Thewesternis one of the broadest and most diverse genres in cinema, and there have been plenty of great movies that have become hidden gems. Going all the way back to the silent era, the western has been a crowd-pleasing genre on screen. Mixing hearty machismo with an idealized view of the conquest of the American West, westerns were best suited to show off the capabilities of the emerging art form of filmmaking. As movies became more sophisticated, so too did the westerns, and each era of film history is reflected in the way the genre is depicted.
The Golden Age of Hollywood produced a ton ofclassic western movies, and even foreign film markets got in on the action around the middle of the 20th century. Eventually, westerns began to fall out of favor with mainstream viewers, but the genre often persisted through subversive deconstructions of tropes and traditions. Because there have been so many westerns made in the century since the popularization of films, there have been some certified classics that didn’t get the attention they deserve. Whether they’re conventional or counter-culture, many western hidden gems are worth seeking out in the modern day.
Director Samuel Fuller’s best films are subversive masterpieces that defy the traditions of the genres they operate within, andForty Gunsis undoubtedly his best western. Set in the dying days of the Wild West,Forty Gunswas progressive for its day because it cast the legendary Barbara Stanwyck in a challenging lead rolethat was wholly unusual for women in the ’50s.
The film explores the death of the ideals of the Wild West while also telling a shocking and exciting love story. The movie also looks beautiful, and had a clear influence on the French New Wave filmmakers that would follow in Fuller’s footsteps. Fuller utilized the art of film to eschew western traditions in the way that only he could.
Jack Nicholson made plenty of underrated moviesin his long career, and he was no stranger to westerns either.Goin' Southis a cheeky western comedy that casts Nicholson as a criminal given one last chance to reform his ways. As usual,Nicholson turns in a masterful performance as Henry Moon, and his excellent supporting cast includes Mary Steenburgen, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, and John Belushi.
The taming of the American West is often a big theme in later westerns, and few have as much fun with the idea asGoin' South.
While it’s more of a traditional comedy than the screwball antics ofBlazing Saddles,Goin' Southis a heartwarming combination of its genres. The taming of the American West is often a big theme in later westerns, and few have as much fun with the idea asGoin' South.
The 1990s saw a resurgence in popular westerns with movies likeTombstoneandUnforgiven, but Ang Lee’sRide with the Devilhas faded to the background. With an excellent cast of young stars, many of whom would go on to bigger roles,the based-on-a-true-story western exists at the fringe of its own genre. It combines western with war, and is as much about an untold story from the Civil War as it is about conventional western subjects.
Ride with the Devilhad an extremely limited release and only grossed around $600,000 (viaBox Office Mojo).
Despite its big production and strong performances,Ride with the Devilslipped through the cracks as soon as it was released, and is mostly a curiosity in Lee’s epic filmography. However, it deserves a place among the best westerns of its decade, largely becauseit rejects the traditionalism of its contemporaries.
Director Sergio Leone served upDuck, You Sucker!in 1971 asan unofficial sequel toOnce Upon a Time in the West,and it would end up being his final western film. The explosive western went under the alternate title ofAFistful of Dynamitefor good reason, and the movie pulls out all the stops with over-the-top action sequences. Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution,Duck, You Sucker!isn’t the usual cowboy fare, and it’s Leone at his very best.
1968
96%
1971
92%
1984
86%
The chemistry between Rod Steiger and James Coburn is what really anchors the film, andit embraces the cliches of spaghetti westerns while eschewing traditional western tropes. The main reason thatDuck, You Sucker!is forgotten is that it’s sandwiched between superior movies in the trilogy, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an excellent western gem.
Though there were very traditionalwesterns in the 1990s, perhaps the decade’s most memorable was anything but conventional.Jim Jarmusch’sDead Manis an intentionally small-scale story about the fatalism of the Old West. A young Johnny Depp plays the lead role of a mild-mannered accountant who eventually becomes a deadly gunslinger, and Jarmusch’s deadpan style brilliantly clashes with the grandeur of westerns.
The black and white photography allows for the performances to stand out against the bleakness of the backdrop, andDead Manactively avoids glorifying the Old West. WhileDead Manlacks many of the bells and whistles of other westerns,it is a brilliant exploration of the genre and an excellent counterpoint to the exaggerated heroism of its contemporaries.
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortezmight not follow the traditional path of a western, but it does deconstruct the idea of justice with surgical precision. Edward James Olmos stars in the title role as a misunderstood man from Mexico who is accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Justice is often black and white in westerns, butGregorio Cortezshowed how racism and other societal factors cloud the idealistic vision of the Wild West.
Olmos is fantastic in the lead, and it’s an excellent example of representation in a genre that doesn’t have the best track record of casting people of color to play themselves. While the genre is usually all about escapism to a “simpler” time,The Ballad of Gregorio Cortezis as much a biting look at the Old West as it is a dig at modern concepts of justicethat are still just as murky as they were in the past.
4Jubal (1956)
A Classic Western From The Genre’s Heyday
Unlike a lot of other underrated westerns,Jubalwas a big Hollywood movie that came out during the genre’s heyday. Nevertheless, the tense interpersonal drama was largely lost to time, and is only now getting the attention it deserves. A ranch becomes the setting for a deadly love triangle asthe titular character is the subject of envy, lust, and devilish hatred.
A lot of older westerns grow stale over time, butJubalhas only gotten better with age.
While many ’50s westerns employed stock characters and cookie-cutter plots,Jubalis as much a thrilling drama as it is a classic western. As such, it lacks big action sequences but makes up for it by having an airtight script and acting that steals the show. A lot of older westerns grow stale over time, butJubalhas only gotten better with age.
Before he was an award-winning star, Jack Nicholson turned in amazing performances in movies likeRide in the Whirlwind. The understated western is much smaller in scope than a lot of its contemporaries, but it packs an emotional punch nevertheless. A series of misunderstandings lead the main characters down a dark path, and the movie seriously questions whether they were bound for that path regardless.
Production-wise,Ride in the Whirlwindisn’t an expensive epic, but it shines through strong performances and an intriguing premisethat deconstructs westerns. By the late 1960s, the western was already thoroughly dissected, butRide the Whirlwindinstead finds a balance between classic western ideals and a modern look at truth and justice.
Continuing the amazing legacy ofBlack western movies,Outlaw Johnny Blackis an unabashedly fun return to the genre in the modern day. The movie’s namesake is a take-no-prisoners gunslinger, and his quest for revenge is a cliché-ridden boilerplate plot. However,the plot is not important, and it is merely set dressing for the movie’s sense of humor and cheeky nods to movies from the past.
Outlaw Johnny Blackisn’t nearly as funny or forward-thinking asBlazing Saddles, but it is still an entertaining movie that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern day. Westerns have often been quite serious in recent decades, and if they aren’t anti-western deconstructions, they’re traditionalist action films.Outlaw Johnny Blackis neither, and that’s what makes it stand out.
John Maclean’sSlow Westis the type of western that almost never gets made in the modern day, which is why it probably went underappreciated upon release. It has a traditional western plot involving bounty hunters, the untamed wilderness, and gritty revenge, but it approaches its subject with a finesse that’s usually reserved for other genres.
Michael Fassbender turns in an excellent performance as hardened killer, Silas, and it’s clear that bigger things were coming for the seasoned actor in the near future. True to its name,Slow Westis a brooding adventure story with a lot of twists, and is essentially anything that an audience could want from awesternin any era, but without the frills.
