In this classic revisionist western, a cold-blooded killer turned pig farmer begrudgingly accepts one last job, and of course, all hell breaks loose. This film is entirely a Clint Eastwood production with him in front of and behind the camera. No wonder it’s a masterpiece that deservedly won an Oscar.
Eastwood in a western? It’s a guaranteed success.
Back to the Future Part III (Robert Zemeckis, 1990)
This third installment of the beloved trilogy acts as a hilarious commentary on the sometimes absurd genre. The film features a comical standoff between Doc, Marty, and the most Yosemite Sam'd member of the Tannen clan.
There's no shortage of gags here, especially in the first act. A lot of kicking up dust and a lot of "horsin' around"!
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)
One of the more unconventionally flavored western films out there, Robert Altman's great western feat follows a fast-talking gambler named John McCabe (Warren Beatty.)
Unfortaunegly for John, while he wins over the residents, the sharp Constance Miller sees right through him.
Tombstone (George P. Cosmatos, 1993)
Most people know about the 1993 classic American Western film Tombstone. Thanks to its star-studded cast, the film was somewhat of a renaissance for the genre and helped it gain popularity once again.
While the production of the film was shrouded in controversy, the film, starting the brilliant Val Kilmer and Kurt Russel, brought the western back to life for people in the 90s.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1966)
This 1966 epic spaghetti Western stars Clint Eastwood, who teams up with an outlaw in the Southwest during the Civil War to take out a sinister villain. It has a 97% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is widely regarded as the best of all Spaghetti Western films.
Many more recent films have paid tribute to the classic western. One of them is Quentin Tarantino's 1992 movie Reservoir Dogs when he creates a cinematic nod to the famed standoff scene. Stephen King also said that the film was his inspiration behind his novel, The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger.