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Summary
The westerly writing style may feel like a keepsake of an aged time , and it ’s not everyone ’s cupful of afternoon tea , but there are some essential examples that everybody should watch over at least once . The most schematic andtimeless examples of Western moviestypically feature gunslinging cowboys , lone wolf outlaws , and life-threatening bandits , face off against one another in the Old West of America . With plastic film dating back to the earliest days of cinema , the Western was once one of the most popular writing style among interview , and it was a type of storytelling that bring forth narratives of expectant complexness , deepness , and excited resonance .
The Western genre has played a massively important role in the phylogeny of American film chronicle . These 12 Westerns revolutionize the industry .
10The Great Train Robbery (1903)
One of the earliest Western movies
The Old West technically still subsist whenThe Great Train Robberywas put out , as historian categorize 1912 as the point that the Wild West frontier was unsympathetic . Telling the story of a bunch of outlaws robbing a locomotive , this short plastic film was improbably influential and has been paid homage to in scenes in movies likeGoodfellasand TV serial publication such asBreaking Bad . With its pioneering photographic camera pans , looming shots , and an iconic last close - up , at just 12 moment long , there ’s no excuse not to see this classic understood Western movie .
9The Searchers (1956)
The crowning achievement of director John Ford
Cast
John Ford was one of the most of import manager of the Western genre and made such classic asStagecoachandMy Darling Clementine . However , it isThe Searchersthat acted as the completion of all his previous oeuvre and is a chef-d’oeuvre of picture palace . asterisk John Wayne as a Civil War veteran searching for his abducted niece , The Searchersaddressed race relations and the treatment of Native Americans in a agency rarely seenon blind . The motion picture had a major impact on Martin Scorsese , Steven Spielberg , and George Lucas , and influenced the flight of everything about Westerns that come after it .
Martin Scorsese may have never made a Western himself , but his love life for an iconic John Wayne film has had a major influence on his own calling .
8The Magnificent Seven (1960)
An iconic adaptation that spawned a franchise
As an Old West adaptation of Akira Kurosawa ’s germinal masterpieceSeven Samurai , The Magnificent Sevenis an iconic submission in the Western genre that spawned an full franchise . Featuring an ensemble mould of seven gunman hired to protect a Mexican village from bandits , the movie was , for a Western audience , the first photo to the “ assembling a squad ” pic trope that can be seen in everything fromStar WarstoThe Avengers . The Magnificent Sevenwas a classic of the eraand produced three sequel , a telly serial , and even a ace - studded 2016 remaking .
7The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Deconstructs the myth of the Old West
Featuring the unbelievable triad of conductor John Ford and movie stars John Wayne and James Stewart , The human beings Who Shot Liberty Valanceis an expertly craft deconstruction of the myth of the Old West . By contrasting legend and truth , The Man Who Shot Liberty Valanceshines a ignitor on itself as a comment on the glorification of bandits , outlaws , and the Wild West . By the time this film was free in the early 1960s , the heyday of the Western genre was progress to its end , and a unexampled , more ego - mindful , take on these stories was starting to take its space .
6The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966)
Includes some of the most iconic imagery of the entire genre
The entirety of theDollars Trilogydirected by Sergio Leone and star Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name is essential viewing for any Western enthusiast . However , the last installment , The Good , the Bad and the Ugly , is the most iconic of the Spaghetti westerly series , which also includesA Fistful of DollarsandFor a Few dollar bill More . The climax ofThe Good , the Bad and the vile isa three - way Mexican stand - off , which isone of the most famous movie moments ever committed to the screen . It cementedThe Good , the Bad and the Uglyas the definitive example of the Western genre .
5Django (1966)
A direct influence on Quentin Tarantino
One of the most violent flick ever produced when it was released , Djangois a Spaghetti Western about a vagabond gunman who becomes embroiled in a bitter feud between Confederate Red Shirts and Mexican subversive . Theover - the - top fury ofDjangoas well as the nominal star character , playact by Franco Nero , was amajor influence on Quentin Tarantinoand particularlyDjango Unchained , his court to the original motion picture . Djangowas the first in director Sergio Corbucci ’s “ Mud and Blood ” trilogy , which includesThe Great SilenceandThe Specialists .
4Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)
An epic homage to the genre’s legacy
Sergio Leone ’s epic depicting of retaliation , greed , and the pushback against progress , Once Upon a Time in the Westpays homage to all the Western movies that come before it while subverting and develop the genre . boast faultless care to detail , Once Upon a Time in the Westuses visual storytelling and minimal dialogue to in truth appropriate the vast expanse of Old West America . This is quite an intense journey that lasts almost three 60 minutes but still remain firm as a Western that everyone should make a point to see .
3Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
Brought the Western into the New Hollywood era
As a defining moment in the growth of New Hollywood , when auteur - drive filmmaking was get hold of over the old studio system , Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidwas an authoritative movie thatblended the custom of the musical style with a humourous , action - packed , contemporary look . The movie features the dynamic pairing of Paul Newman and Robert Redford asreal - life outlawsButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid , and the twain ’s onscreen alchemy had a major impact on subsequent buddy films and put up as a must - watch of the Western musical style .
2The Wild Bunch (1969)
Utilized modern filmmaking techniques
The Wild Bunchis notable for its exercise of revolutionary filmmaking technique , including multi - angle framing , prompt editing , and obtuse - apparent motion shots . This young eccentric of editing place with child emphasis on the chaotic nature of the action and gunfights and led to a cinematic experience unlike anything previously view . The brutal portrayal of violence seen inThe Wild Bunchchallenged what could be shown on cinema screensand injected new life into the westerly music genre that had over the last decade been dwindling in popularity .
1The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
An underrated later Western by Clint Eastwood
As a critical Western movie from conductor and star Clint Eastwood , The Outlaw Josey Walesis a key entry in the revisionist part of the genre , which essay to subvert the myths and romance of the Old West and focus more on naive realism . The complex character of Josey Wales blurred the lines between good and bad , and inhis journey to seek revenge against the Union soldiers who kill his kinsfolk , he transformed from the lone criminal to an ethical hero . The Outlaw Josey Walesis an important entranceway in Eastwood ’s Western filmography and belong on the sentry inclination of anyone interested in the genre .
