is and should be, and this was such an important work of art that Orson Welles studied it over and over as he prepped for shooting "Citizen Kane." It's only 90 minutes long, and it's a real history lesson in the advancement of filmmaking.
'3:10 to Yuma' (2007)
This is a remake (there's a long history of Westerns being remade over and over), but is a gigantic improvement on the original. James Mangold would go on to bigger and better things after directing this, like "Ford vs. Ferrari," "Logan" and "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." He makes terrific popcorn movies; he's a solid-as-hell filmmaker.
'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs' (2018)
This is the last Coen brothers movie the two made together before splitting up to do solo projects, and this is the only Western anthology that I can think of. It's a series of short stories with a gigantic cast, and each is quite different than the last, but still retains their deadpan and wry style.
'Shane' (1953)
There might not be as stereotypical and traditional a Western ever made. This is so vintage, a classic capital-W Western, and you'd be hard pressed to find something as wholesome and straightforward. It's the age-old story of a hero who swoops into town, saves the day and then has to move onto the next place, no matter how much people beg him to stay.
"Shane! Come back!" Not a dry eye in the house.
'Hell or High Water' (2016)
Taylor Sheridan is most well known for helming "Yellowstone" for Paramount Plus, but back during the Obama administration, he made the definitive "Occupy Wall Street" film with "Hell or High Water," starring Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges. It's a crime drama about the one percent, robbing banks, Robin Hood and eating BBQ in Texas. This was an Oscars darling on release, being nominated in a ton of categories.
'Killers of the Flower Moon' (2023)
This is the most recent film because it's in theaters right now, and hasn't done very well at the box office. Nobody is seeing this, and that's an insult to Martin Scorsese, the best working director we have today. The film is based on the nonfiction novel of the same name, and has Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert de Niro getting tangled up in an Osage murder mystery. Please go see it, it's amazing.
Watch on Apple TV+ when it's released.
If you enjoyed this list, we have more, like a pick of elevated horror films, or animated movies for adults you haven't seen.
[Image: YouTube]
