10 unconventional Westerns that are completely unique

Any given movie may have a strict number of requirements to qualify as a WestBut for as narrow a scope as the genre has, many unique films in it are able to stand out for their uniqueness. Westerns are characterized by their themes of isolation, revenge and lawlessness, typically using familiar characters such as the lone gunslinger and taking place in the American Wild West. Although the tropes that define the western genre may seem to limit the films to a fairly standard procedure, Some notable Westerners manage to break the mold in fascinating ways.

The few Westerns that manage to stand out in their uniqueness do so in several ways. Some of them break the conventional story beats of the more classic Western films by introducing plot elements or thematic tones that may seem foreign or unheard of in the genre. Others use mash-ups with other genres or unorthodox filming techniques that keep them on a unique visual wavelength unmatched by their peers.

10

Hearts of the West

A hilarious dissection of Western tropes

Surprisingly, many films have tried to cross-breed the cool sensibilities of the typical Western with the wacky hi-jinks of the average comedy. Even better when The comedy is used as a platform to humorously dissect all the specific clichés inherent to the genrePoking fun at its predecessors.

One of the earliest, and to this day, most successful attempts at this sort of genre-splitting film is hearts of the west, A 1975 comedy starring Jeff Bridges and Andy Griffith. Weaponizing big names that are quite familiar cultural touchstones in the same American cultural zeitgeist Westerns inhabit, Hearts of the West Manages to fire off some clever jokes.

Bridges stars as an aspiring Western novelist hoping to immerse himself in the culture of the American West to improve his writing, only to be caught in an altercation with a pair of dangerous thieves, winding up on the set of a Western movie. Although it was a box office bomb at the time of its release, Hearts of the West has since become a fondly-remembered gem.

9

Bone tomahawk

A chilling slasher film in a cowboy hat

diametrically opposite Hearts of the West On the gradient spectrum of tone that exists in the Western genre sits Bone tomahawk. A rare Western horror, Bone tomahawk Starring Kurt Russell as a small-town sheriff who leads a rescue party hoping to retrieve three townspeople who have been kidnapped by a corrupt tribe of cannibals. What follows is a maddening descent into the depths of human evil that few straight horror films have been able to replicate, let alone among the smattering of horror westerns that exist.

Bone tomahawk Has a slow-burn pace on par with iconic inspirations like the searchers, But where it stands out is in its sheer brutality. With one of the most gory movie details recently set to screen, the strong cast of Bone tomahawk Convincingly portray The twisted atrocities that come with living on the edge of human civilization. There are few cinematic experiences available quite like it Bone tomahawk.

8

Sergeant Rutledge

Broken New Ground explores difficult racial themes in Westerns

If there’s one element that makes many modern audiences squeal in the face of classic Western existence, it’s the delicate racial implications at play for the genre’s rough setting. From the vicious portrayal of Native American tribes like Bone tomahawkFrom fictional troglodytes to the proximity of the time period to the American Civil War and chattel slavery, the very setting of the West is involved in some difficult conversations.

Fortunately, brilliant movies like Sergeant Rutledge Be able to address the topics with common sense. One of the earliest American films to frankly portray racism on screen, let alone among Westerns, Sergeant Rutledge Centers on the titular soldier, a black sergeant in the US Army.

Not only is Sergeant Rutledge Unique among Westerns for its subject matter, but it also blends the typical sensibility of the formula with that of a court drama, with the protagonist’s desperate attempts to prove Rutledge’s innocence forming the crux of the action. for be Cultural meaning and format, Sergeant Rutledge is one-of-a-kind.

7

Rango

Gore Verbinski’s animated opus

One of Gore Verbinski’s greatest films of Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy fame, Rango is a true four-quadrant western that stands out for its tone and artistic flair. The animated picture stars Johnny Depp as A pet chameleon posing as something of a thespian who adopts the persona of the lone gunslinger Rango When he finds himself stranded in a strange town inhabited by desert creatures in the Mojave.

The eccentric reptile soon falls into a conspiracy of the city government, which may be behind the citizens’ suffering in the wake of a vicious drought. On the surface, Johnny Depp’s goofball antics in Rango Make the film enjoyable as a screwball comedy, enhanced by the dazzlingly realistic CGI animation.

But beneath the surface, A poignant message of discovery, loyalty, and the impact of a legacy Ride a truly epic odyssey through the film’s unique, animal-populated world. No film manages to blend technically family-friendly animation, humor, epic storytelling and Western sensibilities. Rango Tut, an unholy concoction of elements that somehow work brilliantly together.

6

Wild Wild West

Will Smith’s fascinating blockbuster failure

As long as Westerns have dominated the box office in recent years, it seems unlikely that a cinematic franchise on the level of The matrix could ever exist in the genre. That’s exactly what Hollywood lover Will Smith bet on when he famously refused to star in the Wachowski sisters’ sci-fi epic. Wild Wild West.

A steampunk alternate history “Weird West” storyThe film stars Smith as a US citizen. it. Secret Service agent who, along with his partner, is tasked with tracking down some missing scientists by President Ulysses Sh. Grant. Even if it remains an infamous critical and business failure, Wild Wild WestIts mistakes are so intriguing that it still holds some value for its sheer uniqueness.

The steampunk setting is quite novel for a big-budget film, and from the choice to have Kevin Kline star in a dual role for no reason at all to the giant mechanical spider that makes up the action climax, the film has no end of weird hooks that ultimately Fizzle. Wild Wild West is also notable for being One of the last films with Smith featuring an original hit song by the actor Explain the story’s events in it.

5

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

A Western anthology one-of-a-kind

One of Netflix’s best original westerns on the streaming service, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Is One of the last feathers in the caps of the legendary director duo, the Coen brothers. The movie, an anthology film, is a collection of several short stories, all set in or around the Old American West.

Over all of them, the Coen brothers’ signature dark sense of humor, clever and creative gunplay, and thoughtful dissections of human nature run rampant. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is named for his most famous short, starring the eponymous singer/gunslinger on a series of Bugs Bunny-style comedy antics against various thugs.

From there, the vignettes of the film become darker, but also more sensitive, and throw out all sorts of central stories that could only be told as Western. for His narrative format, striking sense of humor, and beautiful statements of the spirit of the West, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Set herself apart from her peers in the genre, while still paying homage to them.

4

dust devil

A British horror film steeped in Western blood

Despite how ubiquitous the West is with the United States and the turn-of-the-century concept of the future of employment, Western tropes can just as easily be applied to other countries. As long as a nation has transformed desert landscapes and a tumultuous period of history marked by lawlessness, they can also inspire a great west, as evidenced by dust devil

Another horror western, the film follows a lonely drifter in the vast sun-baked plains of Namibia. Hunted by police for his supposed involvement in a crude supernatural ritual. in dust devil, The terrors that haunt traditional African folklore are very real, creating a uniquely eerie atmosphere that a normal western movie sun can beat down on.

The film stands out for its hallucinogenic visuals, trapping its tough protagonist in a dizzying expanse of visual unrest. in many ways, dust devil Bites off more than it can chew with intellectual earring saddled with traditional spooky horror beats, but is at least an intriguingly unique picture with an unheard of vision.

3

Westveld

Blending science fiction and western in a unique way

It is not unheard of for science fiction stories to be married to Western images and thematic ideals, with triumphs like The Mandalorian Make the most out of the staples of the genre. However, few movies manage to straddle both worlds as fruitfully as the original Westworld.

Not to be confused with the heady HBO drama series of the same name, the 1973 film by sci-fi author Michael Crichton explores A future in which humans have created amazingly life-like androids For paying patrons to indulge their fantasies in a cowboy-themed amusement park. As a theatrical film debut, Westworld is quite an impressive showing for Crichton, demonstrating that he is capable of pondering deeper sci-fi concepts in a visual medium.

Yul Brynner’s terrifying gunslinger android is an unstoppable sci-fi villain On the same level as the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Flanked by equally ground-breaking special effects. Westworld It asks an interesting question that sets it apart from other Westerns – even if people indulge their worst impulses in a way that doesn’t technically harm anyone, what is the disturbing basis that drives those desires?

2

Dead man

The Trippiest Cinematic Journey Through the West Around

Adventurous romps with Gore Verbinski in Rango And The Lone Ranger Are not Johnny Depp’s only encounters with the Western genre. Enter dead man, A strikingly unique film that is One of the only experiences that could accurately be called an “acid west”. The film stars Depp as William Blake, a nebulous accountant on the run after killing a man in self-defense.

Soon, Blake meets a Native American spirit leader called “Nobody” who believes him to be a reincarnation of the famous poet of the same name, William Blake. Ignoring the eclectic history, dead manThe presentation is what really sets it apart from its peers in the genre. Shot in black-and-white and accompanied by a dazzling improvised guitar soundtrack by Neil Young, few other movies look and sound quite like Dead man.

The narrative is also quite steeped in William Blake’s poetry, with the fact of the plot shifting to accommodate visuals indicative of his most famous poems. Between its hallucinogenic visuals and Thoughtful Native American representation, Dead man Stands alone, almost in its own genre.

1

Cowboys & Aliens

An oddly fascinating clash of genres

One of the more forgotten entries in the filmography of Jon Favreau, better known for eleven, iron man And The Mandalorian, Cowboys and Aliens is a charming modern B-lot like no other. The aptly-named film does exactly what it advertises on the tin, pitting Some classic gritty gunslinger cowboy archetypes against an alien invasion.

Mixing extraterrestrial experiences with the American West like oil and water, Cowboys vs. Aliens It may not be the most impressive Western, but it is certainly unique in its ambitions. The film’s ridiculous premise makes the appearance of stars like Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford almost feel like culture whiplash, doubly so due to the fact that their performances here are some of their best.

This is something of a running theme for cowboys and aliens, As the film does a clumsy job managing the two different tones that come with its opposing forces. In recent years, Jordan Peele’s No Could have done a better job marriage West Aesthetics to ominous alien threats.