TheWesternis undoubtedly one of the great foundational genres in the history of cinema. As such, its influence goes beyond Western movies proper — be theyclassic Western moviesfrom the 1950s and 1960s or modern neo-Westerns — and spreads to all other genres, shaping the way certain scenes are shot or howparticular Western genre tropesare used in developing plots.
Some Western-adjacent movies are easier to spot than others, neo-Westerns especially because while they rework some of the genre’s most frequent tropes, they’re usually still set in the American West and generallyfeelvery Western.Other movies, however, simply pick and choose some Western elements to weave into their storiesthat might be surprising to audiences when pointed out. However, all have the potential to delight and move audiences with how they twist and remake the recurring themes of the Western genre, to say something more about the modern day.
Hell or High Water
Cast
Hell or High Water is a modern Western crime thriller directed by David Mackenzie. Starring Chris Pine and Ben Foster as two brothers who embark on a series of bank robberies to save their family ranch, the film delves into themes of economic hardship and justice. Jeff Bridges plays a Texas Ranger nearing retirement, determined to catch them.
It might not take that long to identifyHell or High Wateras a Western, but it certainly doesn’t feel like a classic one. The plot follows brothers Toby and Tanner Howard, who rob two banks in West Texas to try to prevent their ranch from being foreclosed on. Assigned to their case and chasing them across the state are two Texas Rangers.
Hell or High Wateris set in the modern day and there aren’t as many horses galloping across the frame as there are beat-up cars, but it’s still a movie that’s very much reminiscent of old Westerns and their plots: robbers and lawmen entangled in an endless chase across the wide open spaces of the American West.Hell or High Wateris a movie that sits firmly within the neo-Western genre, which is the specialty of its screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, also the creator of theYellowstoneuniverse.
Logan
Logan is set in a near future where an aging Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman, takes care of a frail Professor Xavier, portrayed by Patrick Stewart, at a secluded location near the Mexican border. Their secluded existence is disrupted by the arrival of a young mutant, pursued by malevolent forces.
Loganis quite the rare gem in the superhero movie genre and one with a considerable neo-Western look,a setting that usually doesn’t mash that well with superheroes. The Logan of this movie, however, isn’t the usual one from the other installments of theX-Menfranchise, and this difference makes “Old Man Logan” the perfect anti-hero for a Western-inspired story.
Loganis set in a future where mutants are becoming rarer and where most of the X-Men were unwittingly destroyed by Professor Xavier, whose control over his powers is slipping. Logan himself is slowly being poisoned by his adamantium skeleton. Their relatively quiet life is shaken by the appearance of Laura, a child who was created from Logan’s own DNA to replicate his powers and become a weapon. Of course, the people who experimented on her want her back — something that Logan is not going to let happen.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
El Camino wraps up Jesse Pinkman’s story after he escapes from a group of Neo-Nazis at the end of Breaking Bad. Written, directed, and produced by Vince Gilligan and starring Aaron Paul, the 2019 movie revolves around Jesse’s attempt to flee to Alaska and start a new life, leaving behind his past with meth kingpin Walter White.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movieserves as a sequel toBreaking Bad, acting as its long epilogue that focuses on wrapping up Jesse Pinkman’s story. The movie follows Jesse as he tries to leave behind New Mexico and the long shadow of Walter White’s drug empire, all while being chased by the law as well as the enemies he and Walter made along the way.
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WhileEl Caminomight not look very Western, it certainly emulates a Western. All the major tropes of the genre are there, starting with its protagonist being a lone anti-hero on the run from the law and always looking for a way to come into possession of more money so that he may fund his escape.The gun duel towards the end ofEl Caminodrives the Western inspiration home, as well as Jesse’s goal to make it to Alaska,which a friend described to him as “the final frontier.”
A Bug’s Life
A Bug’s Life centers on Flik, an innovative ant who recruits a group of alleged warrior bugs to protect his colony from oppressive grasshoppers led by the malevolent Hopper. Released in 1998, the film presents a blend of adventure and humor with an ensemble cast of insect characters.
The Western genre would probably be the last thing on anyone’s mind when watchingA Bug’s Life, the second hit animated movie to come from Pixar Studios. However, the story of Flik the ant, ingenious but clumsy, who sets out to find a way to save his colony from the gang of grasshoppers that steal their food every year actually has considerable Western influence.
That is becausethe plot ofA Bug’s Lifefollows almost beat for beat — with the differences that come fromA Bug’s Lifebeing about ants, grasshoppers, ladybugs, and caterpillars — that of the 1960 Western classicThe Magnificent Seven,directed by John Sturges, which in turn is an American remake of the 1954 epic period dramaSeven Samuraiby Akira Kurosawa. All stories feature a band of warriors — or fake warriors, in the case ofA Bug’s Life —being hired to defend a group of peaceful villagers oppressed by a gang of raiders.
No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men is a western crime-thriller based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy and directed by the Cohen Brothers. Following three protagonists, the film centers around a large $2,000,000+ cache of dirty money lost near the Rio Grande. With a veteran who finds it, a hitman who will stop at nothing to get it, and a sheriff trying to investigate the crimes connected to it, all roads lead to death and mayhem as they find themselves in each other’s crosshairs.
No Country for Old Menset the standard for the modern neo-Western genre, turning the Coen brothers into household namesand becoming one of only four Western movies to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. The story, however, seems at first to be that of a simple crime thriller with a Western-like setting, as it takes place in Texas.
No Country for Old Menfollows three separate characters, whose roads will inevitably converge: Llewelyn Moss, a welder who happens upon a large amount of money when in the desert; the hitman Anton Chigurh, out to recover the money; and the sheriff investigating the whole situation, Ed Tom Bell. They’re all adapted for the modern day, but each of these three characters is a trope plucked right out of the Western canon.
John Wick
John Wick is a 2014 action thriller featuring Keanu Reeves as a retired hitman. The film follows John Wick as he emerges from retirement to avenge the loss inflicted by a group of gangsters, setting the stage for a relentless pursuit and exploration of a shadowy underworld.
John Wickis the first installment of one of the most successful action franchises of recent years, which continued with sequels, prequels, tie-in television shows, comic books, and video games.At the center of everything is the titular John Wick, a retired hitman who is seen as nothing short of a legend in the criminal underworldand who eventually comes out of retirement looking for revenge.
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Nothing screams Western like a good revenge story, where a single gunman of exceptional ability goes after a group of people who have ruined his tranquil life away from violence. In the case of the firstJohn Wickmovie, said revenge isn’t for the death of the love of the hero’s life but that of his beagle puppy — further proof that nothing should ever happen to dogs in movies.
Unforgiven
Unforgiven is a 2013 Japanese Western written and directed by Lee Sang-il. The film is classified as a remake of the 1992 Clint Eastwood film of the same name. The plot follows a former samurai who is hired to help find two wanted men.
Unforgivenis a Japanesejidaigekimovie, a period drama set before the Meiji Restoration, but it’s also a remake of Clint Eastwood’s 1992 movie of the same name. The firstUnforgivenis more strictly defined as a Western, directed by one of the most famous Western actors ever. While the setting of the Japanese version ofUnforgivenmight not immediately give up its Western roots, its plot most certainly does.
The story follows Jubei Kamata, once a samurai serving the Tokugawa Shogunate and now in hiding from the newly restored Imperial government. Some years after the Restoration, his tranquil and modest life is interrupted when one of his former comrades asks for his help in chasing down a bounty.Their quest will, of course, be dotted with several bloody fights and shootouts along the way and end with Jubei disappearing,like a true Western-inspired lone warrior.
Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a film set in 1960s Wyoming where two men, portrayed by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, navigate a complex emotional and sexual relationship. As they marry and start families, their enduring bond challenges societal norms and profoundly impacts their lives.
There’s no understating the importance thatBrokeback Mountainhad in the history of LGBTQ+ cinema, helping it to leap forward into mainstream pop culture. Based on the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx,Brokeback Mountainfollows cowboys Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, who first meet when they are hired to herd sheep in Wyoming.
The two soon begin a relationship, but seemingly return to their lives when the summer on the mountain is over. They will keep on meeting on and off again for the rest of their lives, however, incapable of staying away from one another.While Ennis and Jack herd sheep rather than ride away from the law,Brokeback Mountainis undoubtedly a modern Western,one with a queer love story at its center, and that challenges the stereotypical image of the cowboy.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road is a post-apocalyptic film set in a desolate desert landscape where society has collapsed. Released in 2015, the story follows two rebels, Max Rockatansky and Imperator Furiosa, as they attempt to survive and bring balance to a world torn by chaos and strife.
Just like inLogan, Western influences can be discerned even in genres that seemingly have very little to do with it.Mad Max: Fury Roadis the fourth installment of the dystopianMad Maxfranchise, which sees longtime protagonist Max Rockatansky join forces with Imperator Furiosa, who is trying to rescue five of the forced brides of the terrible warlord Immortan Joe and bring them to the “Green Place” she is from.
Mad Max: Fury Roadis the perfect example of this mashing of genres in which the more Western-like elements aren’t immediately recognizable. The movie’s setting is a dystopic version of Australia, turned into a barren wasteland, and its characters are unique and over the top, yetMad Max: Fury Roadis ultimately a story of two lone warriors escaping through the desert,and that’s the premise of many a Western movie.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Star Wars is a seminal science fiction film released in 1977 that follows the quest of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to rescue Princess Leia from the oppressive Imperial forces. They are aided by the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, as they strive to restore peace to the galaxy.
Star Warsis a great many things, so it makes sense that it would also be its own kind of space Western.It might not be the first genre that comes to mind when it comes to George Lucas’s pop culture-defining space opera, but it’s very much a considerable influence on the looks and story beats of the entireStar Warsfranchise.
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Luke Skywalker starts his story in a desert, filled with raiders, dark cantinas, and trigger-happy smugglers, all of which can be found rehashed time and time again in severalWesterntitles. The same goes for the tragic end of the hero’s family, which only spurs him on his journey, and the wiser, retired warrior who trains said hero in his ways. Some of these elements return throughout the rest ofStar Wars;the desert first and foremost, since both Anakin Skywalker and Rey grow up on desert planets.
