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The Western Rides Again: The Genre’s Exciting 21st Century Revival

The Western Rides Again: The Genre’s Exciting 21st Century Revival

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Courtesy of Focus Features

40. The Kid (2019)

Courtesy of Lionsgate Films

39. Chaos Walking (2021)

Courtesy of Lionsgate Films

38. For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada (2012)

Courtesy of ARC Entertainment

37. Brimstone (2016)

Courtesy of Momentum Pictures

36. The Longest Ride (2015)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

35. The Last Stand (2013)

Courtesy of Lionsgate Films

34. Frontera (2014)

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

33. Woman Walks Ahead (2017)

Courtesy of A24

32. Free State of Jones (2016)

Courtesy of STX Entertainment

31. The Keeping Room (2014)

Courtesy of Drafthouse Films

30. The Wind (2018)

Courtesy of IFC Midnight

29. In a Valley of Violence (2016)

Courtesy of Focus World

28. The Beguiled (2017)

Courtesy of Focus Features

27. Forsaken (2015)

Courtesy of Momentum Pictures

26. The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017)

Courtesy of A24

25. The Dressmaker (2016)

Courtesy of Broad Green Pictures

24. The Homesman (2014)

Courtesy of Roadside Attractions

23. The Hero (2017)

Courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment

22. The Highwaymen (2019)

Courtesy of Netflix

21. Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013)

Courtesy of IFC Films

20. Meek's Cutoff (2010)

Courtesy of Oscilloscope

19. The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

18. Hostiles (2017)

Courtesy of Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures

17. The Sisters Brothers (2018)

Courtesy of Annapurna Distribution

16. Let Him Go (2020)

Courtesy of Focus Features

15. Rango (2011)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

14. The Hateful Eight (2015)

Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

13. First Cow (2019)

Courtesy of A24

12. Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Courtesy of RLJ Entertainment

11. The Power of the Dog (2021)

Courtesy of Netflix

10. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Courtesy of Netflix

9. The Revenant (2015)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

8. News of the World (2020)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

7. Lucky (2017)

Courtesy of Eureka Entertainment

6. The Rider (2017)

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

5. Wind River (2017)

Courtesy of Ascot Elite Entertainment Group

4. Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

3. True Grit (2010)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

2. Hell or High Water (2016)

Courtesy of Lionsgate

1. Django Unchained (2012)

Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

40. The Kid (2019)
39. Chaos Walking (2021)
38. For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada (2012)
37. Brimstone (2016)
36. The Longest Ride (2015)
35. The Last Stand (2013)
34. Frontera (2014)
33. Woman Walks Ahead (2017)
32. Free State of Jones (2016)
31. The Keeping Room (2014)
30. The Wind (2018)
29. In a Valley of Violence (2016)
28. The Beguiled (2017)
27. Forsaken (2015)
26. The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017)
25. The Dressmaker (2016)
24. The Homesman (2014)
23. The Hero (2017)
22. The Highwaymen (2019)
21. Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013)
20. Meek's Cutoff (2010)
19. The Magnificent Seven (2016)
18. Hostiles (2017)
17. The Sisters Brothers (2018)
16. Let Him Go (2020)
15. Rango (2011)
14. The Hateful Eight (2015)
13. First Cow (2019)
12. Bone Tomahawk (2015)
11. The Power of the Dog (2021)
10. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
9. The Revenant (2015)
8. News of the World (2020)
7. Lucky (2017)
6. The Rider (2017)
5. Wind River (2017)
4. Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
3. True Grit (2010)
2. Hell or High Water (2016)
1. Django Unchained (2012)

The Hollywood movie industry offers viewers an array of genres. From drama, comedy, and mystery to action, romance, and thriller. Not everyone may like all genres but certain ones are generally more appreciated than others. Historically, Westerns have been very popular in the United States, a genre that has been around since the beginning of filmdom. The first film, "The Great Train Robbery," released in 1903, is said to be the start of this style.

Westerns enjoyed prominence and favor with audiences in the Silent Film Era through the 1940s and 1960s, often referred to as the Golden Age of the Western. But as the 1960s came to a close, the genre's popularity dropped significantly. It didn't fare any better in the 1970s or 1980s. Yet, thanks in part to streaming platforms and the availability of older movies, in the '90s the genre began to make a comeback.

Some of these movies are based on true crimes or people, like movies about Wild West gang members, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Other movies focused on fictional stories that fit for the time, such as "True Grit" which gives us the character of Rooster Cogburn, a lawman determined to seek justice for a murder after a young teen asks for his help. (Meet some of the greatest Western characters.)

To determine the best Westerns in modern cinema, 24/7 Tempo developed an index of movies using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of March 2024, weighting all ratings equally.Only Western films released since 2010 with at least 5,000 ratings on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes were considered (documentaries were omitted).

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