There are many elements that differentiate aWesternmovie from a neo-Western, and the writer-director Taylor Sheridan exemplifies why we’re so enamored with the neo-Western genre. Many of his iconic TV shows, likeYellowstone, its spinoffs,Landman, andTulsa King, are immensely popularwith viewers everywhere, and for good reason. With explosive drama, morally ambiguous characters, and a good balance of love and criticism of the Western genre, Sheridan has been making quite a name for himself in this niche of film and television.
WhileTaylor Sheridan has many movies similar toYellowstone, and the director has helped push the neo-Western genre forward, there are plenty of films worth watching that aren’t Sheridan’s work.The neo-Western helped revive the genreand bring it back to the forefront of the cultural conversation. Many of these great neo-Westerns are critically acclaimed and award-winning, but that’s not the only reason they’ve stood the test of time. Like Sheridan’s TV series, these are films that immerse the audience in the world from the very beginning and incorporate many exciting twists and turns.
The Coen Brothers' masterpiece,No Country For Old Men, is a terrifying addition to the neo-Western genre as anon-horror movie that’s scarier than any horror film. A large part of the successful build of tension and fear inNo Country For Old Menis thanks to the performance by Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh. A truly chilling villain,Chigurh is all you can look at when he enters the frame, as it’s certain he’s going to do something grippingand unforgettable, if bloody.
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In the past decade, the Western genre has come back with a vengeance, and with it have come many films that shouldn’t have flown under the radar.
No Country For Old Menwon Best Picture at the Academy Awards,which was notable since so many iconic pictures were up for the award that year. However, based on the longevity of the project, it’s not surprising thatNo Country For Old Menwas so instantly recognized as a classic. It’s undeniable that Sheridan was inspired by films likeNo Country For Old Men, as it’s impacted almost every addition to the neo-Western genre since it premiered.
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One of thebest neo-Western movies ever made,Paris, Texas, owes a lot of its gravitas and iconic legacy to the script, co-written by L.M. Kit Carson, Sam Shepard, and Walter Donohue. However, the director, Wim Wenders, is to thank for the gorgeous aesthetic and patient pacing ofParis, Texas.Starring Harry Dean Stanton as Travis, a man in search of redemptionafter destroying himself and his family. It’s an emotionally devastating film, but it’s impossible not to become invested in the story.
Paris, Texas, is entrenched in American history and the alienation of the culture,allowing it to age well and still hold a place among the most iconic stories about the American West. The slow, expansive shots of the landscape and Travis' muteness for most of the movie allow the deeper themes to come to the forefront and force the viewer to be an active participant in the project. The destruction of the family unit throughoutParis, Texas, and the eventual reconciliation of mother and son is an interesting take on traditional American values, which Sheridan also explores.
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The director ofDesperado,Robert Rodriguez, collaborated with the star, Antonio Banderas, many times,with the actor returning for the third installment of Rodriguez’sMexico Trilogy,Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Also featuring Salma Hayek in the performance that showcased her talents on an international level,Desperadobenefits from the chemistry between Hayek and Banderas. Full of massive shootouts and tense violence,Desperadois an iconic addition to the neo-Western genre.
The visuals ofDesperadoare consistently praised, with the over-the-top story earning more appreciation from critics and audiences over time.
Known for the graphic nature of the fight sequences,Desperadomore than earns this reputation, as Rodriguez’s vision for the action scenes comes through with perfect clarity. The visuals ofDesperadoare consistently praised, with the over-the-top story earning more appreciation from critics and audiences over time. WhileDesperadodoesn’t take itself as seriously as works by Sheridan, they both have a sense of humor and play with the concept of the Western in the scripts.
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Directed by and starring the iconic Tommy Lee Jones,Three Burials of Melquiades Estradagrapples with the tensions around the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas. In the film, a Border Patrol officer, Mike Norton (Barry Pepper), murders the titular Melquiades Estrada, and Jones' character, Pete Perkins, forces him to bring the body back to Estrada’s home in Mexico. Along the way,the two men meet many people who represent the different moralities and conflicts of the time.
It’s an interesting spin on both the Western and an intense iteration of the road movie, asThe Three Burials of Melquiades Estradais unafraid to examine the brutality and prejudice of Norton. In Sheridan’s TV shows,there are numerous examples of people in power abusing their authorityand using it to harm others. As the film progresses, Norton is rubbed raw by his encounters until he reaches the source of his humanity and cruelty.
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The star-studded cast ofThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Fordgives tremendous weight and excitement to the tense atmosphere of the film. Based on the novel by Ron Hansen,the movie explores the complicated relationship between a legendary outlaw and an underling who would like to be as infamous.It’s clear that the director, Andrew Dominik, was deeply inspired by the classic Westerns that explore the legacy of the American West through larger-than-life historical figures.
Time has been kind toThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, as the movie has developed a cult following.
The Western epic struggled to find an audience when it was first released. This could have been because 2007 was such a big year for neo-Westerns, withNo Country For Old MenandThere Will Be Bloodreleased the same year. However, time has been kind toThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, as the movie has developed a cult following. The deliberate pace and anxiety-inducing moments are similar to Sheridan’s style.
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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
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The 2007 television filmBury My Heart at Wounded Kneeisn’t a perfect exploration of this fraught period of U.S. history, but it does provide some insights into this time.Like many works from Sheridan,Bury My Heart at Wounded Kneetackles the many different facets of Western history,not just the parts that are easily digestible. Throughout the narrative, major issues, like the U.S. government’s violent suppression and displacement of Indigenous Americans, are discussed.
There are many amazingmovies by Indigenous North Americansthat deserve far more recognition in both film and television. The director ofBury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Yves Simoneau, isn’t Indigenous, but similarly to Sheridan, he attempts to interweave the stories of Indigenous people into his works. Watching projects likeBury My Heart at Wounded Kneeisa great reminder to seek out movies and TV shows written and directed by Native American artists.
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Since Sheridan is often defined by the intensity and violence of his works, it’s easy to forget that many of his shows featured unabashedly romantic elements.Crazy Heartsdoes a great job of mimicking this balance of love and vulnerability with sadness and the struggle to recover from past wounds. The protagonist,Otis, played by Jeff Bridges, is similar to some of Sheridan’s most sympathetic characters.His relationship with Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a catalyst for Otis to get his life together.
The bittersweet tone and conclusion ofCrazy Heartsare in line with the tone of the movie and imbue the project with a deep sense of realism.
The bittersweet tone and conclusion ofCrazy Heartsare in line with the tone of the movie and imbue the project with a deep sense of realism. Drawing parallels to classic works likeA Star is Bornand tackling the complex relationship between art and celebrity,Crazy Heartsis a moving tale that will tug at your heartstrings. The musical elements ofCrazy Heartsare some of the best parts, building empathy for the characters through the beautiful songs.
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As much a crime thriller as it is a neo-Western,Badlandsfollows two young people, Kit and Holly, played by Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek,as they go on a murder spree across the Western U.S. Inspired by real crime sprees of the late 1950s and early 1960s,Badlandsuses this intensely violent narrative to showcase the discontentment and anxieties of this generation. Terrence Malick’s direction highlights the natural landscape and the juxtaposition between beauty and cruelty onscreen.
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The open fields and deserts of the American West have made appearances in plenty of Westerns, but also graced the screen in films of other genres.
Sheridan is also interested in the way the land and the people on it interact, especially how horrible acts can accompany such gorgeous visual language.There’s a long history of crime spree movies that follow lovers in the U.S.,fromBonnie and ClydetoNatural Born Killers. However,Badlandsstands out because of its stark depictions of the way Holly and Kit are portrayed. They’re simultaneously failed by their environment and experience but also are culpable for their actions.
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Daniel Day-Lewis' career-defining performance as Daniel PlainviewinThere Will Be Bloodtakes the already fantastic script and expert direction and takes the movie to another level. Hailed as Paul Thomas Anderson’s magnum opus,There Will Be Bloodinterrogates capitalistic desire. It tracks the dangerous path greed takes a person through the life of Daniel Plainview. The unhinged antihero at the heart ofThere Will Be Bloodis similar to many of Sheridan’s protagonists.
BothThere Will Be Bloodand Sheridan’s shows are interested in the legacy and history of American capitalism and devastation.
Sheridan delves deep into the psyches of men driven to violence and unbelievable acts through their desire for power and their idea of what a man should be. This is what happens to Plainview inThere Will Be Blood, with Paul Dano’s incredible performance that serves as a foil and a mirror to Plainview. BothThere Will Be Bloodand Sheridan’s shows are interested in the legacy and history of American capitalism and devastation.
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Leonardo DiCaprio stars inThe Revenant, a complex exploration of man’s impact on natureand an extreme example of the conflict between humanity and its environment. Loosely based on the true story of Hugh Glass,The Revenantis as much a survival story as it is a neo-Western, with much of the narrative following Glass' attempts to make it out of the woods alive after being brutally mauled by a bear. Like a classic Sheridan project,The Revenantdoesn’t shy away from showcasing violence.
Sheridan tackles the relationships between people and the land many times over throughout his work, especially when it comes to people’s reliance on Earth’s resources. Though DiCaprio’s Hugh Glass is part of the fur trade, this isn’t a far cry from the squabbles over oil and farmland that can be seen throughout the different shows in theYellowstonefranchise.Westernsare often engaged with this dynamic of humans trying to tame the wilderness, but Sheridan andThe Revenantare also interested in how people became untamed.
