The massively successful No Country for Old Men is definitely one of the best movies the Coen brothers have ever written and directed. With a cast featuring the likes of Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin and a crew that includes cinematographer Roger Deakins, it was inevitable that the movie would become such a huge success.
But what really made No Country for Old Men stand out is its unique approach to the crime and Western genres, combining them in a way that elevates both its themes and its antagonist. Luckily for fans of the movie, there are other great crime Westerns to check out after watching the Coens' picture.
Appaloosa (2008) - Available On Tubi TV
Appaloosa is a little-known yet excellent crime Western with a stellar cast of Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris, Renee Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, and others. Though it is largely a Western in its traditional sense, it delves much deeper into psychology make it stand out from the crowd.
Two friends are hired by a small town as a Marshal and Deputy due to the locals being terrorized by a rancher. Along the way, the friends get involved in a love triangle with a young widow who has recently arrived in town.
The Sisters Brothers (2018) - Available On Hulu
One of Joaquin Phoenix's best performances, The Sisters Brothers features a total of four outstanding actors playing the lead roles (John C. Reilly, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Riz Ahmed alongside Phoenix). The crime Western takes well-known genre tropes and subverts them in unexpected ways.
Reilly and Phoenix play the infamous assassin brothers Eli and Charlie Sisters chasing after a gold prospector (Ahmed) and a private detective (Gyllenhaal) seemingly working with the Sisters brothers.
Silverado (1985) - Available To Buy From Prime Video, Google Play, And iTunes
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, Silverado was both a critical and commercial success. Interestingly, the crime Western was co-written, produced, and directed by Lawrence Kasdan who is known for writing and co-writing movies from the Star Wars and the Indiana Jones franchises.
In 1880, a group of four misfits arrive in the city of Silverado where they must fight the bad guys and right the wrongs the townspeople have been put through.
The Proposition (2005) - Available On Kanopy, Pluto TV, And FuboTV
The Proposition is an unusual entry on this list because it is actually an Australian Western. The film is particularly noted for its accurate portrayal of indigenous Australian culture in the time setting of the story.
In late-nineteenth-century rural Australia, two of the three notorious criminal brothers are captured by Captain Stanley. The middle brother is offered a unique proposition: he can save his younger brother from being executed by finding and killing their older brother.
The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada (2005) - Available On Prime Video, Pluto TV, And Tubi TV
The crime neo-Western The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada was a critical success winning Best Actor and Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival while also getting a nomination for the Palme d'Or. Directed by Tommy Lee Jones (who also starred in the movie) and co-produced by Luc Besson, it uses a narrative rich with flashbacks while some events are presented from different points of view.
Inspired by real-life events and a novel depicting them titled As I Lay Dying, it follows a ranch foreman trying to fulfill his promise to his recently deceased friend who has to be buried in his Mexican hometown.
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007) - Available On Showtime, FuboTV, And DirecTV
With outstanding performances from both Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is an epic revisionist Western that was a huge critical success and was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Supporting Actor.
Based on the novel of the same name, the movie depicts the relationship between Jesse James and Robert Ford as the events they experience slowly lead up to the murder referenced in the title.
Hell Or High Water (2016) - Available On Hulu
Another great crime neo-Western, Hell or High Water is notable for being written by Taylor Sheridan who is known for writing Sicario and Wind River that, along with Hell or High Water, comprise Sheridan's trilogy about the modern-day American frontier. In fact, the movie was a huge success getting multiple Academy Award nominations, including one for Sheridan.
Chris Pine and Ben Foster play two brothers who go on a bank-robbing spree in an attempt to save their family ranch while on the run from two Texas Rangers (played by Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham).
3:10 To Yuma (2007) - Available On Peacock
Featuring outstanding performances from Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, Sam Mendes' 3:10 to Yuma is a movie that combines elements of such genres like Western, action, crime, and drama to create a remake that is no worse than the original.
An infamous outlaw is captured by authorities and must now be delivered to a train that will take him to court in Yuma. Incidentally, a small-time rancher finds himself amongst those accompanying the outlaw as they try to outsmart each other throughout the journey.
The Hateful Eight (2015) - Available On Netflix
Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight is a Revisionist Western thriller full of everything that the director is known for, but also has the suspense and mystery to wrap the crime elements in. Like Tarantino's other works, it was wildly successful and is particularly notable for composer Ennio Morricone winning his first Academy Award.
The ensemble cast portrays eight strangers during American Civil War who find themselves in a stagecoach stopover as they try to hide from the blizzard raging on outside.
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969) - Available On Hulu And History Vault
Perhaps one of the greatest Westerns ever made, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was massively successful in every aspect though it did initially open to mixed and negative reviews before becoming a classic over time.
In the early 1900s Wyoming, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid lead a group of outlaws whose train robbery goes wrong. Now on the run, the band decides to head for Bolivia.