The 1980s were a low point for Westerns. The genre had become increasingly less commercially successful by the beginning of the decade as younger audiences began to favor blockbuster science fiction and fantasy films. This trend was exacerbated by the box office failure of Heaven’s Gate in 1980, which led film producers to further shy away from the genre.
Despite the lack of enthusiasm for Westerns in the decade, filmmakers continued to produce some exceptional films, both large and small in scale. These movies helped sustain the genre through a rough period and still to measure up to some of the best Westerns ever produced.
Heaven’s Gate (1980) - 6.8
When Heaven’s Gate was released in 1980, it was a box office flop. Michael Cimino’s follow-up to the Deer Hunter came in over budget and was dismissed by critics as a bloated disaster. Many have blamed the film for dismantling both the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s and the Western genre altogether.
Time has healed all wounds, however, and Heaven’s Gate is now viewed by critics as one of the best Westerns of the decade. The film stars Kris Kristofferson as a sheriff who helps defend a group of immigrant settlers against a cattle association intent on removing them from the area by force. Cimino’s sprawling epic has a running time of over three and a half hours and, despite its troubled history, is one of the most grandiose efforts ever put on film.
Tom Horn (1980) - 6.8
Steve McQueen made a career of playing anti-heroes and one of the most interesting is his role as the title character in Tom Horn. The story is based on the writings of the real-life of Horn, who was a scout and hired vigilante in the Old West. In the film, Horn is employed by a group of cattle owners to remove rustlers from the area, but when he becomes a liability, they frame him for murder.
McQueen depicts Horn as a sympathetic figure who is indifferent to his own brutality. He is a man who has outgrown his usefulness as the Western frontier closes in around him and seems unwilling or unable to come to terms with it. Tom Horn was one of McQueen’s final roles, and he died while receiving cancer treatments in Mexico just months after the film’s release, as mentioned by History.
Young Guns (1988) - 6.9
This action-heavy film follows the exploits of Billy the Kid (Emilio Estevez) and his gang during the Lincoln County War in the New Mexico Territory in the 1870s. Often referred to as a “Brat Pack Western,” Young Guns starred some of the most famous up-and-coming '80s actors including Emilio Estevez, Lou Diamond Phillips, Kiefer Sutherland, and Charlie Sheen.
The movie is propelled by a lively camaraderie between the actors and a modern synthesizer-driven score that made it popular with younger audiences. Young Guns was one of the most commercially successful Westerns of the decade and spawned a hit sequel in 1990.
The Long Riders (1980) - 7.0
The Long Riders is the frequently told story of the rise and fall of the James-Younger Gang in post-Civil War Missouri. The movie began as a play written and performed by brothers Stacy and James Keach that they converted into a film script. The picture was a critical success and was entered into the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.
What sets the The Long Riders apart from other Westerns is the decision to cast actual brothers in the roles of the four different sets of brothers in the film, including the Keach brothers as Frank and Jessie James, Dennis and Randy Quaid as the Miller brothers, and the three Carradine brothers as the Youngers. It is an approach that lends authenticity to a film that centers so heavily on familial bonds and how they affect the decisions that we make.
The Quick And The Dead (1987) - 7.0
Not to be confused with Sam Raimi’s 1995 Western film of the same name, this critically acclaimed made-for-television movie based on a novel by Louis L'Amour originally aired on HBO. The film follows the McKaskel family who are threatened by bandits as they travel west through Wyoming Territory in the 1870s.
Sam Elliott stars as Con Vallian, an experienced stranger who helps protect the family and develops an infatuation with Duncan’s wife, Susanna (Kate Capshaw). Although The Quick and the Dead isn't often mentioned as one of Sam Elliott's best movies, he steals every scene with his easygoing charm and proves he is one of the coolest guys ever to wear a cowboy hat, long before doling out advice to The Dude in The Big Lebowski.
Silverado (1985) - 7.2
One of the finest examples of a 1980s Western, Silverado is the tale of four men who strike up a friendship and find trouble in the title town. The film features an all-star cast that includes Kevin Kline, Danny Glover, Kevin Costner, Scott Glenn, Jeff Goldblum, Rosanna Arquette, and John Cleese.
Silverado was co-written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan, who also co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Like his previous films, Silverado is a fun and intelligent thrill ride and features one of the greatest collection of characters ever assembled in a Western.
The Man From Snowy River (1982) - 7.3
Australian films inspired by the American Western genre are known colloquially as Meat Pie Westerns (a play on the Spaghetti Westerns of Italy). The Man From Snowy River is one of the most successful examples from the subgenre and at the time of its release was Australia’s highest-grossing film. Based on a nineteenth-century Banjo Paterson poem, the film tells the story of a young man whose life is indelibly shaped by a mob of feral horses.
The movie features Kirk Douglas, the only American in the cast, in a dual role as estranged brothers Harrison and Spur, but the real star of the film is the breathtaking Australian countryside. Unlike other Westerns from the period, The Man From Snowy River is less violent and more wholesome in tone, which helps explain why Disney released a sequel in the United States in 1988.
Pale Rider (1985) - 7.3
With the exception of John Wayne, the actor most associated with the Western genre of films is Clint Eastwood. From his early collaborations with Sergio Leone through a series of ‘70s classics like The Outlaw Josey Wales and culminating in his masterpiece Unforgiven, Eastwood has devoted much of his life to portraying the Old West on film. In the 1980s, Eastwood's best contribution to the Western movie genre is undoubtedly Pale Rider.
Eastwood produced, directed, and starred in the film as The Preacher, an apparition-like figure who protects a group of prospectors from a mining company’s violent intimidation. The story is a modern reworking of George Stephens’ classic Shane, but with the quiet hard-edged approach that Eastwood made famous. The film’s success proved that the revisionist style of Westerns he popularized in previous decades could continue to be commercially viable in the '80s.
The Grey Fox (1982) - 7.4
Character actor Richard Farnsworth was over 60 years old when he took his first major starring role in The Grey Fox. The Canadian Western tells the story of how stagecoach bandit, Bill Miner, transitioned to train robberies after spending 33 years in prison, but at its core, it's about the difficulty of change as one grows older.
Farnsworth shines as the affable Miner, a real-life robber affectionately known as the “Gentleman Bandit” who is believed to have coined the phrase, “Hands up!” The highly-regarded film also features beautiful scenes of British Columbia, Canada, and a memorable score by the traditional Irish folk band, The Chieftains.
Lonesome Dove (1989) - 8.7
Just as Heaven’s Gate was blamed for killing the Western genre in the 1980s, Lonesome Dove was given credit for reviving it in the 1990s. The hugely popular CBS miniseries is based on Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and starred Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones as former Texas Rangers who decide to lead one final cattle drive to unsettled Montana.
Over six hours and four nights, the epic Western mini-series captured the hearts of viewers with a flawless mix of adventure, romance, triumph, and tragedy. In the wake of Lonesome Dove’s success, the Western genre experienced a resurgence of popularity in the early '90s with a wave of high-profile releases, including Dances With Wolves, Tombstone, and Unforgiven.