Moviefone logo
Trending
'Wicked: For Good' Trailer
'Zootopia 2' Teaser Trailer
'Superman' Trailer
'Ironheart' Trailer
Buy TicketsHighlightsNew MoviesTV ShowsStreamingMovie ChartsVideosWhat to WatchIn TheatersMovie TheatersComing SoonMovie ReviewsMoviefone TVMade In HollywoodNewsCelebritiesNetflixPrime Video
SinnersSinnersThe AmateurThe AmateurFreaksFreaksI Know What You Did Last SummerI Know What You Did Last SummerDropDropUNTAMEDUNTAMEDThe Summer I Turned PrettyThe Summer I Turned PrettyStar Trek: Strange New WorldsStar Trek: Strange New WorldsThe InstituteThe InstituteBallardBallard
Murderbot Season 1 - Teaser Clip
Murderbot
Wednesday Season 2 - Teaser Trailer
Wednesday
Squid Game: Season 3 - Final Round Teaser Clip
Squid Game
Murderbot Season 1 - Alexander Skarsgård as Murderbot
Murderbot
The Friend - Bill Murray Exclusive Interview
The Friend
Mortal Kombat II - Johnny Cage Character Poster
Mortal Kombat II
Black Bag - Cate Blanchett Exclusive Interview
Black Bag
Stranger Things Season 5 - Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin and Noah Schnapp
Stranger Things
Elio - Freeze Frame Clip
Elio
Mortal Kombat II - Official Teaser Poster
Mortal Kombat II
Elio - Gift Bag Beam Me Write Up Clip
Elio
Dexter: Resurrection Season 1 - David Zayas Character Poster
Dexter: Resurrection
Superman - Official Teaser Trailer
Superman
The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Formula Soft Promo Poster
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Stick Season 1 - Pool Party Prep Clip
Stick
Tron: Ares - Official Teaser Poster
TRON: Ares
  1. News

The 10 Best Modern Westerns You Need to Watch Right Now

Moviefone
November 9, 2017 - 1 min read

Everyone knows what a western is. But what happens when you take away the horses and saloons and replace them with wide-bodied cars and sleazy bars? The modern western (or neo-western) isn't just set in modern times, it's also transported the philosophy, archetypes, and thematic concerns of the classic westerns to a new era. It's often an exciting clash of ideas and aesthetics, as established by "No Country for Old Men," which is turning ten years old  and arguably set the gold standard for modern westerns. In celebration of "No Country for Old Men's" accomplishments, here are the very best modern westerns.   

'Assault on Precinct 13' (1976)

John Carpenter's proper feature debut concerns a police precinct on the verge of closure and the bloodthirsty gang that attacks it. Carpenter has long been an admirer of the western genre, and his films frequently flirt with archetypes first developed long ago. For "Assault on Precinct 13," he looked primarily to the Howard Hawks' 1959 oater "Rio Bravo," which shares a similar setup and stoic characters. Carpenter would get close to making a straight-up western many years later, but nothing compares to his initial foray.

'Lone Star' (1996)

One of the more explicitly western films on the list, John Sayles' atmospheric mystery is, in many ways, an deconstruction of and dialogue with the thematic and narrative concerns of classic westerns. Primarily the story of a sheriff (an unbelievable Chris Cooper) who starts looking into the kind of man his father (Matthew McConaughey in flashbacks) actually was, "Lone Star" reveals layers of what those stories meant and what kind of men they were actually idealizing.

'Heat' (1995)

Usually the lines in the sand are drawn pretty clear in westerns, between cowboys and Native Americans or good guys and bad rustlers. All you'd have to do is look at the color of their hat to figure out which was which. In "Heat," Michael Mann's sprawling crime epic, men are drawn with all the toughness and stoicism of classic western heroes and villains, and the lines between good and evil (in this case bank robbers and the detectives trying to stop them) are drawn with an extra thick sharpie.

'Hell or High Water' (2016)

2016's surprise Oscar contender "Hell or High Water" embodied the western mythos by updating it (brilliantly). In Taylor Sheridan's crackling script, a pair of bank robbers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) are pursued by a merciless lawman (Jeff Bridges) and his Native American sidekick (Gil Birmingham). That could have been the description of any dusty old western. But it's been fabulously designed for contemporary times. The bank robbers have been screwed over by an unjust bank and are victims as much as they are villains. The Texas setting goes a long way, too.

'Red Hill' (2010)

There have been a number of parallels drawn between Texas (the setting for so many classic westerns) and Australia. So it makes sense that one of the best modern westerns in recent memory would take place Down Under. In "Red Hill," Ryan Kwanten is a young deputy who faces down a coldblooded killer that has just escaped from prison. People wear cowboy hats, fire revolvers, and have deep notions of family and honor. Writer/director Patrick Hughes has had a tepid career in the mainstream, but "Red Hill" offers some agreeably hardcore thrills.

'Kill Bill: Volume 2' (2004)

Quentin Tarantino broke up his two-part revenge saga as thus: the first section was an "Eastern" origin story, and the second section was a Western. So it goes that the Bride (Uma Thurman) travels to Mexico looking for her mark, there are several violent confrontations in a dusty Texas trailer park, and the entire vibe has a sun-blasted, lackadaisical gait. (There's also the wonderful wedding rehearsal massacre, complete with a grizzled sheriff investigating the scene.) What makes "Kill Bill Vol. 2" movie so fun is Thurman's transformation from samurai to gunslinger.

'Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia' (1974)

In Sam Peckinpah's down-and-dirty, crackerjack take on the western, a crime boss offers $1 million for the head of Alfredo Garcia, a man who has impregnated the boss' young daughter. From there, things get more and more twisted, incorporating copious amounts of Peckinpah's trademark deviant sex and explosive violence. It's a remarkably loopy narrative, but the central conceit, one of bounty hunters and drunken piano players and a pricey bounty, are intrinsic to the western genre, as is the Mexican setting. Seek "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" out.

'Brokeback Mountain' (2005)

Talk about a movie that deliberately subverts the conventions of the genre and creates something new and wholly unique. "Brokeback Mountain," based on the acclaimed short story that was adapted by "Lonesome Dove" creator Larry McMurtry, took the iconography of the American cowboy and gave it depth, secrets, and contours that had evaded much of the genre up until that point. Setting the movie in the early 1960's, at a time uneasy with the upcoming sexual awakening, added a lot of power to the tale of two manly men who secretly craved one another. 

'Desperado' (1995)

Robert Rodriguez's breakthrough film is all killer, no filler. Combining a number of influences, from cheap direct-to-video action movies to Sam Peckinpah films, Rodriguez crafted a single, out-of-control extravaganza that served as both a sequel to and remake of his first film "El Mariachi." Set entirely in Mexico, the tale of a man desperately seeking revenge about the gangster responsible for the murder of his wife and child, it feels like a traditional western, updated for modern times, with all of the baggy sections taken out. There isn't a lot of talk (besides a Quentin Tarantino cameo) in "Desperado," but there are elaborately orchestrated set pieces of major firepower, beautiful women every bit as tough as the men, and a clear moral compass. 

'Logan' (2017)

The swansong for the beloved Wolverine character eschewed typical super-heroics for a pared back tale of a man attempting to get across the border with little more than a hope and a prayer. "Logan" may not be perfect, but in its fearless investigation and deconstruction of the loner cowboy character -- and the absolute conviction that it presents a host of new ideas, themes and concepts -- cannot be diminished. Hugh Jackman brings pain and pathos to what was an otherwise two-dimensional role. In "Logan," he's the gunslinger who's run out of bullets.

Loganmovies
Moviefone
Article by Moviefone
Moviefone Writers

Related News

'Deadpool & Wolverine' Digital Release Interview: Dafne Keen
'Deadpool & Wolverine' Digital Release Interview: Dafne Keen
Editors Reveal Secrets of 'Deadpool & Wolverine'
Editors Reveal Secrets of 'Deadpool & Wolverine'
Every Hugh Jackman Wolverine Appearance, Ranked
Every Hugh Jackman Wolverine Appearance, Ranked
‘X-Men’ Star Nixed Return in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
‘X-Men’ Star Nixed Return in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
‘Blue Eye Samurai’ Interview: Amber Noizumi and Michael Green
‘Blue Eye Samurai’ Interview: Amber Noizumi and Michael Green
'Invasion' Season 2 Interview: Simon Kinberg
'Invasion' Season 2 Interview: Simon Kinberg

More News on Moviefone

Cameron Diaz to Star in Action Comedy ‘Bad Day’
Cameron Diaz to Star in Action Comedy ‘Bad Day’
Taika Waititi Developing New ‘Judge Dredd’ Movie
Taika Waititi Developing New ‘Judge Dredd’ Movie
Ryan Gosling and Will Ferrell Starring in ‘Tough Guys’
Ryan Gosling and Will Ferrell Starring in ‘Tough Guys’
'Saint Clare' Exclusive Interview: Bella Thorne
'Saint Clare' Exclusive Interview: Bella Thorne
CBS to end ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’
CBS to end ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’
‘Guns Up' Exclusive Interview: Luis Guzman
‘Guns Up' Exclusive Interview: Luis Guzman
  • New Movies
  • Movies In Theaters
  • Movies Coming Soon
  • Movies Streaming Now
  • TV Shows
  • Best Movies
  • Best TV Shows

Follow Moviefone

FacebookXInstagramYouTubeLinkedInTikTokRSS

Movie and TV Reviews

Superman poster
Superman
Movie Review
90
Ballard poster
Ballard
Season 1
TV Show Review
55
The Sandman poster
The Sandman
Season 2
TV Show Review
70

Top Movies

Sinners poster
Sinners
Dance with the devil.
76
The Amateur poster
The Amateur
Don't underestimate him.
70
Freaks poster
Freaks
They look just like us.
68

Top Series

UNTAMED poster
UNTAMED
86
The Summer I Turned Pretty poster
The Summer I Turned Pretty
We'll always have summer.
82
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds poster
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
The frontier awaits.
81

Latest Trailers

'Platonic' Season 2 Trailer1:56'Platonic' Season 2 Trailer
'Mortal Kombat II' Trailer2:32'Mortal Kombat II' Trailer
'Hoppers' Teaser Trailer2:00'Hoppers' Teaser Trailer
'After the Hunt' Trailer2:59'After the Hunt' Trailer
'Stranger Things' Season 5 Teaser Trailer2:46'Stranger Things' Season 5 Teaser Trailer
'The Map That Leads to You' Trailer2:31'The Map That Leads to You' Trailer
Moviefone logo

Join our Newsletter

Movies
Best Movies to WatchTop Movies Right NowWhat to Watch TodayMovies in Theaters This WeekUpcoming Movie Releases2025 Movie Release CalendarBrowse Movies by Keywords
TV Shows
Best TV Shows to BingeTop TV Shows Right NowNew TV Shows This WeekTrending TV ShowsTV Shows by KeywordsLatest TV Show TrailersExclusive TV Show Clips
Streaming
Streaming Now & UpcomingWhat's New on NetflixTop Picks on Prime VideoNew Releases on Disney+Popular Movies on HuluWhat to Watch on MaxStreaming Now on Apple TV+
Showtimes
Showtimes & TicketsMovie Showtimes in LAMovie Showtimes in DallasMovie Showtimes in New YorkAll U.S. Movie TheatersAMC Theatres ListingsCinemark Theatres Listings
Videos
Movie & TV Show VideosLatest Movie TrailersMoviefone TV EpisodesMade in Hollywood InterviewsExclusive Movie ClipsCelebrity InterviewsMade In Hollywood Teen
Movie GenresSummer MoviesHoliday MoviesDocumentary MoviesTV MoviesThriller MoviesScience Fiction Movies
TV GenresAdventure TV ShowsDrama TV ShowsHorror TV ShowsThriller TV ShowsComedy TV ShowsFamily TV Shows
NewsMovie NewsTV NewsMovie PhotosBehind the ScenesBest Movies EverMarvel Cinematic Universe
CelebritiesAna de ArmasAnne HathawayLiam NeesonChris PineScarlett JohanssonNatalie Portman
Movie ReviewsWickedRed OneGladiator IIWallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most FowlHereticWe Live in Time
FacebookXInstagramYouTubeLinkedInTikTokRSS
AboutContact UsSitemapTerms of ServicePrivacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 Moviefone Media LLC
Asset 1This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.