One of the common plots found in the Western genre was the character’s search for gold or participation in the “gold rush.” Directed by Jack Huston, the story of the “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” centered on two Americans working in Mexico who enlist the help of a prospector so they can look for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains.
Values are tested, and the men, of course, encounter bandits on their way to striking it rich. The film starred Humphrey Bogart and another member of the Huston dynasty, Walter Huston.
Deadwood: The Movie (Daniel Minahan, 2019)
The TV series "Deadwood" first aired in 2004 and had 3 seasons, the last of which aired in 2006. The TV show plot made it onto the silver screen in 2019 with a full-length movie. The film opens with South Dakota being declared an official state in 1899 and, while the residents are celebrating, the drama is brewing.
Senator George Hearst (Gerald McRaney) challenges the property claim held by Charlie Utter (Dayton Callie), which he declines. The refusal then ignites a major feud between Hearst and the other residents of Deadwood.
Giant (George Stevens, 1956)
"Giant" was a star-studded Western featuring some of Hollywood’s most beautiful faces: James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson. Family legacies, old money, generational controversy, and ranching, Giant was a sweeping, epic drama that was more than just a Western.
The story follows Jordan “Bick” Benedict Jr. (Hudson) and Leslie Benedict (Taylor) as they maintain their Texan family wealth and legacy. What makes Giant more unique is that it follows the character’s storylines throughout their lives and even into the next generation of Benedicts.
Slow West ( John Maclean, 2015)
John Maclean brings us this surreal and absurd Western about a man named Jay Cavendish (Smit-McPhee) searching for his lost love Rose (Caren Pistorius), through the wild west. When he runs bounty hunter Silas Selleck (Fassbender) develops a fatherly love for him.
It's a joyful, funny yet painful film that features an incredible cast.
Bone Tomahawk (S. Craig Zahler, 2015)
Combining the slow-burn Western with gritty B-movies, this film turns out a truly horrifying and brutal tale that might be a little hard to stomach. The plot revolves around four townsmen who venture into the wildness to free the prisoners held captive by a group of Troglodytes.
The scares grow stronger, and the cannibalistic tribe is simply terrifying.