Best modern westerns (movies and tv-series)
I have tried to watch what by many are considered to be the best of the old school westerns. Most of them are just too campy. And too many new ones are just too depressive and booring. I prefer a clear hero to vore for.
My first westerns to reach my eyes where the Clint Eastwood ones. I don't know how many times i saw "The good, the bad and the ugly" before the age of 15. But spaghetti westerns are often filmed in rather dull locations.
So, here is what i consider to be the best from the late 50s up'til the present.
My first westerns to reach my eyes where the Clint Eastwood ones. I don't know how many times i saw "The good, the bad and the ugly" before the age of 15. But spaghetti westerns are often filmed in rather dull locations.
So, here is what i consider to be the best from the late 50s up'til the present.
List activity
1.3K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
50 titles
- DirectorLawrence KasdanStarsKevin KlineScott GlennKevin CostnerA misfit bunch of friends comes together to right the injustices which exist in a small town.Perhaps the best in my book.
- DirectorGeorge P. CosmatosKevin JarreStarsKurt RussellVal KilmerSam ElliottA successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.
- DirectorLawrence KasdanStarsKevin CostnerDennis QuaidGene HackmanFrom Wichita to Dodge City, to the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, a man becomes a myth in this thrilling journey of romance, adventure, and desperate heroic action.
- DirectorKevin CostnerStarsKevin CostnerRobert DuvallDiego LunaA former gunslinger is forced to take up arms again when he and his cattle crew are threatened by a corrupt lawman.Certainly one of my absolute favourites. Second only to Silverado and Tombstone.
- CreatorJohn WilderStarsRaymond BurrBarbara CarreraRichard ChamberlainThe economic and cultural growth of Colorado spanning two centuries from the mid 1700s to the late 1970s.
- DirectorKevin CostnerStarsKevin CostnerMary McDonnellGraham GreeneLieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, finds himself engaging with a neighbouring Sioux settlement, causing him to question his own purpose.Get the long version.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsBruce WillisBruce DernWilliam SandersonA drifting gunslinger-for-hire finds himself in the middle of an ongoing war between the Irish and Italian mafia in a Prohibition era ghost town.A classic western - similar to Silverado - in every way but the time it is set in.
- DirectorMichael CiminoStarsKris KristoffersonChristopher WalkenJohn HurtDuring the Johnson County War in 1890 Wyoming, a sheriff born into wealth does his best to protect immigrant farmers from rich cattle interests.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodSondra LockeChief Dan GeorgeMissouri farmer Josey Wales joins a Confederate guerrilla unit and winds up on the run from the Union soldiers who murdered his family.
- DirectorTed PostStarsClint EastwoodInger StevensPat HingleWhen an innocent man barely survives a lynching, he returns as a lawman determined to bring the vigilantes to justice.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodEli WallachLee Van CleefA bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodMichael MoriartyCarrie SnodgressA mysterious preacher protects a humble prospector village from a greedy mining company trying to encroach on their land.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsClint EastwoodShirley MacLaineManolo FábregasWhen a former Civil War soldier saves a nun from a gang of bandits, they team up to help the Mexicans in their war against the French.
- DirectorChristopher CainStarsEmilio EstevezKiefer SutherlandLou Diamond PhillipsA group of young gunmen, led by Billy the Kid, become deputies to avenge the murder of the rancher who became their benefactor. But when Billy takes their authority too far, they become the hunted.
- DirectorGeoff MurphyStarsEmilio EstevezKiefer SutherlandLou Diamond PhillipsBilly the Kid and his band of outlaws are pursued across New Mexico territory by Sheriff Pat Garrett, whom the young gunslingers must face-off with if they are to reach the safety of the border.
- StarsRobert DuvallTommy Lee JonesDanny GloverTwo former Texas Rangers renew their spirit of adventure as they and several other residents of a small Texas town join a cattle drive to the Montana Territory.This entry stands for all five miniseries in the Lonesome Dove saga. I list them here in the order i think they should be seen, from the 1840s where the story begins, to the 1890s:
1. Dead man's walk.
2. Comanche moon.
3. Lonesome dove. (This one).
4. Return to Lonesome dove.
5. Streets of Laredo. - DirectorSimon WincerStarsTom SelleckLaura San GiacomoAlan RickmanSharpshooter Matt Quigley is hired from Wyoming by an Australian rancher paying a very high price. But when Quigley arrives Down Under, all is not as it seems.
- StarsRobert DuvallThomas Haden ChurchGreta ScacchiA veteran cowboy and his nephew save five Chinese girls from prostitution while trekking from Oregon to Wyoming.A gem.
- StarsKevin CostnerBill PaxtonMatt BarrDramatization of the bitter blood feud between the two families on the West Virginia/Kentucky border in the years after the Civil War.Dark and depressing take on a piece of american history.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsJeff BridgesEllen BarkinJohn HurtThe early career of legendary lawman Wild Bill Hickock is telescoped and culminates in his relocation in Deadwood and a reunion with Calamity Jane.
- DirectorSydney PollackStarsRobert RedfordWill GeerDelle BoltonA mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by the Crow tribe and proves to be a match for their warriors in single combat on the early frontier.
- DirectorTab MurphyStarsTom BerengerBarbara HersheyKurtwood SmithA Montana bounty hunter and an anthropologist discover a tribe of Native Americans living in a settlement isolated from the rest of the world.Not a western per se, allthough it includes a lost indian tribe. Really good adventure this. Sadly not available on bluray as of yet.
- DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsLeonardo DiCaprioTom HardyWill PoulterA frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
- StarsAbbie CornishMarton CsokasIan HartTwo childhood friends, Bill Haskell and Byron Epstein, embark on a journey to Klondike, Yukon, in hopes of discovering a fortune in a remote town.
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsSharon StoneGene HackmanRussell CroweA female gunfighter returns to a frontier town where a dueling tournament is being held, which she enters in an effort to avenge her father's death.
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsKirk DouglasTom BurlinsonTerence DonovanIn 1880s Australia, after young Jim Craig's father dies, he takes a job at the Harrison cattle ranch, where he is forced to become a man.
- DirectorEd HarrisStarsEd HarrisViggo MortensenRenée ZellwegerTwo friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsHenry FondaCharles BronsonClaudia CardinaleA mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.This one makes the list by a narrow margin. There is something about it i don't like. Could be that you don't get to like anyone in particular in it. The cinematography is so nice though.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsDenzel WashingtonChris PrattEthan HawkeSeven gunmen from a variety of backgrounds are brought together by a vengeful young widow to protect her town from the private army of a destructive industrialist.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsRussell CroweChristian BaleBen FosterA small-time rancher agrees to hold a captured outlaw who's awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher.
- CreatorDavid MilchStarsTimothy OlyphantIan McShaneMolly ParkerA show set in the late 1800s, revolving around the characters of Deadwood, South Dakota; a town of deep corruption and crime.Here's where i abandon my own criteria for inclusion on this list, because what this series lacks is clear cut heroes. The good guys end up dead here and the dirtbags thrive. At least as long as i cared to watch. Yet, somehow the level of production value that has gone into it, must be applauded. This really is quality work. I'll give it another try soon...
- StarsJack O'ConnellMichelle DockeryScoot McNairyIn the 1880s American West, murderous outlaw gang leader Frank Griffin hunts for ex-protege Roy Goode. Frank's chase leads him to La Belle, New Mexico--a town inhabited, after a mining disaster, almost entirely by women.
- DirectorRichard BrooksStarsBurt LancasterLee MarvinRobert RyanAn arrogant Texas millionaire hires four adventurers to rescue his kidnapped wife from a notorious Mexican bandit.
- StarsTom BerengerSam ElliottGary BuseyUndersecretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt resigns to form a volunteer militia unit called "The Rough Riders" to fight in the Spanish-American War.
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsWilliam HoldenErnest BorgnineRobert RyanAn aging group of outlaws look for one last big score as the "traditional" American West is disappearing around them.Sam Peckingpah's so-called masterpiece. Well, it's watchable. And it has some real classic and genre-defining moments.
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsJeff BridgesMatt DamonHailee SteinfeldA stubborn teenager enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal to track down her father's murderer.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJamie FoxxChristoph WaltzLeonardo DiCaprioWith the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.A bit off the track for me, but i guess it's ok. Perhaps i'd like the original better.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppArmie HammerWilliam FichtnerNative American warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice.A bit over the top. And, i mean - a western with Johnny Depp in it (don't take me wrong, i love the Pirates of the carribean-franchise...) ...but I love steam trains, ok, and it's a fun ride.
- DirectorAndrew V. McLaglenStarsJohn WayneGeorge KennedyGary GrimesA tough Marshal has a difficult task when his two sons join a gang and rob a bank.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsJohn WayneDean MartinMartha HyerRanch owner Katie Elder's four sons determine to avenge the murder of their father and the swindling of their mother.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsJason PatricGene HackmanRobert DuvallThe story of the Apache chief and his armed resistance to the U.S. Government's subjugation of his people.
- DirectorJon CassarStarsEsther Purves-SmithKiefer SutherlandDonald SutherlandIn 1872, an embittered gunslinger named John Henry Clayton attempts to make amends with his estranged father Reverend Samuel Clayton while their community is besieged by ruthless land-grabbers.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsBrad PittAnthony HopkinsAidan QuinnIn the early 1900s, three brothers and their father living in the remote wilderness of Montana are affected by betrayal, history, love, nature, and war.
- DirectorRobert RedfordStarsCraig ShefferBrad PittTom SkerrittTwo sons of a stern minister - one reserved, one rebellious - grow up in rural 1920s Montana while devoted to fly fishing.
- DirectorRobert RedfordStarsRobert RedfordKristin Scott ThomasSam NeillThe mother of a severely traumatized daughter enlists the aid of a unique horse trainer to help the girl's equally injured horse.
- CreatorJohn LinsonTaylor SheridanStarsKevin CostnerLuke GrimesKelly ReillyA ranching family in Montana faces off against others encroaching on their land.
- DirectorRon UnderwoodStarsBilly CrystalJack PalanceDaniel SternOn the verge of turning 40, an unhappy Manhattan yuppie is roped into joining his two friends on a cattle drive in the southwest.The only comedy in the list. And perhaps not considered a real western by some, but well... ...i love it.
- DirectorRichard LangStarsCharlton HestonBrian KeithVictoria RacimoA pair of grizzled frontiersmen fight Indians, guzzle liquor and steal squaws in their search for a legendary valley 'so full of beaver that they jump right into your traps' in this fanciful adventure.
- CreatorTaylor SheridanStarsTim McGrawSam ElliottFaith HillThe post-Civil war generation of the Dutton family travels to Texas, and joins a wagon train undertaking the arduous journey west to Oregon, before settling in Montana to establish what would eventually become the Yellowstone Ranch.
- CreatorTaylor SheridanStarsHarrison FordHelen MirrenBrandon SklenarThe Duttons face a new set of challenges in the early 20th century, including the rise of Western expansion, Prohibition, and the Great Depression.