5. Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997)
Tsui Hark-directed “Once Upon a Time in China” was one of the landmark martial arts movies, a staple in the Wuxia genre, and helped Jet Li to become even a bigger star than he already was. It turned into a successful franchise. Jet Li who was busy with making other entertaining films in Hong Kong back then didn’t return for the fourth and fifth installments. For the last part of the series, the sixth part, he finally returned as Cantonese martial arts master and folk hero Wong Fei-hung. Tsui Hark didn’t return as a director but no worries, this time another legend of the martial arts cinema Sammo Hung took the duties and as you can imagine, the result was fun.
While the previous films in the series are set in China, this one takes Wong Fei-hung to the Wild West, resulting in a cultural collision that is both exciting and funny. He’s on a journey to explore the Chinese diaspora in the US and to visit a Chinese settlement. However, he gets attacked by a gang of outlaws which causes amnesia. Now he’s in a strange land with no memory of his identity. This journey will make him encounter with the cowboys, Native Americans and fellow Chinese people.
The movie expertly combines the Western with the Hong Kong martial arts traditions. The fights are all fast-paced and impressively choreographed. It helps that we have Jet Li here who not only gives a charismatic performance but also delivers on the martial arts aspect as usual. The film’s story mirrors the real historical experiences of Chinese laborers who worked on the railroads and in mining camps during the 19th century which gives it some depth.
The film is visually fine as well, Sammo Hung is usually noted for the way he handles the action but one needs to note that how he’s great with all the rest as well. The film got decent reviews but not on the par of the first one and while it’s true that it doesn’t live up to the first installment, it’s still an entertaining film that can please the fans of both Western and martial arts cinema.
4. Long Live Maria! (1965)
Louis Malle goes Western in “Viva Maria!”, which is described by some as a political statement. It’s one of those genre-defying films on the list that has everything in it from political satire to slapstick comedy and thanks to Malle’s balance and handling of the tone, it all works perfectly great here.
The film stars two major stars of the era Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau as a pair of unlikely revolutionaries. You can say Malle took a fresh spin on the buddy westerns, by replacing the traditional male protagonists with two strong females and the film is still somewhat influential in the European cinema, as one can see from Luc Besson-scripted “Bandidas”, a box office flop that gets heavy airplay on televisions around the world thanks to the star power and charm of the the leading stars. “Long Live Maria!” on the other hand, was a modest success all around the world and a major hit in France.
The story sets in a fictional Latin American country in the early 20th century, where the duo’s accidental involvement in a revolution turns them into iconic leaders of a popular uprising. The film’s feminist undertones are hard to miss, as the Marias take charge of their own destinies, outsmarting the men around them and becoming symbols of empowerment for the oppressed peasants.
As you can expect from these two icons, Bardot and Moreau both gave charismatic movie star performances full of charm and energy. Their chemistry is crucial to the film’s success. Then there’s of course, Malle who brings so much style to the subject, making lots of colorful and kinetic visual choices as well as some great action sequences and impressive set pieces. The film also has a lot to say about the politics of the era, the corrupt regimes and the revolutions. That whimsical score also adds a lot to the adventurous tone of the film.
3. The Grey Fox (1982)
After more action-packed westerns, we return to more quiet stuff once, one that is slower and more reflective than that of most Westerns on the list. The film follows the old “fox” Bill Miner who gets released from prison after 33 years. Obviously, a lot has changed during that time. It’s 1901 overall, a start of a new century. Then our Bill watches a film called “The Great Train Robbery” and gets inspired to do the same thing.
“The Grey Fox” is based on the real-life story of an American stagecoach robber who staged “the first Canadian train robbery” in 1904’s September (even though one study suggests it wasn’t the first one). Miner is played by an amazing character actor named Richard Farnsworth who got a beautiful swan song with his Oscar-nominated turn in “The Straight Story” in his later career.
“The Grey Fox” is nowhere less impressive as a performance. Unlike many Westerns that focus on action, this one takes a more meditative approach. The film is less concerned with the mechanics of the heist than with the character of Miner himself. And for this to work, we need an actor who can pull it off impressively. As the film overcomes the clichés of the genre by bringing an excellent mix of tragedy and humor, Farnsworth’s understated performance elevates the already great material. However, calling it “understated” feels misleading because he doesn’t talk much but he doesn’t have to. When you look at him, you can see that he’s an outlaw, you can see his past and you can see what kind of future he wants for himself. It’s a performance that almost challenge the western mythos.
There is, of course, more here to praise than the central performance. In addition to classic Western elements, the film also works as a relationship drama, a crime comedy, and character study at the same time. Then there’s a breathtakingly beautiful cinematography. Its use of natural light and wide, sweeping landscapes gives it an almost mythic quality and the filmmakers let the natural beauty of the setting enhance the film’s contemplative tone. The score is fantastic as well.
2. The Dead Don’t Hurt (2023)
We had a female-led western and a soulful, quiet western on the list, now it’s time to get a mix of them both. It is not an old film, so one might think that it’s too early to call this “underrated” but so far, it is because despite fine reviews at the film festivals last year, the film didn’t generate strong buzz and kind of disappeared after its theatrical release. That’s why it’s better to trying to promote this and give this some recognition early on than wait for years.
The film is directed by Viggo Mortensen whose previous directorial effort “Falling” was mostly okay and probably deserved to be seen more. It worked well because the always underrated Lance Henriksen got a strong part and gave a terrific performance. Yet the film was lacking a lot in the visual sense. That’s one thing can’t be said about “The Dead Don’t Hurt” which looks beautiful and the cinematography is always crucial to westerns. It’s obvious that Viggo has studied many classics and non-classics before him but he doesn’t copy them, he comes up with a more modern, revisionist perspective.
If you watch him on Criterion Closet or Kombini’s Video Club, you can see that the man has a strong passion for cinema and constantly studying and watching movies. It shows here. The film, a co-production between Denmark, Canada, and Mexico, tells the story of a strong and independent woman named Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps). She is trying to make a life for herself in a small frontier town after the death of her husband (Mortensen). It already feels fresh to watch a film like this from a woman’s point of view and Vicky Krieps is more than up to the task. Her performance carries the movie, brings so much soul to it. She plays a woman whose hardened by loss but not broken by it and no, the rest of the movie doesn’t turn into some action film where she kills everyone or something.
Sure, there are moments of violence but the film is not concerned with those. It’s more about the psychological toll of living in a world full of violence. If you would love to watch a Western that takes its time and is rich on atmosphere and character development rather than action-packed violent narrative arcs, then this is a must-see.
1. A Bullet for the General (1967)
Of course, we had to end with an Italian one. One of the quintessential examples of Zapata Western, “A Bullet for the General” sets during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). El Chuncho (Gian Maria Volontè) is a bandit, an outlaw who, along with his gang keep robbing the trains and sell weapons to revolutionaries. He’s also a fond of smoking, drinking and womanizing. He also has a religious but idealistic brother El Santo (Klaus Kinski, who had been in a lot of other great spaghetti westerns).
Then a shady American named Bill Tate joins them, they keep calling him “El Nino” (The Kid) because how young he is. He’s not like these two; all he wants is quick money. Then things take a turn, of course. El Cruncho and Bill Tate’s relationship is basically the heart of the movie. Bill is a cold-blooded man with a hidden agenda. El Cruncho on the other hand believes in his ideology and causes. The tension between them is so compelling that you keep wondering what’s going to happen.
There are lots of great things about the film; the character development is great, the action sequences are all strong, and the direction is very confident. Another thing that makes the film set apart from many others is how much political this one is. Some even said it’s a commentary on how the US involves in other countries’ affairs and on Vietnem War. It’s also interesting on how it treats the revolution not as something heroic but something very brutal where the line between good and evil are not so simple.
The complexity behind it all is what makes the film so interesting because you’re never too certain about what’s going on. It helps that director Damiano Damiani’s direction is very energetic. He made a film that is so entertaining and so engaging that you enjoy both the story and the intense action-packed sequences while the political subtext never takes a backseat to it all. There are also classic Western themes that are used greatly here. The performances are all very good, everybody is cast well and the cinematography is brilliant also. The film’s score, composed by Luis Bacalov, is another highlight, blending traditional Western motifs with Mexican folk music. Long story short, it has too many things for a Western fan to ignore. One of the finest of its subgenre.