Western: 81

The American Western film, The Long Riders (1980), directed by Walter Hill, follows the James-Younger gang as they terrorize banks and trains in the years after the Civil War in the Midwestern United States. Led by Jesse James and Cole Younger, along with their brothers, this band of robbers wreaks havoc until a careless mistake during a bank robbery leads to a shootout where Jesse is injured. In response, Jesse kicks Ed Miller out of the gang while his brother Clell remains. Assigned to capture the outlaws is Mr. Rixley of the Pinkerton’s agency, who relentlessly pursues them but causes some unintended ...

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) is an American Western film that takes place during and after the American Civil War. Clint Eastwood both directed and starred in the movie. A Missouri farmer named Josey Wales seeks revenge after his wife and young son are killed by a group of Redlegs, a unit of pro-Union Jayhawker militants under Captain Terrill’s command. After burying his loved ones, Josey practices shooting before joining a Confederate group led by William T. Anderson and participating in attacks against Union supporters and soldiers. As the war comes to an end, Captain Fletcher convinces the guerrillas to ...

Directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Ernest Tidyman, High Plains Drifter (1973) is an American Western film. In this isolated mining town of Lago in the Old West, a mysterious stranger rides out of the desert. The hired gunmen meant to protect the town taunt and threaten him, but he swiftly takes them all down without breaking a sweat. Later on, the attractive blonde Callie Travers insults him with flirtatious comments. That night, as he sleeps in his hotel room, the Stranger has a vivid dream of Jim Duncan, a U.S. Marshal, being brutally whipped to death by Stacey ...

The American Revisionist Western film, Joe Kidd (1972), features renowned actors Clint Eastwood and Robert Duvall. Written by Elmore Leonard and directed by John Sturges, the story takes place in Sinola, a town in New Mexico during the early 1900s. In this setting, we meet Joe Kidd, a disgruntled ex-bounty hunter who is imprisoned for trespassing on Indian land and causing chaos. Luis Chama, a Mexican bandit/revolutionary, has organized a peasant revolt against the local ...

Once Upon a Time in the Revolution (1971) is a sprawling Zapata Western film helmed by renowned director and co-writer, Sergio Leone. Set in revolution-torn 1913 Mexico, the story follows outlaw Juan Miranda as he leads his bandit family in a daring robbery of wealthy men, which also includes the assault of a female passenger who had insulted him. While on his motorcycle, Irish Republican explosives expert John H. Mallory happens to pass by and is drawn into Juan’s world as he poses as ‘Seán’. Despite initially refusing to join forces with Juan, he soon finds himself framed for murder and on the run ...

Shoot Out (1971), an American Western film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Gregory Peck, is based on Will James’s novel, The Lone Cowboy. Clay Lomax is released from prison after serving seven years for robbing a bank. He sets out to find his former crime partner, Sam Foley, who betrayed him during their escape and left him to be caught. Upon hearing of his release, Foley hires a trio of young thugs—Pepe, Skeeter, and Bobby Jay Jones—to track Lomax down. Lomax seeks information from an old friend, ...

The film, Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), is an American-Mexican Western directed by Don Siegel and starring Shirley MacLaine and Clint Eastwood. Set after the American Civil War, a former Northern soldier named Hogan rescues a woman from bandits attempting to rape her. After he dispatches the bandits, the woman reveals herself to be a nun and begs for his protection from French soldiers who are searching for her as a supporter of the Juarista rebels. Despite initially hesitating due to his own plans, Hogan agrees to help ...

Macho Callahan (1970), a Mexican-American Western directed by Bernard L. Kowalski, tells the story of Diego Callahan, also known as ‘Macho’, who is imprisoned during the war. Seeking retribution for his incarceration, he travels to Texas in search of the man responsible. Along the way, he gets into a heated altercation with David Mountford, a one-armed Confederate Army colonel, and ends up killing him in front of his wife, Alexandra. Fueled by her desire for revenge, Alexandra puts a $1,000 bounty on Callahan’s head. She enlists Duffy’s help to find him – recognizing him by the distinctive ...

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) is an American Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Set in 1899 Wyoming, it follows the story of Butch Cassidy, a charming and clever leader of the outlaw group known as the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. His closest companion is his skilled but quiet partner, the ‘Sundance Kid’. When they return to their hideout after a long absence, they find that the rest of their gang has chosen a new leader, Harvey Logan. Logan challenges Cassidy to a knife fight for leadership, but Cassidy ...

Hang ‘Em High (1968) is an American revisionist Western film directed by Ted Post. In the Oklahoma Territory of 1889, retired lawman Jed Cooper finds himself surrounded by a posse of nine men: Captain Wilson, Reno, Miller, Jenkins, Stone, Maddow, Tommy, Loomis, and Charlie Blackfoot. They demand proof of purchase for the cattle that Cooper is driving. The seller of the cattle is a notorious robber who is also responsible for killing the rancher. Despite Cooper’s protests that he had no involvement in the murder, only Jenkins expresses skepticism about his guilt. While retrieving a prisoner, Cooper notices ...

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) is an epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone, who co-wrote it with Sergio Donati based on a story by Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci and Leone. A train pulls into the Old West town of ‘Flagstone’, and a man wearing a harmonica around his neck disembarks. He swiftly dispatches three gunfighters who were waiting for him. The leader of the outlaws, Frank, is in ...

The American Western mystery film, 5 Card Stud (1968), directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Dean Martin and Robert Mitchum, tells the story of a gambler in Rincon, a small town located 100 miles from Denver, Colorado. The gambler is caught cheating at a game of five-card stud poker and is later lynched by the other players, led by the volatile Nick Evers. One of the players, Van Morgan, attempts to prevent the act of frontier justice, but is unsuccessful. He ultimately leaves town but returns after learning that several ...

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) is an Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. Set in 1862 during the Civil War in the American Southwest, three bounty-hunters ambush Mexican bandit Tuco Ramirez. Tuco manages to escape after shooting them all. Meanwhile, mercenary ‘Angel Eyes’ interrogates former Confederate soldier Stevens for information on a stolen cache of Confederate gold. After receiving a bribe and killing Stevens, Angel Eyes becomes intrigued by the gold and kills his own employer. In need of help, Tuco is rescued by an unnamed drifter, who he affectionately calls ...

For a Few Dollars More (1965) is a Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Leone. The notorious ‘Manco’ is a bounty hunter, much like his counterpart Colonel Douglas Mortimer, a former army officer. They each discover that the infamous ‘El Indio’ and his gang have escaped from prison after brutally murdering most of their jailers. Meanwhile, Indio is seen carrying a musical pocket watch that once belonged to a woman he raped and then killed her husband before she took her own life. This haunting incident leads him to smoke drugs in attempts to dull his memories. Planning to rob the Bank of El Paso ...

A Fistful of Dollars (1964) is a classic spaghetti Western film helmed by Sergio Leone. The story takes place in San Miguel, a small town situated on the border between Mexico and the United States. Upon his arrival, an unidentified stranger becomes acquainted with Silvanito, the local innkeeper. Silvanito tells him about an ongoing feud between two rival smuggler families: the Rojos (Don Miguel, Esteban & Ramón) and the family of Sheriff John Baxter, along with his wife Consuelo and their son Antonio. Seeking to turn a profit, the Stranger decides to play these opposing groups against each other. He effortlessly ...

Rawhide (1959–1965) is a beloved American Western TV series featuring Eric Fleming and Clint Eastwood as its stars. Over the course of 8 seasons, it aired on CBS network’s Friday nights from January 1959 to September 1965, and then moved to Tuesday nights until December of that year. With an impressive total of 217 black-and-white episodes, the show is set in the 1860s and follows the trials faced by cattle drive drovers. Each episode typically begins with trail boss Gil Favor giving a monologue. The plot often involves the drovers getting involved in other ...

Directed by Jodie Copelan and starring Scott Brady and Clint Eastwood, Ambush at Cimarron Pass (1958) is an American Western film. After surviving an ambush, Sergeant Blake and his cavalry squad are escorting prisoner Corbin back to their fort. Corbin had been unsuccessfully attempting to sell repeating rifles to the Apache, which are now in the hands of the cavalry. Along the way, they meet a group of former Confederate soldiers led by Sam Prescott, including young Keith Williams who harbors resentment towards northerners. ...

3:10 to Yuma (1957), a classic American Western film, was directed by Delmer Daves and starred the talented Glenn Ford and Van Heflin. It is based on a short story by Elmore Leonard and tells the gripping story of Dan Evans, a struggling rancher in the Arizona Territory during the 1880s. Evans and his sons witness notorious outlaw Ben Wade and his gang robbing a stagecoach, but when one of the robbers is overpowered, Wade coldly takes matters into his own hands. As they make ...

Created by Roy Huggins, Maverick (1957–1962) is an American Western television series with comedic overtones that aired on ABC from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962. The show follows the adventures of brothers Bret and Bart Maverick, both skilled poker players from Texas who travel through the rugged 19th-century American frontier by horseback, stagecoach, and riverboat. Throughout the five seasons, James Garner and Jack Kelly take turns as the lead character, but occasionally team up for episodes where they play as a ...

Starring John Wayne, Betty Field, and Harry Carey, The Shepherd of the Hills (1941) is an American drama film. Matt Masters, a moonshiner in the Ozark Mountains, harbors great resentment towards his absent father who abandoned his mother. This resentment fuels the widespread hatred in the mountains. When Daniel Howitt, a stranger, arrives in the community, he starts to make a positive impact on the people. His gentle influence helps them let go of their hatred. Despite this change, Matt remains suspicious of Howitt.