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Some people cite the Western as an example of one of cinema’s dead genres. If I ever met such a person, I would (a) pistol-whip them, and then (b) let them know how wrong they were. The Western is not dead – far from it. Recent years have seen a spectacular return to the genre, with such films as The Assassination of Jesse James and 3:10 To Yuma. Others maintain that the genre is an exercise in ethno-centrism, misogyny, cultural imperialism, and other such scary phrases. These people are tragically misguided. True, the classic Westerns of yesteryear did portray a one-sided version of history, a ‘settlers are good, Indians are bad’ paradigm. However, such a simple-minded stereotype has long since been deservedly resigned to history. Here are ten Westerns that deserve your attention:
10. Dances with Wolves (1990)
As a jaded veteran of the American Civil War, Kevin Costner sports a dodgy moustache and stands up for Native American rights. This is an epic film that won eight Academy Awards®. Think Avatar without the aliens and vapid environmentalism, but with a better script and characters.
9. The Proposition (2005)
Though technically not a Western at all, since it’s set in the Australian outback, the model is transplanted nicely into an equally untamed and panoramic frontier. Ray Winstone plays a hard-as-nails lawman trying to impose order on an unfriendly wilderness, offering criminal Guy Pearce the chance to save his younger brother from hanging by killing his older brother, a vengeful psychopath who lives deep in the outback.
8. Shane (1953)
Who is the mysterious Shane (Alan Ladd)? We never find out. He’s a stranger who drifts into town and helps the farmers to fend off the assaults of a murderous cattle rancher. His work done, Shane leaves the townsfolk as swiftly and mysteriously as he came.
7. Unforgiven (1992)
Clint Eastwood’s self-referential film shows that life in the old West wasn’t really that glamorous after all. You either chose a life of thankless and demeaning labour as a pig-farmer or a prostitute, or you chose a life of soul-destroying violence as a lawman or a gunslinger. Neither path, however, offers redemption for past sins.
6. Broken Arrow (1950)
The film that made history as one of the first truly balanced accounts of the relationship between white settlers and American Indians. Mailman Jeffords (Jimmy Stewart) becomes friends with Apache chief Cochise, and together they work to build peace between the native tribes and the expanding forces of the Union, whilst fighting uncompromising radicals on both sides.
5. How The West Was Won (1962)
Chronicling the settlement history of the west, the film is seen through the eyes of four generations of the Prescott family. Filmed in five segments (‘The Rivers’, ‘The Plains’, ‘The Civil War’, ‘The Railroad’, and ‘The Outlaws’) by three directors, spanning fifty years of American history and featuring an ensemble cast – ‘epic’ doesn’t do it justice.
4. The Searchers (1956)
Arguably John Wayne’s best film, two girls are abducted by Comanche Indians. Their relatives, including Uncle Ethan, a jaded veteran of the Civil War, spend years searching for them in the empty vastness of the plains. And when the surviving girl is found, can Ethan overcome his racial hatred and the belief that niece has been ‘contaminated’ and is better-off dead?
3. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
It includes Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn. They defend a Mexican village against bandits. If those aren’t sufficient reasons to watch any film, then I don’t know what is.
2. The Dollars Trilogy (1964-66)
Quentin Tarantino called Sergio Leone’s trilogy the best films ever made. And you know what? He was right. Starring Clint Eastwood as ‘The Man with No Name’ (who may or may not be the same character in all three films) these films have to be seen to be believed. Wah-wah-waaaah.
1. Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (1969)
Paul Newman (Butch) and Robert Redford (Sundance) are the affable duo that always stay cool and trade witty banter, whether they’re accidentally blowing up trains, being chased across country by a gang of mercenary lawmen (giving birth to the oft-repeated line: "Who are those guys?!"), or fleeing to Bolivia with Sundance’s girlfriend Etta (Kathryn Ross). But as the West passes into memory so do Butch and Sundance. Not only the greatest Western ever made, but one of the greatest films ever made.
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