We admit -- we're not, personally, much into Westerns. But this classic, quintessentially American genre remains a favorite of many fans of novels, film, and television. The "Old West" has been a romanticized version of our country's history, while still emphasizing the hardships and challenges of new settlers facing a harsh reality.
So in honor of the January 31 anniversary of Zane Grey's birthday, let's take a look at some of the more "modern" Old Westerns to appear in the last few decades:
Films
-- The Quick and the Dead (1995)
A rare western starring a female lead, The Quick and the Dead stars Sharon Stone as the "mysterious gunslinger" who comes to the town of Redemption. She's looking to exact revenge upon the town's leader, John Harod (played by Gene Hackman), by challenging him to one of the town's gunfight competitions. With Russell Crowe as a local reverend (and Leonardo DiCaprio as "the Kid," one of his earlier screen roles), this unique film is not to be missed.
-- Shanghai Noon (2000)
A Hong Kong native, Jackie Chan was famous across Asia for his skills as an actor and a stuntman -- long before movies like Rumble in the Bronx (1995) and Rush Hour (1998) brought him to the attention of American audiences. Known for his quirky fight scenes and incredible stunts, the comedy of Chan's physical routines made the actor a great fit for Shanghai Noon, in which he stars as a Chinese native who finds himself as the proverbial fish-out-of-water when he journeys to the old west. Cast alongside Chan is Owen Wilson, playing an unsuccessful train robber (whose quirky line delivery borders on the anachronistic). It's a great comedy -- even if you don't generally enjoy westerns.
-- 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
This is a remake of the 1957 version (starring Glenn Ford and Van Heflin). It’s the story of two men -- one an outlaw, the other a Civil War veteran who is struggling to maintain his ranch in Arizona. The rancher, played by Christian Bale, agrees to take the outlaw, Russell Crowe, to Yuma. The psychological games played by both men lead to the action-packed ending.
Here is another remake of a classic Western. The original starred John Wayne, in one of his most famous roles, as Rooster Cogburn. In the new version, Jeff Bridges takes on this iconic character. True Grit tells the story of a young girl who is determined to track down her father’s killer, and she is also determined that only Cogburn can help her.
-- Rango (2011)
The first animated feature to be produced by special effects company Industrial Light and Magic, this unusual film tells the story of Rango, a house-pet chameleon who abruptly finds himself lost and forgotten in the backwoods town of Dirt. The motley band of animals that make up the citizenry of Dirt are in desperate need of water and a new sheriff, in that order -- and Rango is quick to pass himself off as a tough-enough guy to fit the role of law enforcer. Unfortunately, no illusion lasts forever! This unique animated movie features the voices of Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty, Bill Nighy, and Timothy Olyphant (of the TV show Deadwood and Justified) as the mysterious Spirit of the Old West.
-- Django Unchained (2012)
Currently up for several Academy Awards -- including Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (for Christoph Waltz), and Best Picture -- Django Unchained is director Quentin Tarantino's controversial nod to spaghetti Westerns. The film takes place in the pre-Civil War South, and stars Jamie Foxx as a freed slave who is out to rescue his still-enslaved wife. The film costars Waltz as a German bounty hunter, who helps Django find his wife still trapped by brutal plantation owner Calvin Candie (played in appropriately sinister fashion by Leonardo DiCaprio).
Television
This quickly-cancelled but much-loved show is a classic example of a Space Western. Star Wars is one of the best creations of this genre, and Firefly is the most recent example to appear on television. It is set 500 years in the future, when humans have had to leave Earth and attempt to resettle on new planets. An Alliance is formed that is very repressive, which leads to a rebellion -- quickly crushed by the Alliance. Mal Reynolds, who served with the Rebellion, is now the captain of Serenity (a Firefly-class spaceship). Its motley crew travels across space, usually one step ahead of the Alliance, taking on any job they can -- be it legal or not. Firefly had become such a cult favorite that they made a feature film, Serenity, in 2005.
-- Deadwood (2004-2006)
Created by David Milch (the co-creator of NYPD Blue), this HBO series is set in 1870s Deadwood, South Dakota. It ran for three seasons, detailing Deadwood's transformation from camp settlement to true town, and featured a wide variety of historical figures on the show -- including Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Wyatt Earp, and others. While some of the plot details were, of course, fictionalized, Milch did his homework, and many of the events and character inspirations were taken from actual diaries and newspapers of the time.
-- Justified (2010 -)
This modern Western is a critically acclaimed FX show that
is based on a character created by Elmore Leonard (the first episode is based
on Leonard's short story “Fire in the Hole”). U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens takes care
of justice, with his old-school style, in his hometown in Eastern Kentucky. (Interesting fact: the pilot was shot in Western Pennsylvania).
Books
Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker
The first in a series by Parker, the book follows the lives of two lawmen, Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, in a small 19th century town. Robert Knott has continued the series with Ironhorse after Parker’s death in 2010.
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
"Go then, there are other worlds than these." King may be known as the Master of Horror, but this eight-book series (seven original books, plus one "midquel") is one of his many works that fall outside of that genre. While reading mostly like a mixture of science fiction and high fantasy epic, the Dark Tower series also has a strong Western elements. Main character Roland is both knight errant and gunslinger (the first book, in fact, is called The Gunslinger); the first book opens with Roland crossing through Old-West styled towns on his way to take up his eventual quest to find the Tower.
The Border trilogy by Cormac McCarthy
Set in a more modern Western era, McCarthy's trilogy takes place in New Mexico and Mexico in the 1940s and 50s. All the Pretty Horses tells the story of John Grady Cole, fleeing to Mexico after the death of his grandfather. The Crossing focuses on 16-year-old Billy Parham, who must catch a lone wolf hunting his father's cattle, only to find himself journeying into the mountains to set it free (rather than kill it). The third and final volume, Cities of the Plain, centers on the friendship between Cole and Parham, after the two meet working as cowboys on a New Mexico ranch.
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
This book, first published in 1985, led to a successful television mini-series that spawned numerous televised sequels. It tells the story of Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call, two former Texas Rangers, and the cattle drive to Montana that they attempt to make. McMurtry also wrote one sequel (Streets of Laredo) and two prequels (Dead Man's Walk and Comanche Moon).
-- Post by Tracy and Ms. B
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