5 Westerns That You Shouldn’t Watch As a Genre Novice

Developed into a hit genre in the 20th century, the Western hasn’t seen a significant downfall in its popularity ever since, especially with Taylor Sheridan remaining on the forefront with several ongoing Western-y series.

Such movies and shows have been long considered compelling enough to become a timeless classic that helped the genre’s masters like Clint Eastwood or Sergio Leone rise to a new stardom.

This, however, doesn’t mean that the Western, just like any other cinema genre, doesn’t have at least a couple of films that are a complicated thing for beginners to grasp.

If you’re about to be a fan of movies like this and are just getting started with Westerns, you better remove these flicks from your watchlist until you get too perplexed with everything going on on the screen.

High Plains Drifter (1973)

Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter might be one of the top movies for those who spent years getting into the world of Westerns, but quite a weird story for viewers who aren’t that sophisticated in the genre’s quirky traits.

This film in particular drives far away from a common representation of a Western hero on the screen, seeing Eastwood portraying a cruel and morally ambiguous lead character with a dark past, which isn’t quite what you expect from a noble man saving the world on his ranch horse.

Dead Man (1995)

This movie might be a tempting piece, considering Dead Man is helmed by Jim Jarmusch and led by Johnny Depp, but its inner themes might be way too distracting for those who just wanted another intriguing Western-y story.

Despite gaining some influence from all-time Western classics like The Searchers or Shane, Dead Man is full of metaphorical notions, combined with intertwined storylines of drug use, psychedelia and poesy, let alone some abstract references that might just be too hard to comprehend.

Bone Tomahawk (2015)

The Kurt Russell-led movie isn’t something for amateurs either, as the seemingly Western story quickly goes all the way down to horror, unraveling the harsh truth that many might get uncomfortable with during the first watch.

Bone Tomahawk is still one of the genre’s best takes in modern cinema, though you might want to spend some time getting to know other less violent flicks before feeling entirely ready for this one, colliding Russell’s Sheriff Franklin Hunt with something so eerie that it’s likely to change the entire perspective.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Directed by Western legend Sergio Leone, Once Upon a Time in the West became the highest point of the director’s career, and that’s the main reason why you should leave the movie for later.

After helming a bunch of other great Western films, like the famous Dollars Trilogy with Clint Eastwood in the leading role, Leone has mastered his directorial skills, proving it in Once Upon a Time in the West that became one of his last projects.

For those who are just starting their journey across the Western universe, the best option in this case might be Leone’s Dollars Trilogy which comprises classic movies like A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Unforgiven (1992)

Another hit movie directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven might have a history compelling enough for beginners, considering that it won in the Best Picture category at the Oscars ceremony back in 1993.

However, it’s a storyline way too complicated for those who aren’t yet familiar with Eastwood’s previous work on the genre.

Unforgiven’s plot line is directly connected to the actor-director’s other movies like Shane, The Searchers or The Wild Bunch, and continues building a specific revenge story you just won’t be able to grasp correctly without seeing the previous installments first.