10 praiseworthy westerns no one talks about

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T

There are so many great   westerns   that some are bound to go unnoticed, and these 10 praiseworthy movies deserve to be talked about more. The western helped transform cinema into a blockbuster spectacle, and the genre has waxed and waned in popularity since the earliest days of film. During Hollywood's Golden Age, the western hit its peak.

For decades, Tinseltown was pumping out dozens of new westerns each year, so the genre became quickly oversaturated. For every classic   like   The Searchers or   High Noon , there are plenty of amazing westerns that have faded from popular memory. Despite being terrific films themselves, many don't have the staying power of the most popular westerns.

Sometimes a movie is released at the wrong time, or is overshadowed by a bigger film that gobbles up the spotlight. On other occasions, a western is simply ahead of its time, and audiences aren't prepared for such a forward-thinking movie. No matter why westerns get overlooked, the genre has produced a plethora of excellent movies that are still waiting to get their due. Modern western fans are especially eager to find new hidden gems.

All the movies on this list are woefully overlooked despite being some of the most praiseworthy westerns of their respective eras. Though most of the films come from the genre's heyday, others come from low periods when studios weren't pumping out as many westerns. It's a diverse lot, including films that embrace western tropes and movies that intentionally eschew the conventional approach.

Ride In The Whirlwind (1966)

Starring a young Jack Nicholson,   Ride in the Whirlwind   is an anti-western from a time when filmmakers were moving away from the genre's ideals. A duo of wanderers run across a group of outlaws, and the local Sheriff thinks they took part in a recent stagecoach robbery. Part thriller and part western,   Ride in the Whirlwind   is a gritty little movie.

Along with Nicholson, the film also features veteran character actors like Cameron Mitchell and Harry Dean Stanton.   At only 82 minutes , it's a brisk experience with a somewhat dour tone. It dissects the notion of frontier justice, and juxtaposes the Old West location with contemporary issues that were exploding in the middle of the 1960s.

I Shot Jesse James (1949)

I Shot Jesse James   is the first feature directed by Samuel Fuller, and the legendary filmmaker's fingerprints are all over the underrated western. It follows the outlaw Robert Ford in the aftermath of his murder of Jesse James, and examines the psychological impact of his act. John Ireland gives a towering performance as Ford.

Though it's light on action, it's a brilliant portrait of a tortured man. Ford is ostracized from Old West society, and the viewer watches as he grows more and more desperate with every rejection. The movie has a lot to say, especially in the aftermath of WWII, and it's a perfect melding of western and noir genre sensibilities.

Slow West (2015)

Though the production of westerns has slowed to a trickle in recent years, movies like   Slow West   prove a few underrated gems still exist. A gunslinging bounty hunter agrees to help a young man search for his childhood sweetheart who lives in Colorado. As the title implies,   Slow West   is a slow burn. However, the payoff is definitely worth the wait.

Michael Fassbender and Kodi Smit-McPhee have terrific chemistry, and the film straddles the line between modernism and traditional western tropes. It's beautiful to look at, and captures the grandeur of the West like many of its Golden Age predecessors.   Slow West   also dips into surrealism, embracing dreamy imagery in order to symbolize the hopes of its characters.

Jubal (1956)

Showcasing the flexibility of the western genre,   Jubal   is a gripping drama set against the backdrop of the Old West. An injured cowhand is employed by an amiable rancher, but the rancher's wife suddenly takes a liking to the newcomer. With its beautiful color photography and eye-catching scenery,   Jubal   is a feast for the eyes.

What's more, the movie is one of those western dramas that grabs the viewer and doesn't let go. All the melodramatic jealousy and betrayal splashes across the screen, and   Jubal   embraces the exaggerated reality of the western. Excellent performances from Ernest Borgnine and Rod Steiger are the driving force behind the   underrated cowboy classic .

Ride Lonesome (1959)

Budd Boetticher is perhaps the most underrated western director of all time, and   Ride Lonesome   is the perfect representation of his filmmaking style. A bounty hunter escorts a killer to California, but is secretly using his captive as bait to flush out a much bigger criminal. Though it has the glossy look of '50s cinema,   Ride Lonesome   is a smash-mouth flick.

Randolph Scott plays his usual swaggering hero, and Lee Van Cleef is perfectly cast as the movie's sly villain. The hard edge of   Ride Lonesome   is likely why the film is overlooked, but that makes it an ideal watch in the modern day. At only 73 minutes, it's one of the shortest praiseworthy western classics ever made.

Pursued (1947)

Pursued   is the   quintessential noir western , and it stars one of the all-time greats of the noir genre in the leading role. After being orphaned as a little boy, a man finds his peace shattered when the killers return to finish the job. Set during the turn of the 20th century,   Pursued   uses the dying of the Old West as a symbol for the drama onscreen.

Tense and gritty from the first frame,   Pursued   is nothing like the rosy and idealistic westerns from the period. Mitchum's stellar psychological performance is one of his best, and he wears the violence of the story on his furrowed brow. With its exaggerated shadows and somber tone,   Pursued   is a must-see for western and noir fanatics.

The Big Gundown (1966)

There are so many praiseworthy spaghetti westerns that they could fill their own list, but   The Big Gundown   is one that doesn't get talked about enough. Lee Van Cleef plays an American lawman who patrols the U.S. and Mexican border in search of a man accused of heinous crimes. There's a satisfying bluntness to the revenge plot, and it gets right to the point.

A streamlined viewing experience,   The Big Gundown   offers little by way of deeper themes. Nevertheless, it's a tense exploration of one man's obsession with justice. Like a lot of spaghetti westerns, there is an exaggerated style to the movie's cinematography and acting. Despite its abundant grit,   The Big Gundown   is a larger-than-life western.

Hombre (1967)

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid   is Paul Newman's most famous western, but   Hombre   is another classic that deserves praise. Newman stars as John Russell, a white man raised by Native Americans. When he returns to Arizona to collect his inheritance, he is ostracized by white society.   Hombre   is arguably the best Elmore Leonard adaptation on the big screen.

Hombre   is a classic example of the revisionist wing of the western genre, and it uses the trappings of the western to comment on the past and present. Newman's acting is subtle and sharp, and he's grounded in a story that is more symbolic than literal.   Paul Newman's westerns   are all pretty strong, but   Hombre   has aged better than most films from that era.

Johnny Guitar (1954)

Joan Crawford headlines   Johnny Guitar , one of the few westerns from Hollywood's Golden Age to star a woman. In the film, she plays a saloon owner who is treated with derision by the judgmental townsfolk. Essentially,   Johnny Guitar   is a story about outcasts from society, but it puts a new spin on the classic western trope.

Crawford is as bombastic as ever, and the movie's vibrant photography heightens every emotion with pops of color. Director Nicholas Ray brings Old Hollywood opulence, but the film also has touches of noir too. It's unusual that   Johnny Guitar   isn't talked about all that much, and it certainly deserves a place among the best westerns of the 1950s.

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

It's baffling that   The Ox-Bow Incident   is routinely overlooked among classic westerns, and it deserves a lot more praise. A posse corners cattle thieves suspected of murder, and a lively debate begins as lives hang in the balance. Despite being made at the height of WWII, the film deftly examines the notion of violence as a means to an end.

It looks absolutely gorgeous with its lush black-and-white photography, and it has one of the strongest ensembles in 1940s westerns. Instead of telling an over-the-top, run-and-gun story,   The Ox-Bow Incident   is a compelling drama wrapped in the guise of a   western . Nevertheless, it can't be overlooked by modern movie buffs.