5 greatest Hollywood Westerns of all time
The Western is one of the most fascinating genres of cinema. As the name suggests, it is inspired by the American West. When you talk about it, you can visualize a rural dusty town, outlaws, saloons, and a lone cowboy on a horse, who is mostly stereotypically a white American, and often inaccurate historical facts. Below are some of the greatest of all time.
'Winchester' 73' (1950)
Directed by Anthony Mann, the 1950 American Western film Winchester '73 stars James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, and Stephen McNally. Set in 1876, the story revolves around a prized Winchester rifle that changes the fate of its owners as it is passed on from one to another. This classic also follows a cowboy as he looks for a killer fugitive.
'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' (1966)
Sergio Leone's Italian Western film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a timeless spaghetti Western masterpiece. The film, set during the American Civil War, follows three morally complex gunslingers- Clint Eastwood as "the Good," Lee Van Cleef as "the Bad," and Eli Wallach as "the Ugly"- hunting for buried gold. It's praised for its cinematography, both long shots and close-ups.
'The Outlaw Josey Wales' (1976)
Set during and after the American Civil War, the 1976 American revisionist Western film The Outlaw Josey Wales is directed by and stars Eastwood (Josey Wales), with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney, and John Vernon. To avenge his family's murder by Union militants, Wales, a Missouri farmer, joins a Confederate guerrilla band and becomes a gunfighter and an outlaw.
'Unforgiven' (1992)
Yet another one directed, produced by, and starring Eastwood is the 1992 film Unforgiven. Eastwood plays the role of an old, retired outlaw gunslinger William Munny, working as a farmer now. The film unfolds as Munny, years after retirement, takes one last job. He receives help from a young man, the "Schofield Kid" and his old partner Ned Logan.
'Django Unchained' (2012)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino, the 2012 Oscar-winning American revolutionist Western film Django Unchained stars Jamie Foxx as the titular character along with Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L Jackson, Christoph Waltz, and Kerry Washington, among several others. To save his wife from a cruel plantation owner in Mississippi, Django, a freed black slave, gets trained under a German bounty hunter.
