5 Lesser-Known Modern Westerns for Those Who've Seen 'The Hateful Eight' a Hundred Times
It's time to explore uncharted territories.
We've compiled a list of five little-known modern Westerns that true connoisseurs will appreciate. The movies range from slow-paced neo-noirs on the frontier to psychological dramas under the scorching sun.
These movies prove that the spirit of the Wild West still haunts the big screen – you just have to look a little harder to find it.
5. 'The Dark Valley', 2014
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%
A mysterious stranger with a camera arrives in a remote Alpine village. The locals greet him with distrust, but the Brenner family immediately turns a blind eye to his presence.
The traveler has promised them a substantial sum for the opportunity to stay in the village for the winter.
The Brenner family, the father and his six sons, are the scourge of the area – they have terrorized the entire village for a long time. The scoundrels pay no attention to the photographer until the Brenners begin to die under mysterious circumstances, one after another.
4. 'The Magnificent Seven', 2016
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%
Seven brave men gather in the small town of Rose Creek. Their leader, Sam, has united these men, who are very different yet equally noble, for one goal: to protect the town's dispossessed residents from Bartholomew Bogue's gang.
Bogue has long terrorized Rose Creek's population, buying off lawmen and killing dissenters. However, when Bogue realizes that the town now has protectors, he returns with an entire army.
Antoine Fuqua's movie is a notable remake of John Sturges's 1960 Western of the same name. That film, in turn, was an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 drama, Seven Samurai.
3. 'Killing Faith', 2025
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%
Sarah, a former slave, gives birth to a white girl named Faith. The child possesses a terrifying gift – she can kill with a single touch. Sarah believes that Faith is cursed and that only a healer can help her.
Dr. Bender is the only one who agrees to help the family. He believes Faith can be cured with medicine and sets off with Sarah on a dangerous journey to see a shaman.
Killing Faith doesn't attempt to reimagine the genre's canon – it's a straightforward B-movie from the 1990s.
2. 'Meek's Cutoff', 2010
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
In the mid-19th century, a group of settlers set out on a dangerous journey across the prairie in search of fertile land. They hired Stephen Meek as their guide because he claimed to know a shortcut.
However, it soon becomes clear that Meek is lost. Surrounded only by the scorching sun and wild fields, the weary settlers must struggle to find water and food in the wilderness.
Unlike typical Westerns with shootouts and duels, Meek's Cutoff is a meditative chronicle of survival in a harsh natural environment. The movie focuses on both the agonizingly long journey and the psychology of the characters.
1. 'Never Grow Old', 2019
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
Patrick is a carpenter and undertaker who lives in a small town and dreams of a quiet life. His peace is shattered by the arrival of a group of brutal mercenaries led by Albert. They kill townspeople and force them to live in fear.
Patrick finds himself drawn into a confrontation with the thugs – first out of fear, and then to protect his family and loved ones.
This brutal, dark Western has little Wild West romance, only blood, moral choices, and the weight of responsibility for loved ones' lives.
