The western genre may no longer be as popular as it once was during its heyday, in the mid-20th century. Its popularity seemed to plummet as the 1970s rolled on, although looking at westerns that came out in the modern era, the genre never completely disappeared. There has always been a certain level of enthusiasm for westerns, and filmmakers from all over the world have clearly never given up on trying to promote the genre in interesting ways.
To highlight the underestimated longevity of the western, here are some of the best films that can be considered a modern take on the genre. The following have all been released in the last two decades, and some feel like throwbacks to old westerns and some feel excitingly fresh and unique with their take on Western tropes. All of the following are destined to one day become classics of the genre when enough time has passed and they are ranked lower from greatest to greatest.
10 ‘Rider’ (2017)
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A few years before Chloe Zhao became a household name thanks to the victory in the nomination “Best Film” Nomadshe did Riderwhich, despite not being as famous, is just as compelling. It is a quiet and character-driven western that follows a young man trying to adjust to his life after a near-fatal rodeo accident.
It’s an extremely empathetic movie that creeps up on you emotionally, feels slow at first, but by the time it’s over, it’s very touching and rewarding. Like some other modern westerns, it’s not exactly exciting or explosive, but it engages in a completely different way and as a result is one of the best westerns of the 2010s.
9 “Real Exposure” (2010)
Original Real excerpt from 1969 might be fine, but the 2010 director’s version The Coen Brothers even better. This secured a breakthrough role for the Oscar nominee. Hailee Steinfeldrevolving around her character seeking revenge for the murder of her father and enlisting the help of an aging gunslinger (Jeff Bridges) to help her track him down.
Given that the original is still holding up pretty well, there might be some concern when it comes to getting close to this 2010 version, as there are too many nonsensical retellings or remakes to count. But the Coen brothers behind it ensure that audiences are in safe hands, and even Western fans familiar with the original. Real excerpt still find a lot of merit in this new take on the same story.
8 “3:10 to Yuma” (2007)
James Mangold directed several very good films throughout his career, but 3:10 to Yuma undoubtedly one of his best. It takes the story told in the 1957 film of the same name and greatly improves upon it, presenting a more gripping and action-packed version of the narrative revolving around a single man on a dangerous mission to escort a notorious criminal to a train station where he is then sent to prison.
First 3:10 to Yuma sparse, and this more modern version feels a bit more epic, and also carries an added sense of danger and suspense through a reworking of the history and fate of some of the characters within. An example of how to properly update/remake a Western while in good company since the 2010s. Real excerpt in the category of western 21st century updates that do everything right.
7 “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Cowardly Robert Ford” (2007)
Assassination of Jesse James by the cowardly Robert Ford may well have one of the longest titles of any Western film ever made, and is complemented by a lengthy running time of 160 minutes. The title is so long that it basically explains most of the plot: Robert Ford cowardly kills the more famous Jesse Jamesand then the film explores how this act affected his life and legacy.
It’s almost like the western version Amadeus: A historical epic about two real people and the intense jealousy one feels for the other, leading to rivalry and ultimately tragedy. It might go without saying, but the two main performances here are also amazing (Casey Affleck like Robert Ford and Brad Pitt like Jesse James) and beautifully filmed thanks to the cinematographer Roger Deakins.
6 “Dog Power” (2021)
One of the most unusual and disturbing westerns of recent years. dog power it’s a tough film that never had anything resembling horror or overt violence. Instead, it’s tense with the way it explores its troubled characters, feeling like a well-balanced mix of western and psychological drama.
The plot unfolds slowly and centers around a rancher whose life changes after his brother marries and subsequently the rancher meets his brother’s wife and her son. Much of the movie is intentionally distorted, but the way it plays out is strangely absorbing in its own way, and for better or worse, there aren’t really any other westerns that can be easily compared.
5 “Django Unchained” (2012)
Django Unchained was the first full-length western ever directed by Quentin Tarantino and remains his finest western to date. It pays homage to the old spaghetti westerns (especially the original Django since 1966) and tells the story of a former slave who goes on a mission to exact revenge on a group of slave traders, as well as save his still enslaved wife from them.
Jamie Fox great in the lead role Christoph Waltz stands out as a likable character after playing the great villain in Tarantino’s 2009 film. Inglourious Basterdsand both Samuel L. Jackson And Leonardo DiCaprio convincing as the antagonists here. It’s bloody, extravagant and quite wild, but uncompromising in the sense that it’s breathtaking and hard to resist.
4 “Survivor” (2015)
Although it is perhaps best known as the movie that finally brought Leonardo DiCaprio an Oscar win. survivor much more than just that. It’s also an epic (and quirky) western with a uniquely dark and cold setting, filled with beautiful visuals and gruesome violence, and tells a compelling/compulsive tale of survival and revenge.
This is a film to be digested, which means viewers may emphasize that DiCaprio’s character has to digest complex things throughout the film to an even greater extent (including raw bison liver). Those who find it difficult to digest brutal violence should not apply (2015 was indeed the year of the violent western, thanks to this, Bone TomahawkAnd Hateful Eight), but anyone who is ready for more complex aspects survivor must find the film generally useful.
3 ‘Bakurau’ (2019)
Difficult to classify Bakurau within the same genre, because it’s one of those films where it seems like it would be easier to list the genres it doesn’t belong to, in some way. This is definitely a mystery with a plot that keeps viewers on their toes at all times. It’s tense enough to be a thriller, haunting enough to be a horror movie, has some short but gripping action scenes, and has a setting that, by and large, makes it feel like a western.
It’s a strange film that says less about what it’s really about the better, but those who are tired of standard Western plots and/or clichés should watch it ASAP. There’s nothing like it Bakurau there, and there will probably never be anything like it again, for better or for worse (mostly for the better).
2 “Hell or High Water” (2016)
Hell or high water it’s just as great a crime and heist movie as a western, which makes it a superb mix of genres, and the result is a film that’s likely to have great crossover appeal. It’s about two brothers who go on desperate robberies to save their farm, and how they are persecuted by those who are on the other side of the law.
This is a movie that does an admirable job of making both sides of the shared conflict seem related and/or likable, which can make much of the inevitable violence feel genuinely heartbreaking to see play out. It’s a powerful, very well acted and very entertaining mix of crime, action and western genres, and it’s one of the best films of its kind in recent memory.
1 No Country for Old Men (2007)
Thanks to a phenomenal script and an equally excellent direction, the Coen brothers in 2007 created the best western of the century. Old people don’t belong here. A critically successful and significant Academy Award winner, it combines a neo-noir atmosphere, a crime storyline involving a dangerous game of cat and mouse, and a western setting to great effect.
For the great ones Tommy Lee Jones And Josh Brolin is, in the end it turns out Javier Bardem who pretty much steals the show by playing one of the most terrifying movie characters in recent memory: Anton Chigurh. The whole movie is as unsettling and gripping as a movie can be. Old people don’t belong here manages to be thrilling and challenging in equal measure, easily establishing itself as the best western made since 2000.
Source: Collider
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