It's hard to imagine that this genre once dominated movies. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, a movie fan couldn't throw a handful of popcorn without hitting a western. In the 1980s, Westerns were a pariah that studios refused to touch, especially after financial disasters like Heaven's Gate bankrupted whole studios. The subject matter that was the bread and butter of a typical western movie plotline—which often included racism, sexual violence, and a whitewashed version of colonial history—has since fallen into public disfavor. The passing of composing titan Enrico Morricone seems to be yet another grim milestone in the Western's demise.
Fans of the genre need not despair, however, as the Western is in the process of reinventing itself in the 21st century. Big budget directors have taken on the genre, along with a number of creative independent filmmakers offering their own unique visions of how a contemporary Western should look. It's interesting to note how modern plots and storylines no feature women, indigenous groups, and people of color in prominent roles, as opposed to the old days.
The Homesman (2014) - 6.6
Anyone who had to read "The Lamp at Noon" in high school understands that life on the frontier can bring a human being to the brink of madness. That's what drives the plot of this post-colonial western, which takes place in 1850s Nebraska.
The main character, Mary Bee Cuddy, is escorting a group of women home after their lives on the frontier prove too much for their minds to endure. It wasn't exactly a crowd-pleaser, as it was brutally honest and devoid of any conventional romance, but it was featured at the Cannes Film Festival and includes stellar performances from lead actors Hilary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones.
Appaloosa (2008) - 6.7
Viggo Mortensen showing off his horse sense is just one of the great things about this movie, which features typical characters and plotlines that twist with some unconventional characters. The film is named after the city where most of the action takes place, a small American frontier town in the mid-19th century, where cattle and dust dominate the skyline. Ed Harris also here to show his steely cowboy chops, and he also directed the film and had a hand in writing the screenplay.
Seraphim Falls (2006) - 6.7
Part of the new wave of revisionist Westerns, the plotline is a classic one that starts with a team of bounty hunters and a hot pursuit. Seraphim Falls, the title being a reference to the fallen moral states of the main characters, features hardened action stars like Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan, who can also pull off some talented acting.
The storyline starts with a mystery and puts the pieces together as the movie goes along, making it smarter than a typical Western. It's not until the conclusion of the film that what really happened at Seraphim Falls is revealed.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2015) - 6.9
If Luke Skywalker is a samurai warrior, inspired by the old Kurosawa films, then Han Solo is a cowboy who rode free in the wild west. It wasn't always an easy life, either. He's often found in a canteen of some type, trying to either hide or run from the authorities, whether they be local, mafia-connected, or system-wide.
Sometimes, they have a crew, and, in this case, Lando Calrissian fills that role. Science fiction and Westerns have already enjoyed a compelling if not rocky history together, which makes Solo: A Star Wars Story not only a Western, but one that fits into a genre that's already well-established.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) - 7.5
As the name implies, this movie is an honest lesson about meeting our heroes, romanticizing past events, and letting the most dangerous enemies walk right through the front door. It's an ironic twist that doesn't really take anyone by surprise, but it is still interesting to watch.
The movie has a decent share of action but is more focused on suspense, and that of the more cerebral kind. The film walks the viewer through the last few years of James' life in 1880s Missouri and includes depictions of both real-life events and dramatizations.
The Hateful Eight (2015) - 7.8
Quentin Tarantino has resurrected a few careers, so it's nice to see him take the Western genre under his wing and give it new life. The script deliberately plays on Western archetypes while tearing them apart in a way that only Tarantino can.
The casting is stellar, with actors that know how to fill the small space they're given. The vast open spaces usually associated with this kind of film are reduced to s snowbound cabin, and tensions are running high as a group of travelers waits it out.
Open Range (2003) - 7.4
Dances With Wolves was made in 1990, and Silverado dates back to 1985, so they don't belong on this list. However, Kevin Costner looks so great as a cowboy that he returns to the west in Open Range, a story about an otherwise law-abiding man who picks up the holster to defend his cattle from a corrupt lawman.
The film doesn't take a lot of chances when it comes to new ideas, but that's part of its charm. It surprising that this film didn't get more publicity with the high production values and big names like Robert Duvall and Annette Benning in starring roles.
3:10 to Yuma (2007) - 7.7
It's really about a battle of wits here, even though this movie has its fair share of violence. Christian Bale plays a criminal who 's waiting for his day in court, and Russell Crowe is the rancher entrusted with the outlaw's custody. The two men have to travel to a town called Contention, symbolically enough, so honest cow-man Ben Wade can collect a handsome bounty and save his homestead. However, his ward isn't giving up without a fight, and both men embark upon a battle of wills as the frontier closes in around them.
The Revenant (2015) - 8.0
In a tone that's reminiscent of survival horror, man is pitted against nature in a classic story about taming the frontier. The main character is on a fur trade expedition when the story begins, so this isn't about gunslinging or a gold rush. After he's mauled by a bear, the group Hugh Glass is traveling with leaves him for dead, and the rest of the story is a violent mix of man versus man and man versus the wilderness.
There are a few things about The Revenant that set it apart from more conventional Westerns such as the northern setting and more realistic depictions of the brutality on the frontier. There's not a whole lot of nuance in the plot, it's just old-fashioned, bloody revenge.
Django Unchained (2012) - 8.4
That's Christoph Waltz playing a good guy. He teams up with Quentin Tarantino yet again to help a freed slave, known only as Django, rescue his wife from a brutal plantation. To add another layer to what first seems like a typical onion, the plot follows the ancient Germanic myth of Siegfried and Brunhilde. Tarantino didn't just cast a buddy of his in an ideal role. It's actually important to the plot that this character is a native German speaker.
Instead of a mountain and a dragon, however, the hero must save his lady love from an evil place known as Candyland. Anyone familiar with the fairy tales transcribed by the Brothers Grimm can't help but see the parallel to a nasty witch hiding in the woods, tempting hungry children with sweet treats.