Westerns That Aren't Westerns, Version 2
The definitions of abstract concepts like genres can be notoriously hard to pin down, so, rather than leave everybody to fight amongst themselves about what exactly a "western" or a "thriller" is, IMDb has thoughtfully provided us with official definitions on their help page. What is their definition of "Western"? Read on:
In other words, the criteria for being a Western is based on time and place: the American West in the frontier era. This is easy enough to apply to things like The Searchers (1956) or Gunsmoke (1955-1975), titles that fit perfectly within those parameters. But what about those movies and TV shows that happen to meet some, but not all, of the criteria? What about the pieces of media that only vaguely, kinda sorta fit the bill?
Try as we might to categorize the media we consume, there will always be rough edges around the definitions we construct. Sometimes, the most interesting way to explore a genre is to look at the outliers, those films and stories that almost, but not quite, match the description.
Not one single title on this list is officially recognized as a "Western" by IMDb. Yet, every last one of them has some significant influence from the genre. Maybe it's a story set in a small town in Nebraska, or an urban drama in a dense, sprawling city like Los Angeles, Phoenix, or Las Vegas, long since removed from (but still bearing fain echoes of) its frontier past. Alternatively, it might be a story that takes place in a completely different region, at a completely different time, maybe even a different galaxy, yet somehow bear a resemblance to the Old West in style, plot or iconography. All of them, in one way or another, have a connection to the people, the times, the places, the lifestyle and/or the legend of the Old West that gave rise to the genre that occupies such a huge place in film history. The question is, which of these films/TV series do you think is the best example of a Western... that's not a Western?
After voting, please discuss here.
Click here for the expanded version of this list.
Should contain numerous scenes and/or a narrative where the portrayal is similar to that of frontier life in the American West during 1600s to contemporary times. Objective.
In other words, the criteria for being a Western is based on time and place: the American West in the frontier era. This is easy enough to apply to things like The Searchers (1956) or Gunsmoke (1955-1975), titles that fit perfectly within those parameters. But what about those movies and TV shows that happen to meet some, but not all, of the criteria? What about the pieces of media that only vaguely, kinda sorta fit the bill?
Try as we might to categorize the media we consume, there will always be rough edges around the definitions we construct. Sometimes, the most interesting way to explore a genre is to look at the outliers, those films and stories that almost, but not quite, match the description.
Not one single title on this list is officially recognized as a "Western" by IMDb. Yet, every last one of them has some significant influence from the genre. Maybe it's a story set in a small town in Nebraska, or an urban drama in a dense, sprawling city like Los Angeles, Phoenix, or Las Vegas, long since removed from (but still bearing fain echoes of) its frontier past. Alternatively, it might be a story that takes place in a completely different region, at a completely different time, maybe even a different galaxy, yet somehow bear a resemblance to the Old West in style, plot or iconography. All of them, in one way or another, have a connection to the people, the times, the places, the lifestyle and/or the legend of the Old West that gave rise to the genre that occupies such a huge place in film history. The question is, which of these films/TV series do you think is the best example of a Western... that's not a Western?
After voting, please discuss here.
Click here for the expanded version of this list.
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- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsTimothy BottomsJeff BridgesCybill ShepherdIn 1951, a group of high schoolers come of age in a bleak, isolated, atrophied North Texas town that is slowly dying, both culturally and economically.Rural Drama
North Texas, 1951
The days of the Old West may be long gone, but in places like Texas, Arizona, Iowa, Nebraska, Idaho, or anywhere throughout the West, you will find people still living in these small towns, living their lives in ways undoubtedly different from, but still echoing, the lives of their frontier forebears.
See also: East of Eden (1955), Lilies of the Field (1963), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Days of Heaven (1978), The Outsiders (1983), Stand by Me (1986), A River Runs Through It (1992), Arizona Dream (1993), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Boys Don't Cry (1999), Holes (2003), Off the Map (2003), Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - DirectorRobert AltmanStarsAndie MacDowellJulianne MooreTim RobbinsThe day-to-day lives of several suburban Los Angeles residents.Urban Drama/Satire
Los Angeles, 1990s
Los Angeles has become so synonymous with American filmmaking that people tend to forget the city's Old West origins. Nevertheless, the city has often become the subject of some really good films. There's a culture to the American West that, to this day, is markedly different from that of the Northeast, the Midwest, or the South. The built-up, urban landscapes of such cities as L.A., Las Vegas or Phoenix provides a sharp contrast to the West we see in classic Westerns, but it's still the West in its own way.
More films about Los Angeles: Chinatown (1974), Falling Down (1993), Pulp Fiction (1994), The Big Lebowski (1998), Ingrid Goes West (2017), Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)
Phoenix: Psycho (1960), Raising Arizona (1987), The Fabelmans (2022)
Other cities: Drugstore Cowboy (1989), Amores Perros (2000), Dallas Buyers Club (2013) - DirectorTerry GilliamStarsJohnny DeppBenicio Del ToroTobey MaguireAn oddball journalist and his psychopathic lawyer travel to Las Vegas for a series of psychedelic escapades.Adventure/Comedy
Las Vegas, 1971
One of the most quintessentially Western urban areas, well-known around the world, Las Vegas has been the setting for many iconic films.
Other films about Las Vegas: The Godfather Part II (1974), Leaving Las Vegas (1995), Casino (1995), The Hangover (2009) - DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsDustin HoffmanJon VoightSylvia MilesA naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process.Western Homage/Urban Drama
New York City, 1960s
Cowboy iconography sometimes finds itself in the strangest places. Like, for instance, this film. Despite having the word "cowboy" in the title, and a main character who walks around in gaudy Western getup, the story doesn't seem to have much to do with the West at all. Rather, the cowboy hat and the leather jacket help portray the character as a simple man who has found himself in a world that is completely alien and strange to him.
See also: Straw Dogs (1971) - DirectorAng LeeStarsJake GyllenhaalHeath LedgerMichelle WilliamsTwo shepherds fall for each other, but their relationship becomes complicated when they both get married to their respective girlfriends.Contemporary Western/Romance
Wyoming, 1960s
No gunfights, no stagecoach robberies, no gold rush hysterics, or barroom brawls, just a soft-spoken, lonesome, bittersweet tale of two cowboys in the throes of a forbidden romance. This critically acclaimed neo-western was groundbreaking in many ways and full of breathtaking Western scenery, but more importantly, it dared to go in a completely different direction from a genre all-too-often defined by its over-the-top machismo and reactionary tendencies. - DirectorMichael MannStarsDaniel Day-LewisMadeleine StoweRussell MeansThree Mohican trappers agree to protect the daughters of a British Colonel in the midst of the French and Indian War.Pre-Western
Upstate New York, 1757
The western genre burst into massive popularity first in the late 19th century in the form of pulp novels about the Western frontier, at a time when the Eastern United States was already thoroughly Manifest-Destinied by European-Americans. The cultural separation between the East and the West was, after all, the whole basis for naming the genre "Western". Yet, if you go back far enough, even the Eastern U.S. was once a "frontier". Stories about the American frontier from the 18th century and earlier often feel like precursors to the western, so there's that.
See also: Pocahontas (1995), The New World (2005), Apocalypto (2006), Prey (2022) - DirectorsClyde BruckmanBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonMarion MackGlen CavenderAfter being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through enemy lines.Civil War/Action-Adventure
Confederate Georgia, 1860s
Can movies about the American Civil War and the Eastern U.S. in the 19th Century be considered in some way adjacent to or reminiscent of Westerns? Well, for one thing, the technology is very similar. In either (sub)genre, you will find things like telegraph wires, trains, horses, and antique firearms. There have even been actual westerns like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Django Unchained that fit into both categories, so maybe it's not so much of a stretch.
See also: Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), The Beguiled (1971), Glory (1989), Gettysburg (1993), Cold Mountain (2003), Lincoln (2012), The Beguiled (2017) - DirectorJohn FordStarsHenry FondaJane DarwellJohn CarradineAn Oklahoma family, driven off their farm by the poverty and hopelessness of the Dust Bowl, joins the westward migration to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression.Depression Drama/Road Movie
Oklahoma and California, 1930s
In the wake of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, many poverty-stricken Americans had to make a grueling journey across the plains and the Southwest in search of paradise in California. Eerily echoing the plight of the Oregon Trail explorers, the Okies made their way west with little more than the shirts on their backs. John Ford, a director well-known for his influence on the Western genre, masterfully adapted John Steinbeck's famous and deeply political novel into one of the best-known and most celebrated works of the Classic Hollywood era.
See also: Wild Boys of the Road (1933), Sullivan's Travels (1941), Paper Moon (1973), El Norte (1983), Riding the Rails (1997), Wendy and Lucy (2008) - DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsDaniel Day-LewisPaul DanoCiarán HindsA story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.Period-Drama/Tragedy
California and New Mexico, 1890s-1920s
In 1890, the superintendent of the U.S. Census officially declared that the colonization of the American continent was so complete that "there can hardly be said to be a frontier line." The immediate aftermath of this "closing of the frontier", as it came to be known, provides a backdrop for this story about rampant greed in the only-very-recently colonized West at the dawn of the Second Industrial Revolution. - DirectorsEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsTommy Lee JonesJavier BardemJosh BrolinViolence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.Neo-Western/Crime-Thriller
Texas, 1980s
Perhaps the most famous modern example of a Neo-Western. As implied by the title, a major theme in this film based on a Cormac McCarthy novel is about the overwhelming power of evils both ancient and modern, and the inevitability of change.
See also: A History of Violence (2005), Lawless (2012) - DirectorsDon SiegelClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodAndrew RobinsonHarry GuardinoWhen a man calling himself "the Scorpio Killer" menaces San Francisco, tough-as-nails Police Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan is assigned to track down the crazed psychopath.Neo-Western/Crime-Thriller
San Francisco, 1970s
Clint Eastwood, the counterculture's answer to John Wayne, stars in this somewhat reactionary tale of a tough-as-nails lawman in a modern world mired in moral corruption and stuff.
See also: Every Which Way But Loose (1978), The Untouchables (1987), Gran Torino (2008), The Mule (2018), Cry Macho (2021) - DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsBruce WillisAlan RickmanBonnie BedeliaA New York City cop, John McClane, tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas Eve party at the Nakatomi Plaza Skyscraper in Los Angeles, California.Action/Crime
Los Angeles, 1980s
John McClane updates the archetype of the Western hero to the spectacular explosiveness of the modern action film more expertly and explicitly than any before or since, right down to quippily paraphrasing Roy Rogers, of all people.
See also: The Dirty Dozen (1967), Death Wish (1974), Runaway Train (1985), Road House (1989) - DirectorRobert RodriguezStarsCarlos GallardoConsuelo GómezJaime de HoyosA traveling mariachi is mistaken for a murderous criminal and must hide from a gang bent on killing him.Action/Crime/Neo-Western
Small Town in Coahuíla, 1990s
Robert Rodriguez's ultra-low-budget classic is full of shoot-em-up action in a small-town Coahuíla setting very much reminiscent of the classic western.
See also: From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), Machete (2010) - CreatorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAaron PaulAnna GunnA chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student to secure his family's future.Neo-Western/Crime-Thriller
Albuquerque, 2008-2010
Originally meant to take place in Riverside, California, the economically-motivated decision to move the action to Albuquerque had a profound effect on the series and its spinoffs, inspiring the creators to infuse parts of it with elements of the contemporary-western subgenre. This style became a template for future shows about the U.S./Mexico drug war.
See also: Miss Bala (2011), Better Call Saul (2015), Sicario (2015), Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018), El Camino (2019) - DirectorArthur PennStarsWarren BeattyFaye DunawayMichael J. PollardBored waitress Bonnie Parker falls in love with an ex-con named Clyde Barrow and together they start a violent crime spree through the country, stealing cars and robbing banks.Crime/Action
Southern Great Plains, 1930s
Highly influential movie about a pair of Texas outlaws on a wild crime spree. Parts of it can be read as a spoof of the classic western mythos.
See also: In Cold Blood (1967), Badlands (1973), Natural Born Killers (1994) - DirectorSean PennStarsEmile HirschVince VaughnCatherine KeenerAfter graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness.Wilderness Adventure
Georgia, Arizona, California, South Dakota, and Alaska, 1990-1992
Speaking of western mythos, the ill-fated main character of this tragic true story is guilty of doing a lot of mythologizing about the American wilderness. He learns his lesson all too late in the end, but his story continues to be a source of both inspiration and outrage for today's wilderness enthusiasts.
See also: The Bear (1988), Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993), Alaska (1996), Wild America (1997), Winter's Bone (2010), 127 Hours (2010), Wild (2014), Leave No Trace (2018) - DirectorDennis HopperStarsPeter FondaDennis HopperJack NicholsonTwo bikers head from L.A. to New Orleans through the open country and desert lands, and along the way they meet a man who bridges a counter-culture gap of which they had been unaware.Adventure Drama/Road Movie
Los Angeles to New Orleans, 1960s
The road movie subgenre is frequently used as a vehicle to explore the deeper culture and history of a particular region, and the West is no exception. Of the many road-trip-adventure films that traverse through the American West, Easy Rider is probably the most famous archetypal example, and most American road movies made since then have drawn a great deal of influence from it.
See also: Five Easy Pieces (1970), Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), Vanishing Point (1971), Paris, Texas (1984), My Own Private Idaho (1991), Thelma & Louise (1991), Nebraska (2013) - DirectorsJonathan DaytonValerie FarisStarsSteve CarellToni ColletteGreg KinnearA family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.Road-Trip-Comedy
Albuquerque to Redondo Beach, 2000s
The road-movie genre has also gotten its fair share of light-hearted and comedic entries, which are no less steeped in Western iconography.
See also: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), Up in Smoke (1978), The Muppet Movie (1979), National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), A Goofy Movie (1995), Cars (2006) - DirectorChris EyreStarsAdam BeachEvan AdamsIrene BedardArnold rescued Thomas from a fire when he was a child. Thomas thinks of Arnold as a hero, while Arnold's son Victor resents his father's alcoholism, violence and abandonment of his family.Contemporary Western/Road Movie
Coeur d'Alene Reservation to Phoenix, 1990s
Described by Wikipedia as the "first feature-length film written, directed, and produced by Native Americans to reach a wide audience both in the US and abroad," the film is notable for providing audiences with an authentic view of Native American life vastly different from the notoriously stereotypical portrayal common in most actual westerns up to that point.
See also: Reservation Dogs (2021), Dark Winds (2022) - DirectorBilly WilderStarsKirk DouglasJan SterlingRobert ArthurFrustrated former journalist Chuck Tatum now working for an Albuquerque newspaper exploits a story about trading post owner Leo Minosa trapped in a cave to rekindle Chuck's career, but the story soon escalates into a media circus.Film-Noir/Contemporary Western
Albuquerque, 1950s
Given its association with dense, crime-ridden urban areas, it is no surprise that the Film-Noir genre rarely crossed paths with the Western. Yet, in those rare instances when filmmakers infused their dark and twisted narratives with western elements, the results could be spectacular and fascinating.
See also: Detour (1945), Touch of Evil (1958) - DirectorJames AlgarStarWinston HiblerAlthough first glance reveals little more than stones and sand, the desert is alive. Witness moving rocks, spitting mud pots, gorgeous flowers and the never-ending battle for survival between creatures of every shape, size and description.Nature Documentary
Various North American Deserts, 1950s
One of the most iconic aspects of the Western genre is the stark, rugged landscape of the American West, particularly its deserts. This Disney-produced documentary happens to be one of the best available documentaries exploring the region.
See also: Nanook of the North (1922), The Vanishing Prairie (1954), Perri (1957), White Wilderness (1958) - DirectorChuck JonesStarsMel BlancPaul JulianWile E. Coyote makes 11 disastrous attempts to catch the Road Runner.Comedy/Animation
American Southwest, 1940s-1960s
The Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote series gave us one of the most iconic depictions of the American Southwest in popular culture. The semi-abstract background paintings of towering Monument Valley mesas and Saguaro cacti (despite its inaccuracy) is for many people the first thing that comes to mind when they think of any of the U.S. states in the four corners region (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado). - DirectorsWolfgang ReithermanDavid HandStarsBrian BedfordPhil HarrisRoger MillerThe story of the legendary British outlaw portrayed with the characters as anthropomorphic animals.Comedy/Animation
Sherwood Forest, 13th-14th Century
Fun fact about this movie: in the early development stages, the original idea pitched by writer Ken Anderson was to transplant the action from Old England into the American South, and to restyle it as an American folktale (a sort of follow-up to Song of the South (1946)). Later on, the director, Wolfgang Reitherman, wanted to make the story reminiscent of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). While this idea was obviously scrapped, we can still see remnants of it in the final product, from the Country/Western-flavored songs and narration of Roger Miller to the presence of noted Western character actors Andy Devine, Pat Buttram, and Ken Curtis in the voice cast.
See also: Saludos Amigos (1942), The Three Caballeros (1944), A Bug's Life (1998) - DirectorsJohn LasseterAsh BrannonLee UnkrichStarsTom HanksTim AllenJoan CusackWhen Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz and his friends set out on a rescue mission to save Woody before he becomes a museum toy property with his roundup gang Jessie, Prospector, and Bullseye.Comedy/Animation
Fictional Tri-County Metropolitan Area in Unspecified Part of the United States, 1990s
While the film itself is not a western, the fictional classic Western TV-series-within-a-film "Woody's Roundup" and its associated merchandise features prominently in the story. Considering that the main character of the series is a cowboy doll, it's no surprise that Western iconography is present to some extent in all of the Toy Story films. The second entry in the series, however, explores Woody's roots more deeply than any of the other films in the series.
Other films in the series: Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 3 (2010), Toy Story 4 (2019)
See also: Little Fugitive (1953), Parasite (2019) - DirectorJûzô ItamiStarsKen WatanabeTsutomu YamazakiNobuko MiyamotoA truck driver stops at a small family-run noodle shop and decides to help its fledgling business. The story is intertwined with various vignettes about the relationship of love and food.Western Homage/"Ramen Western"
Japan, 1980s
The phrase "Ramen Western" was actually coined as a tagline for this film. A play on the term "spaghetti western", it playfully juxtaposes western styles and tropes with a seemingly unrelated plot about ramen noodles and the restaurant business.
