The Japanese have the samurai and daimyos, Europeans their Kings and knights, the Scandinavian countries the vikings, but we Americans have the westerns. Each people’s legends teach them some of their history and values. It’s past time that Americans return to the freedom and rugged individualism of the old western gunslingers that we all want to be.
ironic'ly enough, them values, may or may not have stood-the-test-of-time, i guess it all depends on who yer askin', as to what they're tryin' to accomplish with these curiosities, am i right?
Come out to SW Montana and north eastern Idaho. Not much has changed much in some towns and it’s awesome. I have an old gold mine head frame and cabins on my property from the 1860s
There are people who use the word _cowboy_ as a derogatory term, an insult. But in a country with a comparatively short history, the "Cowboy" is the American version of the "Knight-Errant" - This should tell you everything you need to know about those people...
Not much different to a ronin or vagabond, come to think of it, there's not much difference in the Musashi legend. They may as well have been calling him 'cowboy' and that dismissal helped make him great.
@@Azraelseraphim Thats because the writers heard stories from men who lived it, or the glowing recants of their sons and daughters. It was gritty, unvarnished, and closer to the truth
The problem with doing a modern western is simple...modern Hollywood can't write bad guys for shit and won't make anything without sticking "the message" in with all the subtlety of a 1980s Very Special Episode. Look at the classic Leone westerns, Angel Eyes, Tuco, Rojo, the bad guys in his movies were fucking awesome! Today you get Marvel Villains which are either cookie cutter cartoon baddies or snarky comic relief. So while I would love for westerns to make a comeback they will have to be made outside the USA like the Spaghetti westerns of old because Hollywood simply cannot make a decent western these days without royally cocking it up or cramming propaganda down our throats.
Villains? Hell... they can't write any GOOD characters. When was the last time Hollywood wrote a hero? Even Captain American and Thor came out of other sources. And Hollywood can't wait to screw with those. Create heroes...fat chance.
what once were villains are now the heroes of the writers of hollywood. just look at Kenobi, Reva (the villain who's always angry, violent and impulsive) is their idea for a good role model for children
@@jpteknoman Villainesses. Disney at least have spent the last few years trying to pull off 'villainess rehab' movies, like Maleficent or even Cruella, a woman who literally want to _skin puppies._ And long-time fans of Doctor Who may have noticed that as soon as they turned the Master into a chick, she started re-evaluating her life choices about five minutes later. Regardless, they can't seem to chick up Westerns. They tried anti-heroines (The Quick And The Dead, anyone? Bad Girls?...Yeah, me neither) and failed abysmally, which is why I think they shelved the genre. They were like 'We're not making movies for dudes, fuck all y'all.'
I would say even the amoral protagonists you'd see Eastwood and Bronson portray are still infinitely better role models for young men than what we have today. The ability to carry yourself with dignity while not allowing anyone to dictate how you should live or how you should think.
Even in the old anti hero spaghetti westerns. Good triumphed over evil in the end, even with some hick ups here and there. Specifically the dollars films.
@@abrahemsamander3967 Spaghetti westerns were the turning point. A lot of cheesy 40's and 50's generation westerns just amount to silly musicals while the action consisted of John Wayne style scenes. The men get roughed up and bruised a bit, but the violence had to be greatly toned down, since Hollywood back then was still under the Hays Code. There were no real anti heroes, just standard heroes like John Wayne who had to portray their patriotism in every other western. Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns were far more raw, violent and vulgar, for lack of better terms. Then America tried to imitate the style with films like The Wild Bunch. The infamous shootout scene near the very end of the film generated a lot of controversy. We started to get films that contained profanity and more crude themes that would of been outright banned during the Hays Code era.
Exactly. They weren't morally black and white. They were shades of grey and showed that a man who appears good is capable of great evil and a man that looks mean can still do the honorable thing. That's a very good moral to teach kids and something that reflects reality a lot more than the shining beacon of morality protagonists
Frankly, that’s what I found myself relating to as a kid and even today While I didn’t grow up on Westerns; even though I live in freaking Texas; my favorite/influences were amoral characters Characters like Guts from Berserk, Batman(especially from Batman: TAS and Justice League), Goliath from Gargoyles, Doom Guy from DOOM, Scorpion and Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat, Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin, and many more even today with Goblin Slayer As much as many don’t want to admit, having an amoral character helps write the character far better and the growth of the story as well Too bad many “modern writers” don’t have a clue what an amoral character truly is
Imagine a world were there was no Disney SW and they used the Western "Lone Gunman" formula for the Kenobi series, with the Jedi wandering through the desert and getting rid of scum all over Tatooine. Or if the Mandalorian was a proper bounty hunter working his way through the outer rim...
There's a Star Wars Expanded Universe novel from before the Disney purchase called "Kenobi" that is essentially a western with Obi-wan as the Mysterious Stranger. It's really good.
Jordan Peterson I think said it "Moral Ambiguity is the cowards argument." I frankly have to agree. Those stories are annoyingly stupid. What? Should I do nothing?
@@apocalypticash1242 yeah that’s honestly it. Moral ambiguities tend to come from lazy writing. What’s more compelling is having a morally upstanding character have his principles tested and rising above the odds to become better.
Unfortunately they won't make any new westerns without gender/race swapping characters (Think 2 Mules for Sister Sarah where the nun is a dude in drag) and the western just doesn't lend itself to modern SJW sensibilities. That and most of the real people (Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill, and Wild Bill) have been cancelled by modern people because something they said or did in their time is now immoral and insensitive.
I hope we can find our way back from post-modernism, which ironically has been around for so long it’s now traditional. The minute we decided we were all too hip for mythological archetypes and our entertainment started elbowing us in the ribs everything went to shit. And the western is our American mythology.
What gives me hope is it's dead on arrival, a self-defeating and ugly philosophy. It has to be pushed, and steal from others. The thing about upending something and creating from negativity is it invites the same. We'll return to championing true art more, and probably be even more appreciative. A massive cultural thing; history will say 'these people tried ruining a point to anything, and when they failed we never forgot the beauty in archetypes and meaning'.
@@Sakattack2023 I think fail is a relative thing with good stories, it didn't make as much cash, but the acclaim it got by a lot of people is underdog. They had to run hitpeices before it dropped and after, it wouldn't be the first cult classic people pretend they always liked when allowed/commanded to
Fun fact: my grandmother in her 20s (which would've been in the 30-40s) wrote a western script for film class called Chisholm whose main character was modeled after her dad, a Scottish immigrant, and sold it to a studio for $50. Years later John Wayne starred in a western called 'Chisum' (pronounced like her maiden name) that was eerily similar to the script she wrote.
That is so cool. Also kinda messed up. $50 was nice little payday back then but no where near what she should have been paid. But that's Hollywood for you.
The reason why westerns are great/necessary can be said in one sentence: *_“In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.”_*
My working theory as to the fall of western civilization is: 1. Participation trophies for everyone... 2. Banning Dodge Ball in Schools.... 3. No Westerns on Prime Time TV. Great Video Rage.
They matter because they represent every that is good about America and everything that is missing in modern America: Rugged masculinity, femininity, individualism, a sense of objective morality, discipline, liberty. All of which are desperately needed back in modern day America. That is why they are important.
My grandma was born and raised in Japan. Of all things, Westerns were her favorite genre. She married my grandpa after he took her to see a John Wayne movie.
@Raylan Givens Not to mention Chuck Conners was tall with his 6 foot 5 inches frame, was strong willed and was a great role model for the youngsters. My Baby Boomer dad loved The Rifleman. As many Boomers did.
@@reikun86 John Wayne - rugged, conservative, stood for American patriotism, participated in conservative politics, knew his role. All things that many Millennials and Zoomers are sorely lacking.
Clint Eastwood said "Making 'Outlaw Josey Wales' wasn't a good time for westerns, but it was a good time for me" is what made it my personal favorite, he made a masterpiece in his on time, recognized or not at the time.
Lee Van Cleef approves this message. Rest In Peace sir. You had more gravitas in one long stare than this entire generation of Hollywood has in their entire bodies.
Lee Van Cleef came up when men were allowed to be men in Hollywood. Western society allowed men to get wives, children and families in proper homes. What Millennials and Zoomers on the Far Left are doing makes me sick. The show Velma is a perfect representation of what Hollywood is now. Evil, corrupt, condescending, destructive, and overly woke.
The only way for Western‘s to come back is America needs to take back its identity and show why the cowboy is synonymous with America just like Europe with chivalrous knight or the stoic Samurai from Japan.
Hit the nail on the head. Westerns are one of the most important genres, not just in film, but arguably fiction as a whole. Here's hoping your prediction comes to fruition and we see a new Western renaissance.
The western is simply the american version of the HERO movie ... which is simply different for the setting. In the 50s and 60s there were LOADS of movies about knights AND arabian tales (Sinbad) ... which are basically the same with a different setting. I couldnt say how many versions of Ivanhoe or Robin Hood I have seen in my youth, but there are A LOT.
I can already tell this will be a video I rewatch every now and again. Western, Film Noir and Sword & Sorcery. Three film genres that are in DIRE need of a comeback.
Don’t forget that the Coen Bros remade TRUE GRIT IN 2010 and in 2018 the excellent western anthology, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS. The classic Western may never again define the culture but it still has stories to be told by thoughtful filmmakers.
He also fubared the best TV Western (lonesome dove) & the best 80's Western (Silverado.) There's a new widescreen cut of Lonesome dove they made to broadcast alongside 1883, which is pretty tasteful of Tyler Sheridan given that he completely stole 1883 from McMurtry's book. You know when something is better than Deadwood in it's own category it's pretty fuckin' good.
My grandparents would almost exclusively watch westerns and cop shows. I’d come in the house and there’s grandpa, watching John Wayne for the umpteenth time. They hardly ever cared for anything modern. One of the only modern films they ever watched and *loved* was Hell or High Water with Chris Pine and Jeff Bridged. Though I can’t say how close it held to the western standard, it’s a good example of how even the sense of of that can still be well received today.
I think that we can also attribute the success of The Mandalorian to people wanting new westerns given how it takes a lot of inspiration from shows like The Lone Ranger.
I know people like Mandalorian but I thought it was really bad. I expect any Westerns they start to make will be just as boring, contrived, and gimmicky.
Trust me Razor. You don't want the western making a comeback. It'll suffer the same fate as Star Wars, Star Trek, and what is currently happening to superheroes. It'll either be an anti-american screed, or a poorly put together joke. Can you imagine what handwringing a new western would have over how 'oppressed' women were by their cattle rancher husbands, what 'ignorant religious bigots' people used to be, or how black people and mexicans were treated, or how america is 'stolen land' from the native americans? Not to mention with the straight up historical revisionism of things like Doctor Who or Vikings which showed the past as a multiethnic multicultural gender diverse place that simply did not exist, for the sake of propaganda. Hollywood will never make a big budget western again, and I don't want them to for the same reason I don't want them to make a Superman movie again. They'll just be bad.
@@evanthompson1517 Sadly. There really is no alternative to Hollywood that both reflects your personal beliefs, and isn't low budget garbage. At least when it comes to production value. If you want those epic shots of the wilderness, decent special effects, and competent actors? You really have no choice but to either settle for movies directed by shitty human beings, for shitty human beings. Or just stop watching any movie or TV altogether.
@@tommyfishhouse8050 The agitprop is the least of it to be honest. Political messaging in movies has existed since moviemaking began. It's the quality of the writing that is so abysmal. It's like having a Michelin star restaurant and staffing it with McDonald's fry cooks.
Good stuff Razor. A few thoughts to add ... Westerns had a partial continuation with the Mad Max series (cars instead of horses) and its many post apocalypse imitators. I think the zombie movie genre has also acted as a psychological replacement, being those movies involve the collapse of civilization and a return to a wild west of sorts. Though the 80's lacked official westerns, action movies like the brilliant 48 hrs, Predator, Star Wars, Westworld and Robocop have western elements ... not that I'm endorsing the death of the traditional western. Clint Eastwood's Every Which Way / Any Which Way comedies retained western elements, as did Dirty Harry. I absolutely agree the audience is still there for trad westerns. My daughter adores Clint Eastwood. All I have to do is mention his name in relation to a movie she hasn't seen and she jumps at the option to see it. She loved For A Few Dollars More, High Plains Drifter as well as other westerns like The Magnificent Seven (original one of course), and the criminally underrated Charles Bronson western Red Sun. BTW a recent western you didn't mention which I enjoyed was The Sisters Brothers (2018). Unfortunately it flopped, drags on a bit too long and lacks a strong protagonist the audience can really identify with. But yes, modern westerns could do with some sort of twist to spice them up, as happened with the Spaghettis. Maybe that's what already happened though with all those 80's "western in spirit" flicks. Personally I think High Plains Drifter hit the ball out the park with it's ghostly elements (Pale Rider for me felt like a weaker, less gutsy remake). Supernatural westerns ... I'd like to see a lot more of those. I mean the spiritual thing is already there in the beliefs of Native Americans so that could be hugely expanded upon.
I would strongly recommend reevaluating Pale Rider. It's a more committed version of High Plains Drifter. And yet a mirror opposite of it at the same time. The end of Drifter sees the Stranger transform the town of Largo into Hell. The climactic shot showing Eastwood framed against flames like a vengeful demon. The way the camera shoots Eastwood even treats him that way. From above or the side. Often in silhouette. Pale Rider, meanwhile, shows the Preacher against the blue skies and snowy mountains. In the final confrontation, the heavens are literally at his back. An avenging angel dispensing God's wrath. It's a magnificent film I've come to appreciate more than Drifter. There's a bit more going on under the hood.
@@TheRageaholic I also like how Pale Rider is more subtle and ambiguous than HPD with regards to the protagonist. In HPD, it is made very clear that he's a revenant back from the dead to wreak a terrible vengeance. In Pale Rider...maybe? It's suggested, but never explicit.
Last weekend I was watching some old western tv shows like The Cisco Kid. It's almost embarrassing how easily each episode showed the nature of true heroism. The man in black comes into town and is eager to hear about the problems and do everything he can to set them right. By contrast modern heroes are entirely selfish and exist in a bubble, to be idolized. Watching those old shows is like looking through a portal into a world where morality still exists.
For a Few Dollars More is my favorite! One of the best duels in a western, with Lee Van Kleef acting through his expression and a killer theme to go with it.
List of film mentions/recommendations: 3:21 the searchers 4:32 have gun will travel 5:43 a fist full of dollars 6:40 Django 7:16 Sartana 9:05 The Great Silence 10:14 The Outlaw Josie Wales 11:13 Pale Rider 14:22 Deadwood (show) 16:00 310 to Yuma, Appaloosa, The Old Way 17:00 Bone Tomahawk 17:14 Dark Valley, The Salvation
MIssing: *LONESOME fuckin' DOVE,* Hell on Wheels, Sliverado. Add more if you got em. Razorfist also mentioned Shane & Open Range & the Australian one, which is a pale shadow of Lonesome Dove but still not bad. As is 1883. There's another Costner miniseries which I liked somewhat, forget the name. And a pretty good Johnny Depp thing... dead man I think it was. Firefly is a Western too, come to think of it. Damn fine show.
The American Frontier is a SEVERELY underrated time period, and I’ve often had dreams about being a gunslinging ranger myself. Westerns are the Great American Tales that define our nation. A land of freedom loving, hard working, god fearing folks not afraid to stand up for what’s right!
it's probably because the lore is mostly about slavery or politicians argue about slavery but there is a gunslinger trying to make money for a protagonist
The Outlaw Josey Wales, Fort Apache, Pale Rider, Rio Bravo, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Searches, etc. Edit: I forgot to mention another one of my favourites; Jeremiah Johnson. Pure film glory.
The Outlaw Josey Wales is my all time favorite movie. So many legendary one-liners... "Man's gotta make a living somehow" "Dying ain't much of a livin', boy"
Of course razor uses that scene in his video. I'll reference my second favorite liner "You reckon we should bury 'em?" "Buzzards gotta eat, same as the worms"
I'd rather let the Western genre remain buried and unmolested than see modern Hollywood reanimate the corpse and "reinterpret" it for Modern Audiences™
The biggest thing that stands in the way of any good movies going into production and surviving the movie industry is the movie industry itself. The MESSAGE outweighs anything else as far as they are concerned, and that includes good story writing.
Considering our current obsession with superheroes I'm somewhat surprised that more people aren't trying to make Westerns in general considering they were essentially cinema's OG superheroes.
The lone ranger. The Cisco kid Wild Bill hickok! Straight arrow Hopalong Cassidy Red Rider Lightning Jim I know I missed a few feel free to fill them in.
It's an obsession with corrupt superheroes. Westerns have guns, law, and force of personality whether you have a hero or villainy. You will have people using tools in a certain environment. Superheroes can devastate areas without killing anyone, and they're about hiding your identity and powers largely unearned. It appeals to a lot of followers today as it's easier, but that's just my opinion.
Having worked in the film industry in New Mexico for eight years I can tell you that westerns are incredibly difficult to film. Also expensive. For Basecamp where the crew eats and the actors have their trailers it's the equivalent of a small-town moving around, a logistical Nightmare on a good day and on top of that if you want to have background with horses and wagons so you're including all that and as well. Then there is the Wardrobe and make-up that needs to happen for all of the background so they have to arrive at 3 in the morning. I've always wondered if I did a commentary on some of the film's I worked on Lone Ranger ,Jane got a gun Etc if people would find that interesting.
I worked on Lone Ranger and I thought it was in really good hands. Apparently the studio made a bunch of changes in the edit room. Nail course I did not enjoy working on the film it was probably the worst year of my entire life. But that's another story.
Grew up on John Wayne westerns mostly, then Clint Eastwood, and got into Deadwood as an adult. Red Dead Redemption 2 was amazing for me because it was not only an incredible game with great storytelling, it was simultaneously nostalgic.
My English grandfather who fought in WW1 was obsessed with the old west and Wild Bill Hickok in particular. He gave me me a love for Westerns that thrives to this day.
Yeah, my Finnish grandfather loved to watch every western that came from television, but for some reason it was the Virginian tv-series that was his favorite.. In the 80's i managed get some episodes on tape, and when he was visiting you couldn't get him up from the sofa before he had his fix of The Virginian.
I think a traditional white hat do gooder could work in modern times honestly. Have the hero be well mannered, meanwhile his surroundings are dirty, violent, and cynical. I always liked the idea of adapting Cheyenne(Clint walker.) where he’s still the same well natured gentle giant. Meanwhile the west is filled with corrupt lawmen, bandits, drunkards, and the like. Everyone’s swearing up a storm, and ideas of chivalry and heroism are laughed at(much like today.) but it’s up to Cheyenne’s morals, kindness, and his quick hand at the draw, to right the wrongs of the world. Thus symbolizing a return to old fashioned heroism to a cynical age.
In terms of villains, any revival of old fashion good-vs-evil stories needs to deconstruct the deconstruction by going after the radical subjectivism that Marxists like to hide behind. Between the people who call for moral standards and the people who say that all moral standards are just a matter of your subjective perspective, who is it that's actually being childish at best and malicious at worst? Unfortunately, given how people have been taught to interpret things, they'll need to be beaten over the head with the fact that the villains are leftists; if you just have some cult-like church leader letting thieves run the town because "let he who is without sin cast the first stone", anyone who doesn't already see the need for universal ethics will just see another instance of "Christianity bad". We need the rise of the atheist antagonist who has a will-to-power where his moral compass should be and is pursuing spiritual fulfillment from hedonism, akin to what you see with SJWs.
Me too. For that matter any paranormal Weird West story works too. A lawlessness would be a magnet to things like werewolves and vampires. Lack of organized resistance or institutional reprisals would make the west (or the post apocalypse) a natural (pun intended) for paranormal monsters.
I'd say there's still certainly a market for Wild West horror. On the video game side of things, look how well-received Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare and Hunt: Showdown have been. Actually, the latter apparently has a live-action series in the works.
@@Wastelandman7000 Funny you say that because there is actually a very old film made in 1959 that might be the first or one of the first Horror-Western mix in films about a Vampire terrorizing a town in the old west called Curse of the Undead. Was originally made as a joking bet since even for that time they thought no one could make a serious horror-Western film and after watching i thought it was pretty decent for what it was. Not Oscar worthy or anything but for a first time thing it handled itself pretty well.
I think a lot of old western shows are very underrated in terms of story telling. I watched episodes of Gunsmoke, the Virginian, and Rifleman and while family friendly they deal with stories about generational vengeance, mob justice, dealing with getting older, how rivalry can heat up leading to tragedy, dealing with death, and so much more. I love how the heroes while they have some moments or doubt or saddness it never over takes them and they become sad saps. They are still strong and powerful. Ready to fight for justice. Matt Dillon was a badass.
Wife out of the blue wanted to start watching westerns a month ago. And I can't be more thrilled. She had no interest and the only clint Eastwood movie she had ever seen was gran torino. So every weekend I have been bringing out all my old dvds and she just been eating them up. This adds a few to my list to pick up.
Lonesome Dove (1989) really kicked off the 90s westerns and basically covers all the same themes (and more) as Unforgiven. Based on a Pulitzer prize winning novel no less by Larry McMurtry. There were thousands of westerns made in the 40s and 50s and there's an insane amount of gold to be found even just there. Last year I watched about 50 Roy Rogers (King Of The Cowboys and box office king of the 1950s) movies and to be honest I think western newcomers should go back and watch as many older westerns as possible. Pure comfort cinema. Shane and The Gunfighter destroy any modern attempt at a revisionist western and Peckinpah's masterwork The Wild Bunch puts any spaghetti western to shame. These are big name films I'm mentioning here but they're only just starter points. Explore the genre as much as possible. Even this videos mention of John Wayne's death in the 70s overlooks the classics he starred in that decade.. Masterpieces like Big Jake, The Cowboys, The Train Robbers and The Shootist. They dont make classic westerns anymore and I doubt they could if they tried. Luckily for us there's a lifetime of amazing westerns already made for us to watch and cherish.
@Raylan Givens Agreed. It's not my favourite performance of his but he is great in it and the Oscars care more about rewarding legacy and politics over anything else. In any case it's a more worthy performance than this Oscar winning role in True Grit.
@Raylan Givens Agreed on every point! Wayne was good in True Grit and it was obviously a very fun role for him. The Searchers is an amazing performance and one that gets better with every viewing. The Quiet Man in particular I always recommend to people critical of John Wayne being a one note actor. He was always great in comedic films but who knew he can excell as a romantic lead? What a film. Liberty Valance is also a different but truly great performance. I might actually put Red River alongside it as a Oscar snub for Wayne. On a more personal level I adore Hondo and Wayne's performance.
I was actually talking to a friend last week about the complete lack of Westerns in comics, movies and literature. 1883 was actually really good for the handful of people who have Paramount+.
Honestly, I feel like the gothic western genre is a vastly untapped resource in modern media. I'm currently started reading The Dark Tower series, and the concept just sounds so cool. Even as a musical art form, the Dark Country series of compilation albums really help sell the dark western idea. And don't even get me started on Evil West, I'm having high hopes for that game.
The Dark Western idea may actually be more realistic than what was portrayed on screen. Sure, theres not going to be monsters and demons all over the place, but Hollywood had a bad habit of making the West look like a utopia time, when in reality it was one the hardest times in American history.
@@trequor What are your biggest pain points with King's characters? I only remember reading _The Stand_ and that one werewolf story and I may be remembering the movie adaptations more than the written work at this point, but I recall them being pretty decent character-wise. Then again those may have been the exception to the rule or the nostalgia is blinding me. I'm legit curious. Always on the lookout for writing tips.
Funny enough, there was a movie that did mix Samurai and Cowboys. Its called Red Sun. And it features Charles Bronson and Toshiro Mifune (yes, that Mifune). Either way, we need a revival of Western.
I'm surprised by the lack of a mention of Fallout: New Vegas. The western aspect is one of the main reasons I feel make people love it so much. Not to mention the music and the radio.
Bethesda intentionally sabotaged obsidian studios with an impossibly short development window and other acts of backstabbing and to this day its like pulling teeth to get that disgusting manlet Todd Howard to even acknowledge that New Vegas even exists because its the most recognizable and popular fallout game of the modern era and it wasnt made by him or Bethesda.
I grew up watching Westerns, old ones & new ones, colour & black & white ones, good ones & bad ones, all on TV, & all repeats. And I loved every single one. As a Brit, seeing that wide open space, the freedom, the lack of government control, & the guns. Oh the guns. Every country has its bad points & it's good points in history. For me, the main US good point, is it's Western frontier heritage. I'd love to see the genre come back. When men were men, & horses were scared.
PERIOD. Nolo fuckin' contendre. By the way, check out the new 720p widescreen cut... makes it EVEN BETTER. Paramount put it out when 1883 premiered as a sly apologia/tribute to McMurtry.
The Western might be one of the most versatile genres of fiction of all time. Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, detective fiction, noir, neo western, heist film, weird fiction etc... I'd love it if the genre came back in a big way.
I lived in WashDC for decades. Rita Kemply’s review of “Pale Rider” caused me to stop reading the WaPo pretty much forever. Edit: Thanks for this Rage. I think the Western is *our story* the American mythology that’s actually true. Heck, I even love “Paint Your Wagon.” You haven’t lived until you’ve seen and heard Eastwood and Lee Marvin both singing in a western about a woman living with two husbands in a mining camp. And Eastwood is the square in this story.
@@TheRealNormanBates I mean, bob has devolved almost as much as jim sterling in recent years, I don't think anyone need more proof that his opinion is trash at this point.
The last time I saw a good Western was when I watched the anime version of "Golden Kamuy" (or at least the first season, my schedule keeps slipping for seeing what comes after) and seeing the public reception to it was a bit of a heartbreaker. It was a nakedly Western show, from the gruff-faced war veteran panning for gold on the frontier to the factional interplay between natives, outlaws, and an encroaching federal government. Yet, despite being so obviously a Western, the difference in setting from the American West to Hokkaido was apparently enough to make it so that no one was able to recognize it as a Western. The Western has been gone for so long that no one remembers what a Western even is anymore. Ironically, this could be one of the best things to ever happen to the genre, because it means that the "cliché" tale of the white hat sheriff riding in to save the day from the black hat bandit can come back and few will use that stale word to describe it. Add in Razor's point here about the society, and we're primed for a revival of epic proportions.
Don't forget, Yellowstone is a huge hit. I know it's not actually a Western, but it goes to show people crave the scenery rather than obvious green screen action scenes
I'll just say: I was introduced to comics (and literature in general) through Lucky Luke, and my favorite film growing up was The Magnificent 7. Westerns capture a mixture between wilderness and civilization that is very relatable to any human being at any point in history, since we all have that tension within us in the form of instincts vs rationality. Obviously it can be adressed through other genres/settings, but the Wild West setting fits like a glove.
"Well you may not know this, but there's things that gnaw on a man worse than dying." - Open Range. That's the kind of manly life lesson you won't get in any other genre....God I love Westerns.
"Tig can't go.He gotta stay here.He got the heart!Not the legs!" Last western that I saw on big screen! "You must be the 1 that killed our friends!"(I get chills recollecting the start of the big gun fight,him telling Boss who he was gonna target after only saying,in front of any1"We'll have our drinks now!" 🤠👌
Eastwood wouldn't have a career in Westerns without it. Yojimbo/Fistful Of Dollars all the way up to Unforgiven draw heavily from Shane. Not that Eastwood hides the fact seeing as he basically remade Shane with Pale Rider. The man has good taste his favourite film is the revisionist western master-class The Ox‐Bow Incident (1943).
"So you're Jack Wilson." "What does that mean to you, Shane?" "I've heard about you." "What have you heard, Shane?" "I've heard that you're a lowdown Yankee liar." "Prove it."
The only things I’ve watched in the last 6 months are The Outlaw Josey Wales, Tombstone, and Deadwood. My grandfather who was a antique gun collector, distilled a love for westerns in me as a kid. They are especially refreshing in these times.
Westerns were really big worldwide in the past. Look at the italian Tex comics,still ongoing since '48 and have a good fanbase worldwide ,even here in Brazil. In Japan not only Kurosawa films but some classic manga like Hokuto no Ken were inspired by old westerns .
I've noticed that since the death of the genre in the 80s, most westerns are disguised as other genres in order to pass by the critics. Movies like Priest (fight me, it's a good movie) and the original Star Wars were westerns cloaked as sci-fi and I'd argue a lot of mafia movies, especially those surrounding the good guys taking on the mob, are westerns wearing pinstripes.
@@Wastelandman7000 bro exactly. I forgot to even mention that because they're so synonymous. The Mad Max movies (at least the first 3) and Book of Eli SCREAM spaghetti western
I'm still infatuated by the illustrated opening crawl of Priest, especially the legions of WW1 styled soldiers with flamethrowers and tanks, throwing themselves into a flood of fanged monstrosities krieger-style.
I'd add that a resurgence of the western doesn't even count its spin off generas such as Mountain Man, Longhunter, and Weird West properties. Like the Post Apocalyptic genera, there's a multitude of interesting stories you can tell.
I fully agree, with the sensibilities a lot of the public has for sci fi and pulpy super hero stuff, I think cross-genre westerns would really find an audience nowadays.
As a kid, I loved Westerns. As an adult, I still do. I can't remember what my first Western was, but I can remember my first Eastwood Western. "The Outlaw Josey Wales". I saw it when I was 5 and 17 years later, it still remains one of my favorites.
Of course Ebert gave Pale Rider some love at a time when Westerns were unfashionable, he was always one of the few film critics that I thought was a fairly likeable guy regardless of whether I always agreed with him or not.
@@cargosquid The word "drip" has gone full circle. Because zoomers (young adults) think wearing cool clothes makes you "drip" with fashion. But yes, Siskel always had bad taste.
I love westerns. They have the unique quality of combining a world that is fairly recognizable to a modern audience (firearms, towns, trains, etc), but still different enough to feel distant and exotic, where things like a haunted mines, stone-age tribal warriors or conquistador's buried gold don't seem out of place. Unfortunately, Hollywood's current fetish for mUh dIEveRSiTy requires that any story set in the aggressively colonial Old West be saddled with the obligatory albatross of endless grovelling and self-flagellation about the European/Indignenous conflict.
endless grovelling and self-flagellation this part right here. The wyt man bad bullshit is getting to be too much. Even those I know are starting to call it out.
My all time favourite films are a fistful of dollars, for a few dollars more and the good, the bad and the ugly. I recently learned that John Wayne used to run errands for Wyatt Earp when he was a young 'un.
Advertise it on the Fellowship channels & related with some superchats when yer done. Also there's one from the 80s you might wanna pick clean for ideas. Forget the name. Wasn't bad. I would add supernatural either as part of the base game or right away after. Gives you a lot more options for classes & opponents, that's the main reason to do so even though the weird west genre is cool on it's own.
I just want to thank you for putting this video out and the video on pulp fiction. A lot of my clients are Millennials and GenZ, and they often talk about how crappy movies are today. I think a lot of them watch movies and tv almost out of a sense of obligation or resignation, but they don't really like what they're watching. I'm constantly telling them about older movies and TV shows to check out just to let them know that there was a time when entertainment was...entertaining. I also like the idea of independent writers and filmmakers learning from the past and trying to bring it back. For years, big corporations have told us what we like, but now with independent publishing, we can decide for ourselves. It just means that people have to create! I still think we're on the verge of a major indie artist revolution like what we had in the 70s and 90s. We're long overdue.
Tell em to find the new widescreen cut of Lonesome Dove. Think they put it out on Paramount to commemorate 1883 being stolen from it. No joke. Sheridan was in a hurry & I doubt he'd mind admitting it. That's the best TV western, not Deadwood. No worries, deadwood, it's okay to come in second to duvall & tommy lee jones each playing the best role of their careers.
God, Mobius' art is always god-tier. I especially loved how everytime he sat down to draw a page, he'd take a sip of wine, crack his knuckles, and whisper to himself: "It's Mobin' time"
You know that movie series The Expendables? We should do that but make it a spaghetti western. A bunch of old action stars that are in their 70s and with that just have them all being kickass cowboys taking out evil where it needs to have a diet change from dried meet to burning lead.
I never got into Westerns at all until a couple years ago when I started watching a bunch of them with my dad. Now I own the whole Gunsmoke series and a number of movies.
My favorite under appreciated genre is the weird western, I'd even argue Pale Rider is such a film. Give us that great mix of gun slinging western badassery and gothic unsettling horror. Also, why the hell haven't they made that elemental western about Bass Reeves? What the hell? Or mix the western with the current big time genre and give us a GOOD Jonah Hex movie.
The first western I ever watched as a kid was Pale Rider. My mother adored it, and probably does to this day. it was a fun genre and I have been disappointed for decades at its disappearance. Yes I agree all the way.
There was this movie coming out that took place in the Old West. It starred an aging Hollywood celebrity who was to bring back the greatness of old Western films. The main actor was upset one day and just shot two crew members, killing one, because he couldn't replicate the good old cowboy actors and had a meltdown(allegedly). Can't think of the name, my mind is a little RUSTy.
Time for the tinfoil hat. What if an agent-47 style hitman was hired by a shadowy cabal to put live rounds in that gun to create a discharge incident and destroy the production of that film because it was going to be amazing and reignite the western genre and the shadowy cabal which is part of the totalitarian state did not want that kind of ideal and morality to become mainstream in the public consciousness again?. I dunno maybe I just takin too much peyote.
Firstly, that hat is HOT! Secondly, A-Fucking-Men to this whole video! John Wayne and Westerns in general were my gateway drug into old movies, classic Hollywood, and the Golden Age of cinema. The only criticism I have of Razor’s run down is the lack of commentary on the rise of the stuntman in Western movies. John Wayne would not have obtained the level of fame that he did without Yakima Canutt doubling for him in all those nail biting wagon chases and so on. Those guys were true bad asses!
This video really changed my perspective on westerns. All the comparisons to superhero movies today is all about how westerns died out due to over-saturation, but the way you put it, westerns are a genre that only makes us want them more when there is a drought of them.
Big fan of the western genre here. Grew up watching John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movies with my grandfather whenever I’d visit him. I also remember my Dad watching Tombstone (one of my favorite movies ever) with me for the first time. Then when they came out, games like Red Dead 1 and 2 allowed me to live out my Wild West fantasies in spectacular fashion. Westerns desperately need a revival. They need to make a comeback in our entertainment industry. They’re as important to American culture as the Samurai are to Japanese culture, Knights to European culture, or Vikings to Norse culture. A more recent Western film that I thoroughly enjoyed, much to my surprise, was The Magnificent Seven with Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt. Great movie.
I'm actually a little disappointed that 1995's "The Quick and the Dead" wasn't mentioned. The only thing I would have changed in that movie was that I'd never have given the main character a name; she would have only been called "The Lady." Otherwise, it was actually a pretty cool combination of mostly Western and Revenge flick with almost an entire pinch of surrealism thrown in. The sun shining through a bullet hole in Gene Hackman was pretty awesome, and, if you want to give a grunt before an actress's name, Sharon Stone would certainly qualify. It was also a movie that allowed a woman to be a "strong, independent female" without having to neuter the male characters or make her character an emotionless, bitchy plank of wood.
that movie always made me feel like I was watching some weird Japanese movie. the camera work, the pacing its very japanese for some reason. that and the characters being so over the top.
Growing up in the 70s without a father or any positive role models John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and James Arness were the examples I tried to follow. I won't claim I turned out perfect but I did a damn cite better than the fatherless boys who grew up in gangs.
James Arness reminds me of my late grandfather a lot who was a big fan of the Western too. Watching Gunsmoke reruns is like having my grandpa around again so that's just one reason I like that show.
So, what was your opinion on Netflix's western short-stories movie The Ballad of Buster Scruggs? I loved how well it represented the genre by telling what were essentially Aesop's Fables of the late 1800's.
Ol’Henry was surprisingly good! My wife asked if I was interested in it one night, so we rented it. When we started watching it I thought it was going to be awful. Just a few minutes in and it already piqued my interest. Fast forward half way through and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. By the end of the movie, I had to go get my own copy. I recommend it to anyone. I absolutely loved this movie! I wonder if Razor has seen it or not?
@@thomaslamb8635 I was curious and interested from the trailer, I've always been a big fan of Tim Blake Nelson. But when the reveal of who Henry was happened, I was all in, no question.
Another cult classic Western series Razor didn’t mention: Longmire. Classic Western trappings, police procedural format, and a stellar cast of characters. Unceremoniously canceled by AMC because it wasn’t popular with the right demo, but got to finish up on Netflix and not be tainted by the company’s modern-day woke BS.
Yeah, I enjoyed the tv show. And I'm not one for westerns. Was awhile before I got into movie westerns, and even then, its certain ones, not the whole genre.
I loved the Longmire series, both book and TV show! It is probably closer to what Rageholic talks about with a definitely procedural police slant to it.
One of the best Western games I ever played was Call Of Jaurez: Gunslinger...loved the gameplay but the story really threw me for a loop towards the end. Seriously amazing. Deserves so much more love than it gets.
You have to admit, for it's outlandish performance, "They call me Trinity" was a fun movie to watch. The one movie that seems to always be left out of the discussion when someone is talking about Westerns is Quigley Down Under. I would rate it in the top 10 of the greatest Westerns of all time. From the change of scenery, the treatment of the natives, down to how under developed the culture and technology was of the time for the location versus what we always saw in a modern Western. We were used to seeing westerns where the modern cartridge was being used, but in Quigley Down Under, they were still using muskets and flintlock pistols. Even in The Good-bad-ugly movie, you see Angel Eyes loading cartridge rounds into his weapon, but if you look closely, the weapon is a cap & ball weapon. When Quigley went to the weapon smith to get more ammo, he even had to explain to the weapon smith that he could use a older French rifle ammo to substitute for parts needed. It was little details like this, that separated it from a subpar western to a great western. You can even see it in Quigley's saddle, an American Western style saddle, versus the Australian Saddles and English Saddles used by everyone else. (English saddles don't have a horn on them).
The Japanese have the samurai and daimyos, Europeans their Kings and knights, the Scandinavian countries the vikings, but we Americans have the westerns. Each people’s legends teach them some of their history and values. It’s past time that Americans return to the freedom and rugged individualism of the old western gunslingers that we all want to be.
Great point!
ironic'ly enough, them values, may or may not have stood-the-test-of-time, i guess it all depends on who yer askin', as to what they're tryin' to accomplish with these curiosities, am i right?
Star Wars has all of that at once. That's why it's so fuckin huge.
Come out to SW Montana and north eastern Idaho. Not much has changed much in some towns and it’s awesome. I have an old gold mine head frame and cabins on my property from the 1860s
Are you drinking paint thinner again?
There are people who use the word _cowboy_ as a derogatory term, an insult. But in a country with a comparatively short history, the "Cowboy" is the American version of the "Knight-Errant" - This should tell you everything you need to know about those people...
Not much different to a ronin or vagabond, come to think of it, there's not much difference in the Musashi legend. They may as well have been calling him 'cowboy' and that dismissal helped make him great.
@@thewayfarer8849 there's a reason some of the biggest westrens were straight up remakes of samurai movies with the setting swaped
But Cowboys have the least amount of sex appeal compared to the other guys
@@Azraelseraphim Thats because the writers heard stories from men who lived it, or the glowing recants of their sons and daughters. It was gritty, unvarnished, and closer to the truth
@@vonfaustien3957 Erm, Kurosawa was heavily influenced by John Ford, so it's more like Cowboy > Samurai > Cowboy.
The problem with doing a modern western is simple...modern Hollywood can't write bad guys for shit and won't make anything without sticking "the message" in with all the subtlety of a 1980s Very Special Episode. Look at the classic Leone westerns, Angel Eyes, Tuco, Rojo, the bad guys in his movies were fucking awesome! Today you get Marvel Villains which are either cookie cutter cartoon baddies or snarky comic relief.
So while I would love for westerns to make a comeback they will have to be made outside the USA like the Spaghetti westerns of old because Hollywood simply cannot make a decent western these days without royally cocking it up or cramming propaganda down our throats.
Villains? Hell... they can't write any GOOD characters. When was the last time Hollywood wrote a hero? Even Captain American and Thor came out of other sources.
And Hollywood can't wait to screw with those.
Create heroes...fat chance.
I dunno. Some of the villains in Yellowstone are real pricks. Lol. Same with all the Anti-heroes and heroes.
The Daily Wire just made a Western. Movies _can_ be made outside the open-air shithole that used to be Hollywood.
what once were villains are now the heroes of the writers of hollywood. just look at Kenobi, Reva (the villain who's always angry, violent and impulsive) is their idea for a good role model for children
@@jpteknoman Villainesses. Disney at least have spent the last few years trying to pull off 'villainess rehab' movies, like Maleficent or even Cruella, a woman who literally want to _skin puppies._ And long-time fans of Doctor Who may have noticed that as soon as they turned the Master into a chick, she started re-evaluating her life choices about five minutes later.
Regardless, they can't seem to chick up Westerns. They tried anti-heroines (The Quick And The Dead, anyone? Bad Girls?...Yeah, me neither) and failed abysmally, which is why I think they shelved the genre. They were like 'We're not making movies for dudes, fuck all y'all.'
I would say even the amoral protagonists you'd see Eastwood and Bronson portray are still infinitely better role models for young men than what we have today. The ability to carry yourself with dignity while not allowing anyone to dictate how you should live or how you should think.
Amoral as they were, they still have their code.
Even in the old anti hero spaghetti westerns. Good triumphed over evil in the end, even with some hick ups here and there. Specifically the dollars films.
@@abrahemsamander3967 Spaghetti westerns were the turning point. A lot of cheesy 40's and 50's generation westerns just amount to silly musicals while the action consisted of John Wayne style scenes. The men get roughed up and bruised a bit, but the violence had to be greatly toned down, since Hollywood back then was still under the Hays Code. There were no real anti heroes, just standard heroes like John Wayne who had to portray their patriotism in every other western.
Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns were far more raw, violent and vulgar, for lack of better terms. Then America tried to imitate the style with films like The Wild Bunch. The infamous shootout scene near the very end of the film generated a lot of controversy. We started to get films that contained profanity and more crude themes that would of been outright banned during the Hays Code era.
Exactly. They weren't morally black and white. They were shades of grey and showed that a man who appears good is capable of great evil and a man that looks mean can still do the honorable thing. That's a very good moral to teach kids and something that reflects reality a lot more than the shining beacon of morality protagonists
Frankly, that’s what I found myself relating to as a kid and even today
While I didn’t grow up on Westerns; even though I live in freaking Texas; my favorite/influences were amoral characters
Characters like Guts from Berserk, Batman(especially from Batman: TAS and Justice League), Goliath from Gargoyles, Doom Guy from DOOM, Scorpion and Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat, Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin, and many more even today with Goblin Slayer
As much as many don’t want to admit, having an amoral character helps write the character far better and the growth of the story as well
Too bad many “modern writers” don’t have a clue what an amoral character truly is
Imagine a world were there was no Disney SW and they used the Western "Lone Gunman" formula for the Kenobi series, with the Jedi wandering through the desert and getting rid of scum all over Tatooine. Or if the Mandalorian was a proper bounty hunter working his way through the outer rim...
There's a Star Wars Expanded Universe novel from before the Disney purchase called "Kenobi" that is essentially a western with Obi-wan as the Mysterious Stranger. It's really good.
Stop it, I can only be so erect.
@@adamkenway7308 it’s great and yet Disney still fucked it up
@@adamkenway7308 I'll have to read it.
Shut up and take my money!
I absolutely agree with the need to make more old school morality stories. I’m getting tired of the old “nobody is entirely good or evil” tales.
Jordan Peterson I think said it "Moral Ambiguity is the cowards argument."
I frankly have to agree. Those stories are annoyingly stupid. What? Should I do nothing?
@@apocalypticash1242 yeah that’s honestly it. Moral ambiguities tend to come from lazy writing. What’s more compelling is having a morally upstanding character have his principles tested and rising above the odds to become better.
Unfortunately they won't make any new westerns without gender/race swapping characters (Think 2 Mules for Sister Sarah where the nun is a dude in drag) and the western just doesn't lend itself to modern SJW sensibilities. That and most of the real people (Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill, and Wild Bill) have been cancelled by modern people because something they said or did in their time is now immoral and insensitive.
@@juanescobarrojas8330 YES!! THATS WHY I LOVE BATMAN!!
I agree that no one is entirely good or entirely evil, but while that may be the truth of the matter it makes for lousy entertainment
I hope we can find our way back from post-modernism, which ironically has been around for so long it’s now traditional. The minute we decided we were all too hip for mythological archetypes and our entertainment started elbowing us in the ribs everything went to shit. And the western is our American mythology.
Post post modernism is where it's at
@@icestationzebraassociates2460 prefer neo-traditionalism
What gives me hope is it's dead on arrival, a self-defeating and ugly philosophy. It has to be pushed, and steal from others. The thing about upending something and creating from negativity is it invites the same.
We'll return to championing true art more, and probably be even more appreciative. A massive cultural thing; history will say 'these people tried ruining a point to anything, and when they failed we never forgot the beauty in archetypes and meaning'.
@@thewayfarer8849 lol I hope you're right. Movies like the Northman fail because it's not a known IP. But meh movies like topgun succeed.
@@Sakattack2023 I think fail is a relative thing with good stories, it didn't make as much cash, but the acclaim it got by a lot of people is underdog. They had to run hitpeices before it dropped and after, it wouldn't be the first cult classic people pretend they always liked when allowed/commanded to
Fun fact: my grandmother in her 20s (which would've been in the 30-40s) wrote a western script for film class called Chisholm whose main character was modeled after her dad, a Scottish immigrant, and sold it to a studio for $50. Years later John Wayne starred in a western called 'Chisum' (pronounced like her maiden name) that was eerily similar to the script she wrote.
I sing that shit all the time 😆 Chisum, Johhhn Chisuuum 🎵
That is so cool. Also kinda messed up. $50 was nice little payday back then but no where near what she should have been paid. But that's Hollywood for you.
@@BoSmith7045 That's the risk you get for selling a Script to a Movie studio who could make more without Royalties.
That's absolutely amazing! My great grandfather shook hands with john Wayne in 1955
Any relation to Jesse Chisolm?
The reason why westerns are great/necessary can be said in one sentence:
*_“In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.”_*
What is that from?
@@natestathes Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
I hope you brought your towel
That hit me like a goldbrick wrapped in a lemon
42, the meaning of life
My working theory as to the fall of western civilization is:
1. Participation trophies for everyone...
2. Banning Dodge Ball in Schools....
3. No Westerns on Prime Time TV.
Great Video Rage.
This is ironic, right?
I'm legit asking because I cannot tell with you rightoids.
They matter because they represent every that is good about America and everything that is missing in modern America: Rugged masculinity, femininity, individualism, a sense of objective morality, discipline, liberty. All of which are desperately needed back in modern day America. That is why they are important.
"Liberty"
Ah yes, nothing was more liberating than the good ol' times of genocide and slavery. 🤡
My grandma was born and raised in Japan. Of all things, Westerns were her favorite genre.
She married my grandpa after he took her to see a John Wayne movie.
@Raylan Givens Not to mention Chuck Conners was tall with his 6 foot 5 inches frame, was strong willed and was a great role model for the youngsters.
My Baby Boomer dad loved The Rifleman. As many Boomers did.
@@reikun86 John Wayne - rugged, conservative, stood for American patriotism, participated in conservative politics, knew his role.
All things that many Millennials and Zoomers are sorely lacking.
@Raylan Givens I just realized that these leftist controlled media streaming services don’t have some vital westerns.
Clint Eastwood said "Making 'Outlaw Josey Wales' wasn't a good time for westerns, but it was a good time for me" is what made it my personal favorite, he made a masterpiece in his on time, recognized or not at the time.
Joseph Wales & William Munney were two super duper mega king great characters.
They both seem starkly real
Yee-and I cannot stress this enough-HAW.
🤠 yippy-kiyay!
I'm beginning to see the gravity of what you just said.
The Sergio Leone trilogy with Clint Eastwood was how I got into old movies, and I still rank it among the best movies ever made.
Sergio Leone among best directors ever.
"Have Gun Will Travel reads the card of the man, a knight without armor in a savage land."
Lee Van Cleef approves this message.
Rest In Peace sir. You had more gravitas in one long stare than this entire generation of Hollywood has in their entire bodies.
I think I read somewhere they wanted him to get his nose broken to help his movie career
Lee Van Cleef came up when men were allowed to be men in Hollywood. Western society allowed men to get wives, children and families in proper homes.
What Millennials and Zoomers on the Far Left are doing makes me sick.
The show Velma is a perfect representation of what Hollywood is now. Evil, corrupt, condescending, destructive, and overly woke.
The only way for Western‘s to come back is America needs to take back its identity and show why the cowboy is synonymous with America just like Europe with chivalrous knight or the stoic Samurai from Japan.
Hit the nail on the head. Westerns are one of the most important genres, not just in film, but arguably fiction as a whole. Here's hoping your prediction comes to fruition and we see a new Western renaissance.
The western is simply the american version of the HERO movie ... which is simply different for the setting.
In the 50s and 60s there were LOADS of movies about knights AND arabian tales (Sinbad) ... which are basically the same with a different setting. I couldnt say how many versions of Ivanhoe or Robin Hood I have seen in my youth, but there are A LOT.
I can already tell this will be a video I rewatch every now and again.
Western, Film Noir and Sword & Sorcery. Three film genres that are in DIRE need of a comeback.
Don’t forget that the Coen Bros remade TRUE GRIT IN 2010 and in 2018 the excellent western anthology, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS. The classic Western may never again define the culture but it still has stories to be told by thoughtful filmmakers.
He also fubared the best TV Western (lonesome dove) & the best 80's Western (Silverado.) There's a new widescreen cut of Lonesome dove they made to broadcast alongside 1883, which is pretty tasteful of Tyler Sheridan given that he completely stole 1883 from McMurtry's book.
You know when something is better than Deadwood in it's own category it's pretty fuckin' good.
My grandparents would almost exclusively watch westerns and cop shows. I’d come in the house and there’s grandpa, watching John Wayne for the umpteenth time. They hardly ever cared for anything modern.
One of the only modern films they ever watched and *loved* was Hell or High Water with Chris Pine and Jeff Bridged. Though I can’t say how close it held to the western standard, it’s a good example of how even the sense of of that can still be well received today.
They sound awesome. Hell Or High Water is great. One of the better films made this century imo.
Westerns and John Woo films are the best
I think that we can also attribute the success of The Mandalorian to people wanting new westerns given how it takes a lot of inspiration from shows like The Lone Ranger.
Lone Wolf and Cub: The Mandalorian and Grago.
Very true. It is essentially a western...set in a space fantasy universe
I know people like Mandalorian but I thought it was really bad. I expect any Westerns they start to make will be just as boring, contrived, and gimmicky.
A first season episode of The Mandolorian was basically the seven samurai plot line.
Quite frankly, let's not forget that A New Hope was essentially a Western in space.
Trust me Razor. You don't want the western making a comeback. It'll suffer the same fate as Star Wars, Star Trek, and what is currently happening to superheroes. It'll either be an anti-american screed, or a poorly put together joke.
Can you imagine what handwringing a new western would have over how 'oppressed' women were by their cattle rancher husbands, what 'ignorant religious bigots' people used to be, or how black people and mexicans were treated, or how america is 'stolen land' from the native americans? Not to mention with the straight up historical revisionism of things like Doctor Who or Vikings which showed the past as a multiethnic multicultural gender diverse place that simply did not exist, for the sake of propaganda.
Hollywood will never make a big budget western again, and I don't want them to for the same reason I don't want them to make a Superman movie again. They'll just be bad.
The absolute worst fate for any story is for Hollywood to make a movie out of it.
@@evanthompson1517 Sadly. There really is no alternative to Hollywood that both reflects your personal beliefs, and isn't low budget garbage. At least when it comes to production value. If you want those epic shots of the wilderness, decent special effects, and competent actors? You really have no choice but to either settle for movies directed by shitty human beings, for shitty human beings. Or just stop watching any movie or TV altogether.
@@tommyfishhouse8050 Or only watch old ones.
@@tommyfishhouse8050
The agitprop is the least of it to be honest. Political messaging in movies has existed since moviemaking began. It's the quality of the writing that is so abysmal. It's like having a Michelin star restaurant and staffing it with McDonald's fry cooks.
@@matrix91234 It's realistic now.
Good stuff Razor. A few thoughts to add ...
Westerns had a partial continuation with the Mad Max series (cars instead of horses) and its many post apocalypse imitators. I think the zombie movie genre has also acted as a psychological replacement, being those movies involve the collapse of civilization and a return to a wild west of sorts.
Though the 80's lacked official westerns, action movies like the brilliant 48 hrs, Predator, Star Wars, Westworld and Robocop have western elements ... not that I'm endorsing the death of the traditional western. Clint Eastwood's Every Which Way / Any Which Way comedies retained western elements, as did Dirty Harry.
I absolutely agree the audience is still there for trad westerns. My daughter adores Clint Eastwood. All I have to do is mention his name in relation to a movie she hasn't seen and she jumps at the option to see it. She loved For A Few Dollars More, High Plains Drifter as well as other westerns like The Magnificent Seven (original one of course), and the criminally underrated Charles Bronson western Red Sun.
BTW a recent western you didn't mention which I enjoyed was The Sisters Brothers (2018). Unfortunately it flopped, drags on a bit too long and lacks a strong protagonist the audience can really identify with.
But yes, modern westerns could do with some sort of twist to spice them up, as happened with the Spaghettis. Maybe that's what already happened though with all those 80's "western in spirit" flicks. Personally I think High Plains Drifter hit the ball out the park with it's ghostly elements (Pale Rider for me felt like a weaker, less gutsy remake). Supernatural westerns ... I'd like to see a lot more of those. I mean the spiritual thing is already there in the beliefs of Native Americans so that could be hugely expanded upon.
I would strongly recommend reevaluating Pale Rider. It's a more committed version of High Plains Drifter. And yet a mirror opposite of it at the same time.
The end of Drifter sees the Stranger transform the town of Largo into Hell. The climactic shot showing Eastwood framed against flames like a vengeful demon. The way the camera shoots Eastwood even treats him that way. From above or the side. Often in silhouette.
Pale Rider, meanwhile, shows the Preacher against the blue skies and snowy mountains. In the final confrontation, the heavens are literally at his back. An avenging angel dispensing God's wrath.
It's a magnificent film I've come to appreciate more than Drifter. There's a bit more going on under the hood.
@@TheRageaholic My thoughts exactly. Pale Rider sparked an interest in me wanting to write Westerns.
@@TheRageaholic I also like how Pale Rider is more subtle and ambiguous than HPD with regards to the protagonist. In HPD, it is made very clear that he's a revenant back from the dead to wreak a terrible vengeance. In Pale Rider...maybe? It's suggested, but never explicit.
hmm let's see.. how about the star shoots the cinematographer - is that enough of a twist?
The assassination of Jesse James by the coward robert ford
Was a really good western movie imo.
I was a huge fan of the "newer" westerns such as Wyatt Earp and Tombstone, I'd love to see a modern revival of the genre on a bigger scale.
magnificent 7 is ok. If you haven't seen it.
3:10 to Yuma. Russle Crowe and Christian Bale
I'd love to see a nice, simple story about a lawman riding into town with a big iron on his hip, again.
Last weekend I was watching some old western tv shows like The Cisco Kid. It's almost embarrassing how easily each episode showed the nature of true heroism. The man in black comes into town and is eager to hear about the problems and do everything he can to set them right. By contrast modern heroes are entirely selfish and exist in a bubble, to be idolized. Watching those old shows is like looking through a portal into a world where morality still exists.
Cheyenne is another good one with Clint Walker.
@@alucard624 Clint Walker was tall, handsome and rugged.
For a Few Dollars More is my favorite! One of the best duels in a western, with Lee Van Kleef acting through his expression and a killer theme to go with it.
Stormrider with Lee Van Cleef has some spectacular stunts in it.
Me too, love the dynamic between Lee and Eastwood's characters in that.
The show down with El Indo, with the music box playing. That scene is fucking masterful.
i get a lot of shit for this but i think its better than good bad and ugly
@@htf5555 it's because their wrong and your right
List of film mentions/recommendations:
3:21 the searchers
4:32 have gun will travel
5:43 a fist full of dollars
6:40 Django
7:16 Sartana
9:05 The Great Silence
10:14 The Outlaw Josie Wales
11:13 Pale Rider
14:22 Deadwood (show)
16:00 310 to Yuma, Appaloosa, The Old Way
17:00 Bone Tomahawk
17:14 Dark Valley, The Salvation
MIssing: *LONESOME fuckin' DOVE,* Hell on Wheels, Sliverado. Add more if you got em.
Razorfist also mentioned Shane & Open Range & the Australian one, which is a pale shadow of Lonesome Dove but still not bad. As is 1883. There's another Costner miniseries which I liked somewhat, forget the name. And a pretty good Johnny Depp thing... dead man I think it was.
Firefly is a Western too, come to think of it. Damn fine show.
Nah. If you want to watch Fist Full of Dollars watch the Kurosawa film it plagiarized instead, Yojimbo
The American Frontier is a SEVERELY underrated time period, and I’ve often had dreams about being a gunslinging ranger myself. Westerns are the Great American Tales that define our nation. A land of freedom loving, hard working, god fearing folks not afraid to stand up for what’s right!
it's probably because the lore is mostly about slavery or politicians argue about slavery but there is a gunslinger trying to make money for a protagonist
The Outlaw Josey Wales, Fort Apache, Pale Rider, Rio Bravo, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Searches, etc.
Edit: I forgot to mention another one of my favourites; Jeremiah Johnson.
Pure film glory.
A Man Called Horse - I'll always remember that one.
Chato’s Land
The Outlaw Josey Wales is my all time favorite movie. So many legendary one-liners...
"Man's gotta make a living somehow"
"Dying ain't much of a livin', boy"
Of course razor uses that scene in his video. I'll reference my second favorite liner
"You reckon we should bury 'em?"
"Buzzards gotta eat, same as the worms"
The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance .
Ever since seeing the Good the Bad and the Ugly as a kid I've always loved the Western genre and hope that it has a Resurgence one day.
All in good time and western will make a comeback
@@Megatron_95 definitely a possibility.
who was it said, 'the west-is-the-best', right? and like, where-are-they-now, see?
@@tinfoilhatter I never heard of that saying
I'd rather let the Western genre remain buried and unmolested than see modern Hollywood reanimate the corpse and "reinterpret" it for Modern Audiences™
Fallout New Vegas is technically a Western as well(mixed with other genres).I'm convinced the setting was a huge part in why the game was so beloved.
>Independence
>Guns
>Noble Heroes
>Attractive Women
Gee, I wonder why Hollywood just can't seem to make a proper western anymore
Because we all know Hollywood is lacking all of those. This comment section is a clownfest, forreal.
The good the bad and the ugly is and will always be my number one movie. Loved all the characters but Tuco is my spirit animal.
The biggest thing that stands in the way of any good movies going into production and surviving the movie industry is the movie industry itself. The MESSAGE outweighs anything else as far as they are concerned, and that includes good story writing.
Daily wire is changing the game. The culture war is being waged in full force
Hollywood is open and blatant about their politics and subversiveness now. No Western will ever be made that isn't dripping with anti White messaging.
Considering our current obsession with superheroes I'm somewhat surprised that more people aren't trying to make Westerns in general considering they were essentially cinema's OG superheroes.
The lone ranger.
The Cisco kid
Wild Bill hickok!
Straight arrow
Hopalong Cassidy
Red Rider
Lightning Jim
I know I missed a few feel free to fill them in.
You can't have nearly as many "strong female leads" in a western as you can stuff into the M-she-U (as an example). And Hollyweird can't abide that.
It's an obsession with corrupt superheroes. Westerns have guns, law, and force of personality whether you have a hero or villainy. You will have people using tools in a certain environment. Superheroes can devastate areas without killing anyone, and they're about hiding your identity and powers largely unearned. It appeals to a lot of followers today as it's easier, but that's just my opinion.
Old Henry is recent, and good.
Having worked in the film industry in New Mexico for eight years I can tell you that westerns are incredibly difficult to film. Also expensive.
For Basecamp where the crew eats and the actors have their trailers it's the equivalent of a small-town moving around, a logistical Nightmare on a good day and on top of that if you want to have background with horses and wagons so you're including all that and as well. Then there is the Wardrobe and make-up that needs to happen for all of the background so they have to arrive at 3 in the morning.
I've always wondered if I did a commentary on some of the film's I worked on Lone Ranger ,Jane got a gun Etc if people would find that interesting.
Let's face it, Rango was honestly the best tribute to westerns of the twentieth century.
I worked on Lone Ranger and I thought it was in really good hands. Apparently the studio made a bunch of changes in the edit room.
Nail course I did not enjoy working on the film it was probably the worst year of my entire life. But that's another story.
Rango is a great western!
Grew up on John Wayne westerns mostly, then Clint Eastwood, and got into Deadwood as an adult. Red Dead Redemption 2 was amazing for me because it was not only an incredible game with great storytelling, it was simultaneously nostalgic.
I love western movies. Watch them all the time these days.
My English grandfather who fought in WW1 was obsessed with the old west and Wild Bill Hickok in particular. He gave me me a love for Westerns that thrives to this day.
Yeah, my Finnish grandfather loved to watch every western that came from television, but for some reason it was the Virginian tv-series that was his favorite.. In the 80's i managed get some episodes on tape, and when he was visiting you couldn't get him up from the sofa before he had his fix of The Virginian.
I think a traditional white hat do gooder could work in modern times honestly. Have the hero be well mannered, meanwhile his surroundings are dirty, violent, and cynical.
I always liked the idea of adapting Cheyenne(Clint walker.) where he’s still the same well natured gentle giant. Meanwhile the west is filled with corrupt lawmen, bandits, drunkards, and the like. Everyone’s swearing up a storm, and ideas of chivalry and heroism are laughed at(much like today.) but it’s up to Cheyenne’s morals, kindness, and his quick hand at the draw, to right the wrongs of the world.
Thus symbolizing a return to old fashioned heroism to a cynical age.
In terms of villains, any revival of old fashion good-vs-evil stories needs to deconstruct the deconstruction by going after the radical subjectivism that Marxists like to hide behind. Between the people who call for moral standards and the people who say that all moral standards are just a matter of your subjective perspective, who is it that's actually being childish at best and malicious at worst?
Unfortunately, given how people have been taught to interpret things, they'll need to be beaten over the head with the fact that the villains are leftists; if you just have some cult-like church leader letting thieves run the town because "let he who is without sin cast the first stone", anyone who doesn't already see the need for universal ethics will just see another instance of "Christianity bad". We need the rise of the atheist antagonist who has a will-to-power where his moral compass should be and is pursuing spiritual fulfillment from hedonism, akin to what you see with SJWs.
Did someone delete a reply? Can’t see anything.
I'd pay to see that.
Thank you!
I'd pay to see that, 4 times!
I'm surprised the Western and the ghost story together wasn't done a whole lot more they just seem to go together for me.
Me too. For that matter any paranormal Weird West story works too. A lawlessness would be a magnet to things like werewolves and vampires. Lack of organized resistance or institutional reprisals would make the west (or the post apocalypse) a natural (pun intended) for paranormal monsters.
@@Wastelandman7000 Now that I think about it, the only supernatural western I've seen was Priest.
@@kielbasamage Which in many ways is a steampunk take on The Searchers but with vampires instead of Comanche Indians.
I'd say there's still certainly a market for Wild West horror. On the video game side of things, look how well-received Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare and Hunt: Showdown have been. Actually, the latter apparently has a live-action series in the works.
@@Wastelandman7000 Funny you say that because there is actually a very old film made in 1959 that might be the first or one of the first Horror-Western mix in films about a Vampire terrorizing a town in the old west called Curse of the Undead. Was originally made as a joking bet since even for that time they thought no one could make a serious horror-Western film and after watching i thought it was pretty decent for what it was. Not Oscar worthy or anything but for a first time thing it handled itself pretty well.
I think a lot of old western shows are very underrated in terms of story telling. I watched episodes of Gunsmoke, the Virginian, and Rifleman and while family friendly they deal with stories about generational vengeance, mob justice, dealing with getting older, how rivalry can heat up leading to tragedy, dealing with death, and so much more. I love how the heroes while they have some moments or doubt or saddness it never over takes them and they become sad saps. They are still strong and powerful. Ready to fight for justice. Matt Dillon was a badass.
The quotes from that era... Pure Gold.
"I call that bold talk for a one eyed fat man!"
... "FILL YOUR HANDS, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
Wife out of the blue wanted to start watching westerns a month ago. And I can't be more thrilled. She had no interest and the only clint Eastwood movie she had ever seen was gran torino. So every weekend I have been bringing out all my old dvds and she just been eating them up.
This adds a few to my list to pick up.
Lonesome Dove (1989) really kicked off the 90s westerns and basically covers all the same themes (and more) as Unforgiven. Based on a Pulitzer prize winning novel no less by Larry McMurtry.
There were thousands of westerns made in the 40s and 50s and there's an insane amount of gold to be found even just there. Last year I watched about 50 Roy Rogers (King Of The Cowboys and box office king of the 1950s) movies and to be honest I think western newcomers should go back and watch as many older westerns as possible. Pure comfort cinema.
Shane and The Gunfighter destroy any modern attempt at a revisionist western and Peckinpah's masterwork The Wild Bunch puts any spaghetti western to shame. These are big name films I'm mentioning here but they're only just starter points. Explore the genre as much as possible. Even this videos mention of John Wayne's death in the 70s overlooks the classics he starred in that decade.. Masterpieces like Big Jake, The Cowboys, The Train Robbers and The Shootist.
They dont make classic westerns anymore and I doubt they could if they tried. Luckily for us there's a lifetime of amazing westerns already made for us to watch and cherish.
I love the Wild Bunch
@Raylan Givens Agreed. It's not my favourite performance of his but he is great in it and the Oscars care more about rewarding legacy and politics over anything else.
In any case it's a more worthy performance than this Oscar winning role in True Grit.
@Raylan Givens Agreed on every point! Wayne was good in True Grit and it was obviously a very fun role for him.
The Searchers is an amazing performance and one that gets better with every viewing. The Quiet Man in particular I always recommend to people critical of John Wayne being a one note actor. He was always great in comedic films but who knew he can excell as a romantic lead? What a film.
Liberty Valance is also a different but truly great performance. I might actually put Red River alongside it as a Oscar snub for Wayne.
On a more personal level I adore Hondo and Wayne's performance.
I was actually talking to a friend last week about the complete lack of Westerns in comics, movies and literature. 1883 was actually really good for the handful of people who have Paramount+.
Honestly, I feel like the gothic western genre is a vastly untapped resource in modern media. I'm currently started reading The Dark Tower series, and the concept just sounds so cool. Even as a musical art form, the Dark Country series of compilation albums really help sell the dark western idea. And don't even get me started on Evil West, I'm having high hopes for that game.
The concept was great, but I could not stand the book. Stephen King just can't write a compelling character to save his life.
@@trequor or he just tries too hard to be edgy version of H.P. Lovecraft. The guy is seriously overrated.
The Dark Western idea may actually be more realistic than what was portrayed on screen. Sure, theres not going to be monsters and demons all over the place, but Hollywood had a bad habit of making the West look like a utopia time, when in reality it was one the hardest times in American history.
@@trequor What are your biggest pain points with King's characters? I only remember reading _The Stand_ and that one werewolf story and I may be remembering the movie adaptations more than the written work at this point, but I recall them being pretty decent character-wise. Then again those may have been the exception to the rule or the nostalgia is blinding me.
I'm legit curious. Always on the lookout for writing tips.
Southern Gothic, Gothic Westerns, Lovecraftian elements... Hmmm...
Funny enough, there was a movie that did mix Samurai and Cowboys. Its called Red Sun. And it features Charles Bronson and Toshiro Mifune (yes, that Mifune).
Either way, we need a revival of Western.
Heaven help me that sounds like the most awesome fucking thing in the world.
Please tell me it worked.
@@kartikayysola It did. You can actually watch the movie here on youtube. Just look it up.
I'm surprised by the lack of a mention of Fallout: New Vegas. The western aspect is one of the main reasons I feel make people love it so much. Not to mention the music and the radio.
Bethesda intentionally sabotaged obsidian studios with an impossibly short development window and other acts of backstabbing and to this day its like pulling teeth to get that disgusting manlet Todd Howard to even acknowledge that New Vegas even exists because its the most recognizable and popular fallout game of the modern era and it wasnt made by him or Bethesda.
I don't even like "gaming" but that game is special
He didn't mention probably because he hates it. He thinks it's a shitty game.
@@zuttoaragi8349 Really? I didn't know that. I'm only a little surprised.
@@Punk_CiTy Yeah. He thinks New Vegas sucks. He says so in his review of FONV and reaffirms that opinion in his review of FO4.
A little disappointed you didn’t mention the True Grit remake here. Probably the best Western movie made in two decades.
True That
I'm not normally a fan of Westerns but I really liked that one
Definitely, one of the few westerns worthy of sitting next to the outlaw Josie Wales.
The assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford deserves to be mentioned
I'd say Open Range is the best Western made in the past 20 years.
I grew up watching Westerns, old ones & new ones, colour & black & white ones, good ones & bad ones, all on TV, & all repeats. And I loved every single one. As a Brit, seeing that wide open space, the freedom, the lack of government control, & the guns. Oh the guns. Every country has its bad points & it's good points in history. For me, the main US good point, is it's Western frontier heritage. I'd love to see the genre come back. When men were men, & horses were scared.
Lonesome Dove deserved a mention. The books and mini series are the greatest western media of all time imo.
PERIOD. Nolo fuckin' contendre.
By the way, check out the new 720p widescreen cut... makes it EVEN BETTER. Paramount put it out when 1883 premiered as a sly apologia/tribute to McMurtry.
@@theminister1154 Shit Lonesome Dove was one of the first westerns I saw as a kid alongside Tombstone.
You were privileged!
Most have never seen it@@peepongdingdong9208
We need more rageaholic cinema episodes you beautiful bastard!
The Western might be one of the most versatile genres of fiction of all time. Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, detective fiction, noir, neo western, heist film, weird fiction etc... I'd love it if the genre came back in a big way.
I lived in WashDC for decades. Rita Kemply’s review of “Pale Rider” caused me to stop reading the WaPo pretty much forever.
Edit: Thanks for this Rage. I think the Western is *our story* the American mythology that’s actually true. Heck, I even love “Paint Your Wagon.” You haven’t lived until you’ve seen and heard Eastwood and Lee Marvin both singing in a western about a woman living with two husbands in a mining camp. And Eastwood is the square in this story.
you should check out the Cinema Snob's review. He kind of feels the same way.
I love what Clint's character does with his revolver in that movie.
@@TheRealNormanBates I mean, bob has devolved almost as much as jim sterling in recent years, I don't think anyone need more proof that his opinion is trash at this point.
@@Pers0n97 do you mean Brad (Jones)?
The last time I saw a good Western was when I watched the anime version of "Golden Kamuy" (or at least the first season, my schedule keeps slipping for seeing what comes after) and seeing the public reception to it was a bit of a heartbreaker. It was a nakedly Western show, from the gruff-faced war veteran panning for gold on the frontier to the factional interplay between natives, outlaws, and an encroaching federal government. Yet, despite being so obviously a Western, the difference in setting from the American West to Hokkaido was apparently enough to make it so that no one was able to recognize it as a Western.
The Western has been gone for so long that no one remembers what a Western even is anymore. Ironically, this could be one of the best things to ever happen to the genre, because it means that the "cliché" tale of the white hat sheriff riding in to save the day from the black hat bandit can come back and few will use that stale word to describe it. Add in Razor's point here about the society, and we're primed for a revival of epic proportions.
Don't forget, Yellowstone is a huge hit. I know it's not actually a Western, but it goes to show people crave the scenery rather than obvious green screen action scenes
Oh I dunno, it's about an old school cattle rancher trying to fight off the robber barons.
Western enough for me, I love it.
It's prequel 1883 sure as hell is.
Just because it’s set in modern times don’t make it any less western.
Hell or High Water sure is.
This is called Neo-western. Story that located in the present day, but has the same tone of a western.
I'll just say: I was introduced to comics (and literature in general) through Lucky Luke, and my favorite film growing up was The Magnificent 7.
Westerns capture a mixture between wilderness and civilization that is very relatable to any human being at any point in history, since we all have that tension within us in the form of instincts vs rationality. Obviously it can be adressed through other genres/settings, but the Wild West setting fits like a glove.
"Well you may not know this, but there's things that gnaw on a man worse than dying." - Open Range. That's the kind of manly life lesson you won't get in any other genre....God I love Westerns.
"Tig can't go.He gotta stay here.He got the heart!Not the legs!"
Last western that I saw on big screen!
"You must be the 1 that killed our friends!"(I get chills recollecting the start of the big gun fight,him telling Boss who he was gonna target after only saying,in front of any1"We'll have our drinks now!"
🤠👌
Shane has to be one of the most copied movie formulas ever. Great movie.
Eastwood wouldn't have a career in Westerns without it. Yojimbo/Fistful Of Dollars all the way up to Unforgiven draw heavily from Shane. Not that Eastwood hides the fact seeing as he basically remade Shane with Pale Rider. The man has good taste his favourite film is the revisionist western master-class The Ox‐Bow Incident (1943).
"So you're Jack Wilson."
"What does that mean to you, Shane?"
"I've heard about you."
"What have you heard, Shane?"
"I've heard that you're a lowdown Yankee liar."
"Prove it."
“My name is Nobody” the only movie that’d make me tear up as I’d watch it with my father . Got my 4K copy and I love it
Have you watched Open range? Is Shane with roles reversed. Pretty good.
@@heroesytumbas yeah, I enjoyed it
The only things I’ve watched in the last 6 months are The Outlaw Josey Wales, Tombstone, and Deadwood. My grandfather who was a antique gun collector, distilled a love for westerns in me as a kid. They are especially refreshing in these times.
I grew up watching westerns. I hope they make a comeback.
Westerns were really big worldwide in the past.
Look at the italian Tex comics,still ongoing since '48 and have a good fanbase worldwide ,even here in Brazil.
In Japan not only Kurosawa films but some classic manga like Hokuto no Ken were inspired by old westerns .
Oh shit razor dropped a vid on one of my favorite genres
You are one fast hombre on the draw brother
I've noticed that since the death of the genre in the 80s, most westerns are disguised as other genres in order to pass by the critics. Movies like Priest (fight me, it's a good movie) and the original Star Wars were westerns cloaked as sci-fi and I'd argue a lot of mafia movies, especially those surrounding the good guys taking on the mob, are westerns wearing pinstripes.
I'd add most of the post apocalyptic genera of the Road Warrior type are simply post civilization westerns.
@@Wastelandman7000 bro exactly. I forgot to even mention that because they're so synonymous. The Mad Max movies (at least the first 3) and Book of Eli SCREAM spaghetti western
I'm still infatuated by the illustrated opening crawl of Priest, especially the legions of WW1 styled soldiers with flamethrowers and tanks, throwing themselves into a flood of fanged monstrosities krieger-style.
@@kielbasamage congratulations you just put that movie on my radar!
@@Wastelandman7000 yeah, "book of Eli" with denzel washington comes to mind
I'd add that a resurgence of the western doesn't even count its spin off generas such as Mountain Man, Longhunter, and Weird West properties. Like the Post Apocalyptic genera, there's a multitude of interesting stories you can tell.
It's a disgrace that Weird West classic The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. only got one season. Casualty of Fox Network of course.
I fully agree, with the sensibilities a lot of the public has for sci fi and pulpy super hero stuff, I think cross-genre westerns would really find an audience nowadays.
As a kid, I loved Westerns. As an adult, I still do. I can't remember what my first Western was, but I can remember my first Eastwood Western. "The Outlaw Josey Wales". I saw it when I was 5 and 17 years later, it still remains one of my favorites.
My favorites are Bonanza, the Great Chaparral and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
Of course Ebert gave Pale Rider some love at a time when Westerns were unfashionable, he was always one of the few film critics that I thought was a fairly likeable guy regardless of whether I always agreed with him or not.
And Siskel was always kind of a drip.
@@jmullner76 Still not as bad as uber-prick Leonard Maltin.
@@jmullner76 kind of? LOL! He was such a drip, they called a plumber to fix him.
@@cargosquid The word "drip" has gone full circle. Because zoomers (young adults) think wearing cool clothes makes you "drip" with fashion. But yes, Siskel always had bad taste.
@@Kirkmaximus It does? I was using it as a bad thing. Siskel always didn't like "popular" films or had a "hipster" vibe in a way.
I love westerns. They have the unique quality of combining a world that is fairly recognizable to a modern audience (firearms, towns, trains, etc), but still different enough to feel distant and exotic, where things like a haunted mines, stone-age tribal warriors or conquistador's buried gold don't seem out of place. Unfortunately, Hollywood's current fetish for mUh dIEveRSiTy requires that any story set in the aggressively colonial Old West be saddled with the obligatory albatross of endless grovelling and self-flagellation about the European/Indignenous conflict.
endless grovelling and self-flagellation this part right here. The wyt man bad bullshit is getting to be too much. Even those I know are starting to call it out.
Make Westerns Great Again! 🤠
My all time favourite films are a fistful of dollars, for a few dollars more and the good, the bad and the ugly. I recently learned that John Wayne used to run errands for Wyatt Earp when he was a young 'un.
Been working on a Western rpg for a while and this attitude gives me a hell of a lot of encouragement,
Thanks!
Tabletop or vidya?
Tell us more, my man. I do hope it is in your inclination to do so.
Advertise it on the Fellowship channels & related with some superchats when yer done. Also there's one from the 80s you might wanna pick clean for ideas. Forget the name. Wasn't bad. I would add supernatural either as part of the base game or right away after. Gives you a lot more options for classes & opponents, that's the main reason to do so even though the weird west genre is cool on it's own.
I just want to thank you for putting this video out and the video on pulp fiction. A lot of my clients are Millennials and GenZ, and they often talk about how crappy movies are today. I think a lot of them watch movies and tv almost out of a sense of obligation or resignation, but they don't really like what they're watching. I'm constantly telling them about older movies and TV shows to check out just to let them know that there was a time when entertainment was...entertaining.
I also like the idea of independent writers and filmmakers learning from the past and trying to bring it back. For years, big corporations have told us what we like, but now with independent publishing, we can decide for ourselves. It just means that people have to create! I still think we're on the verge of a major indie artist revolution like what we had in the 70s and 90s. We're long overdue.
Tell em to find the new widescreen cut of Lonesome Dove. Think they put it out on Paramount to commemorate 1883 being stolen from it. No joke. Sheridan was in a hurry & I doubt he'd mind admitting it. That's the best TV western, not Deadwood. No worries, deadwood, it's okay to come in second to duvall & tommy lee jones each playing the best role of their careers.
God, Mobius' art is always god-tier. I especially loved how everytime he sat down to draw a page, he'd take a sip of wine, crack his knuckles, and whisper to himself:
"It's Mobin' time"
You just _had_ to do it. 😆
Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a Coen Brothers movie I recommend. Not the classic stern faced western like Clint but a western I stand by.
You know that movie series The Expendables? We should do that but make it a spaghetti western. A bunch of old action stars that are in their 70s and with that just have them all being kickass cowboys taking out evil where it needs to have a diet change from dried meet to burning lead.
I never got into Westerns at all until a couple years ago when I started watching a bunch of them with my dad. Now I own the whole Gunsmoke series and a number of movies.
My favorite under appreciated genre is the weird western, I'd even argue Pale Rider is such a film.
Give us that great mix of gun slinging western badassery and gothic unsettling horror.
Also, why the hell haven't they made that elemental western about Bass Reeves? What the hell?
Or mix the western with the current big time genre and give us a GOOD Jonah Hex movie.
Glad you stuck ol Chuck Connors into the beginning. I absolutely love The Rifleman. Lucas McCain is the most badass single dad ever!
The first western I ever watched as a kid was Pale Rider. My mother adored it, and probably does to this day. it was a fun genre and I have been disappointed for decades at its disappearance. Yes I agree all the way.
I will readily admit, I would LOVE to get a competent Jonah Hex movie off the ground, that seems a mighty good idea
I have followed this channel loyally since 2015. No one has made me prouder to be an American 🇺🇸 than you Mr. Fist. God fucking speed!
There was this movie coming out that took place in the Old West. It starred an aging Hollywood celebrity who was to bring back the greatness of old Western films. The main actor was upset one day and just shot two crew members, killing one, because he couldn't replicate the good old cowboy actors and had a meltdown(allegedly). Can't think of the name, my mind is a little RUSTy.
Time for the tinfoil hat. What if an agent-47 style hitman was hired by a shadowy cabal to put live rounds in that gun to create a discharge incident and destroy the production of that film because it was going to be amazing and reignite the western genre and the shadowy cabal which is part of the totalitarian state did not want that kind of ideal and morality to become mainstream in the public consciousness again?. I dunno maybe I just takin too much peyote.
@@HoldinContempt The ICA was definitely involved with this one. The new Constant is Klaus Schwab. Lol
Everyone has a story of the favorite western or watching them as a kid. Even if they're mostly gone, they left their brand on us all.
Firstly, that hat is HOT!
Secondly, A-Fucking-Men to this whole video!
John Wayne and Westerns in general were my gateway drug into old movies, classic Hollywood, and the Golden Age of cinema.
The only criticism I have of Razor’s run down is the lack of commentary on the rise of the stuntman in Western movies. John Wayne would not have obtained the level of fame that he did without Yakima Canutt doubling for him in all those nail biting wagon chases and so on. Those guys were true bad asses!
This video really changed my perspective on westerns. All the comparisons to superhero movies today is all about how westerns died out due to over-saturation, but the way you put it, westerns are a genre that only makes us want them more when there is a drought of them.
Big fan of the western genre here. Grew up watching John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movies with my grandfather whenever I’d visit him. I also remember my Dad watching Tombstone (one of my favorite movies ever) with me for the first time. Then when they came out, games like Red Dead 1 and 2 allowed me to live out my Wild West fantasies in spectacular fashion. Westerns desperately need a revival. They need to make a comeback in our entertainment industry. They’re as important to American culture as the Samurai are to Japanese culture, Knights to European culture, or Vikings to Norse culture. A more recent Western film that I thoroughly enjoyed, much to my surprise, was The Magnificent Seven with Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt. Great movie.
I'm actually a little disappointed that 1995's "The Quick and the Dead" wasn't mentioned. The only thing I would have changed in that movie was that I'd never have given the main character a name; she would have only been called "The Lady." Otherwise, it was actually a pretty cool combination of mostly Western and Revenge flick with almost an entire pinch of surrealism thrown in. The sun shining through a bullet hole in Gene Hackman was pretty awesome, and, if you want to give a grunt before an actress's name, Sharon Stone would certainly qualify. It was also a movie that allowed a woman to be a "strong, independent female" without having to neuter the male characters or make her character an emotionless, bitchy plank of wood.
It was equal parts Stone & Russell Crowe
The Quick and the Dead got mocked by critics, but it was fun, and better than the majority of modern fare.
that movie always made me feel like I was watching some weird Japanese movie. the camera work, the pacing its very japanese for some reason. that and the characters being so over the top.
@@thh420 That's the Sam Raimi effect.
It’s a feminist movie. Wouldn’t feel out of place now
Growing up in the 70s without a father or any positive role models John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and James Arness were the examples I tried to follow. I won't claim I turned out perfect but I did a damn cite better than the fatherless boys who grew up in gangs.
James Arness reminds me of my late grandfather a lot who was a big fan of the Western too. Watching Gunsmoke reruns is like having my grandpa around again so that's just one reason I like that show.
hopefully you didn't try to follow in the footsteps of Clint Eastwood's character from the High Plains Drifter
So, what was your opinion on Netflix's western short-stories movie The Ballad of Buster Scruggs?
I loved how well it represented the genre by telling what were essentially Aesop's Fables of the late 1800's.
Godless was fantastic.
Ol’Henry was surprisingly good! My wife asked if I was interested in it one night, so we rented it. When we started watching it I thought it was going to be awful. Just a few minutes in and it already piqued my interest. Fast forward half way through and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. By the end of the movie, I had to go get my own copy.
I recommend it to anyone. I absolutely loved this movie! I wonder if Razor has seen it or not?
@@dixiesixx7679 Yeah the whole town full of 'strong independant women' thing killed it for me.
I think the Coen Brothers have a good understanding and respect for the genre, since a lot of their films have a distinctly Western feel to them.
@@thomaslamb8635 I was curious and interested from the trailer, I've always been a big fan of Tim Blake Nelson. But when the reveal of who Henry was happened, I was all in, no question.
Razor always hit the nail with his takes.
The most accurate aim of the Western side of the UA-cam.
"Quigley Down Under" is one of the best westerns ever put to film.
Another cult classic Western series Razor didn’t mention: Longmire.
Classic Western trappings, police procedural format, and a stellar cast of characters. Unceremoniously canceled by AMC because it wasn’t popular with the right demo, but got to finish up on Netflix and not be tainted by the company’s modern-day woke BS.
Yeah, I enjoyed the tv show. And I'm not one for westerns. Was awhile before I got into movie westerns, and even then, its certain ones, not the whole genre.
I loved the Longmire series, both book and TV show! It is probably closer to what Rageholic talks about with a definitely procedural police slant to it.
I love Longmire.
I really want his Bronco.. even though gas prices would probably make owning it a pain in the ass.
@@gaslighthotel Its a book too? I better go check it out.
Yes! Excellent show! I'm so glad Netflix finished it.
One of the best Western games I ever played was Call Of Jaurez: Gunslinger...loved the gameplay but the story really threw me for a loop towards the end. Seriously amazing. Deserves so much more love than it gets.
I remember thinking that about Super Mario Bros back in the day
Cowboy stories are our knight legends.
Terence Hill's Trinity series is still my favourite western.
You have to admit, for it's outlandish performance, "They call me Trinity" was a fun movie to watch. The one movie that seems to always be left out of the discussion when someone is talking about Westerns is Quigley Down Under. I would rate it in the top 10 of the greatest Westerns of all time. From the change of scenery, the treatment of the natives, down to how under developed the culture and technology was of the time for the location versus what we always saw in a modern Western. We were used to seeing westerns where the modern cartridge was being used, but in Quigley Down Under, they were still using muskets and flintlock pistols. Even in The Good-bad-ugly movie, you see Angel Eyes loading cartridge rounds into his weapon, but if you look closely, the weapon is a cap & ball weapon. When Quigley went to the weapon smith to get more ammo, he even had to explain to the weapon smith that he could use a older French rifle ammo to substitute for parts needed. It was little details like this, that separated it from a subpar western to a great western. You can even see it in Quigley's saddle, an American Western style saddle, versus the Australian Saddles and English Saddles used by everyone else. (English saddles don't have a horn on them).