Reports of the Western genre’s demise have been greatly exaggerated many times over harkening back to its very conception in the silent era and glorious heydays as Hollywood’s premiere crowd-pleaser during the Golden Age, all the way to its gradual but steady decline in the latter half of the 20th century and subsequent revivals. And though unfairly pigeonholed as a source of mass entertainment with a strict American sensibility and old-fashioned values, the truth is that, despite greatly fluctuating in popularity throughout the decades, few genres if any have proven to be as timeless, resilient, varied, morally challenging and universally appealing as the Western.
Today, we’re plucking down a selection of titles that have helped redefine the genre, stood the test of time, and remain highly re-watchable well into the double digits. From pioneering Hollywood tentpoles shot in backlot studios to dirty cheap spaghetti westerns shot in the arid plains of Southern Spain, saddle up and scroll down below to check out our round-up of movies set in the American frontier that are almost better the second (or third) time around.
1. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
You really can’t go wrong with either of the three entries in Sergio Leone’s seminal Dollars trilogy, but for our money, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” will always remain the most rewarding and purely enjoyable to return to. A fairly archetypal set-up — three mean gunslingers (Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and newcomer Eli Wallach) set on a deadly collision course square off in a race against time to locate the whereabouts of a hidden stash of money as the American Civil War rages on in the background — is stripped down to its bare essential and reconfigured into a potent deconstruction of the Wild West, a somber meditation on greed and violence, and a sublime showcase for the trio of future A-listers.
There are too many iconic moments to name, but the film’s climactic centerpiece — a three-way Mexican standoff that simmers up the tension up to a boiling point to Ennio Morricone’s legendary score — is virtually guaranteed to get your adrenaline juices pumping no matter how many times you’ve seen it referenced and spoofed across media.
2. Rio Bravo (1959)
The rare kind of old-fashioned, hard-boiled Western able to pull off double duties as a relatively chill and easy-going hangout romp, this 1959 genre touchstone by Hollywood stalwart Howard Hawks withstands multiple repeated viewings without losing any of its luster on the strength of a killer set-up that never hits a dull note and an eye-catching cast you simply can’t help but wish you could spend even more time with.
Toplined by John Wayne at the height of his powers in the role of a tough-as-nails Texas sheriff and potently flanked by Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson and the always lovable Walter Brenan, “Rio Bravo” ratchets up the tension until it seeps from every frame as we watch this motley crew of misfits desperately try to find a way to hold out against a group of hired guns looking to break into the sheriff’s headquarters to free a captured murderer out of prison. It’s a lean, mean, and irresistible set-up that Hawks mines so expertly in order to squeeze in as many little character moments as possible.
The result was an unimpeachable masterpiece and such a smash hit that it’s no wonder the director decided to rehash it less than a decade later in the similarly enjoyable but somewhat insipid 1966s “El Dorado”, starring Robert Mitchum and fresh-faced 26-year-old James Caan.
3. Tombstone (1993)
It would be quite an understatement to say that king-of-cool Kurt Russell had some big shoes to fill when he saddled up with “Cobra” director George P. Cosmatos in the 1990s to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Henry Fonda, Burt Lancaster, Randolph Scott, and Kevin Costner and step into the role of famed 19th century marshal Wyatt Earp.
Purists will likely point to John Ford’s elegiac “My Darling Clementine” as the quintessential on-screen portrayal of the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral, but for sheer flavor and fun, this unapologetically brash and rowdy splatterfest easily ranks as the most flat-out entertaining and compulsively quotable of the pack. Come for the razor-sharp one-liners, adrenaline-pumping action, and high-wattage ensemble cast packed with iconic macho men such as Sam Elliot, Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton, stay for Val Kilmer’s scene-stealing, career-best supporting turn as the devilish rogue Doc Holiday, as we watch him join forces with his frenemy over and over as the mining Arizona town of Tombstone turns on its head when a ruthless posse of trigger-friendly renegades cause a fuss and run riot.
4. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
As the undisputed figurehead of the genre, John Ford’s back catalog offers an embarrassment of riches to choose from for the present list. His best Western? That’s easy. It has to be “The Searchers” — quite possibly the single most influential American film of all time, right? Except we gotta throw “Stagecoach”, the one that turned John Wayne into a global icon in the first place, into the discussion. Except… we didn’t even mention “Wagon Master”, “Fort Apache” and “My Darling Clementine”! Hmm.
As it turns out, narrowing Ford’s vast collection of Westerns down to just one feels like splitting hairs, but perhaps none represent the entire breadth of his unrivaled directing output than this late-career triumph — at once a familiar reworking of his signature themes, an exhilarating whodunit, and a fitting capstone in a 50-plus year career. Tearing at the very fabric of American mythmaking and the slippery nature of truth, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” finds James Stewart, Lee Marvin, and John Wayne each embodying opposing codes of masculinity in an increasingly less wild West that only seems to have room for one going forward.
Legend becomes fact, myths are created out of lies, while we slowly learn the truth behind the man who pulled the trigger and killed notorious outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Simply put, one of the great movies in any genre, Western or otherwise.
5. Blazing Saddles (1974)
You don’t necessarily have to subscribe to the notion that Mel Brooks’ corrosive, fourth-wall-breaking Western spoof couldn’t possibly be made in our day and age to get the most out of it from a vantage point 50 years on. Likewise, you don’t need to be sharpest tool in the shed to enjoy the healthy dose of edgy humor and killer gags sprinkled throughout while understanding the unmistakably progressive themes of race prejudice and political corruption that the film effectively plays on — even if HBO still felt it necessary to add an intro disclaimer most recently.
A modern perspective might consider certain aspects about the film’s tonal highwire act dated, but the madcap adventure of a resilient Black ex-con who arrives to town to take over as sheriff and prove both the ignorant local white folk and corrupt governor wrong retains its charm and deservingly sealed Mel Gibson’s place in the all-time comedy pantheon. It’s always a delight to revisit the film — watching Cleavon Little and Gene Wilde chew up the scenery and perfectly play off one another is enough to put a smile on your face.