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Sergio Leone, the legendary director behind classics like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, was a huge fan of films that explored the themes of the wild west.

Not surprisingly, all five of his favourite films are either westerns or films that share the same spirit. One of his top picks is Akira Kurosawa’s 1961 samurai classic Yojimbo. The story follows a clever samurai who arrives in a town divided by two rival criminal gangs. Instead of picking a side, he plays both gangs against each other to help the townspeople.

Leone admired the movie so much that it led to a lawsuit with Kurosawa, who famously said that...

Taiwan’s Golden Horse Film Project Promotion has unveiled its most international lineup to date, revealing film and series projects that underscore the growing appetite for cross-border collaborations in Asian cinema.

The 2025 selection comprises 50 film projects — 38 new developments (Fpp) and 12 works-in-progress (Wip) — plus 14 series projects announced earlier. Among the projects: 22 international co-productions that span territories from Japan and South Korea to Malaysia, France and the U.K., setting a new record for the event.

The slate reflects contemporary trends while showcasing returning Golden Horse Award winners alongside emerging voices exploring themes from LGBTQ+ identity to Indigenous culture, AI technology and cross-generational family dynamics.

Several Golden Horse veterans return with new projects. Wei Te-sheng, director of “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale,” presents “Mount Sancha,” described as a rescue mission examining history and ethnic conflicts.

Geng Jun, helmer of “Bel Ami,” teams with Golden Horse Best Actor winner Zhang Zhiyong for dark comedy “Born After,...

Legendary thrash metal act Testament have announced a new album titled Para Bellum, set for release October 10th via Nuclear Blast Records. Ahead of the LP’s arrival, the band has unleashed the lead single “Infanticide A.I.”

The album marks the band’s 14th studio effort overall, and first since 2020’s Titans of Creation. Para Bellum also marks the debut of new drummer Chris Dovas, who’s had the daunting task of following legendary stickmen Dave Lombardo and Gene Hoglan in Testament.

Guitarist Eric Peterson stated, “It’s been 5 years since our last record Titans of Creation was released. Since then, we all waited to get back to it...

“Night Always Comes” (2025) is the feature film debut of director Benjamin Carson, a veteran of international television, whose credits include standout episodes of “Andor,” “Sherlock,” “The Crown,” and “Wallander.” Although television was once thought of as a secondary medium, advances in the “prestige” era have shown that the more interesting, nuanced stories for adult audiences are usually told on the small screen, where franchise worldbuilding and award season fanfare don’t complicate the purity of intentions. Carson is certainly a professional, as “Night Always Comes” has impressive production details, strong performances from A-listers, and a fervent sense of kineticism. It would be hard to find all these within the directorial debut of a less seasoned member of the industry.

Unfortunately, television is also a medium in which filmmakers are assigned to work within an established aesthetic, where they are given stylization notes from showrunners, writers, and production heads that have an endgame in mind.

This article contains spoilers for "Eddington."

Although he's only four films deep into his career, filmmaker Ari Aster has already gained a notorious reputation for the way his work includes a heaping helping of ambiguity. From the mysteries surrounding the Graham family's past in "Hereditary" to the question of what (if anything) is real in "Beau Is Afraid," Aster's movies leave a lot of aspects unexplained by their conclusion. His latest film, "Eddington," is no different in this department. Even though it's set in a more recognizably grounded world than his prior films, it's not for lack of any paranoia-inducing (or paranoia-induced) elements. Aster's earlier films follow a protagonist as they are inexorably drawn into an increasingly hostile and surreal world, and the biggest difference with "Eddington" is that this surreal world just happens to closely resemble our reality from the year 2020 and beyond.

Despite deliberately playing with this political and sociological fire,...

Stars: Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, John Lund, Frank Sinatra, Celeste Holm, Louis Armstrong | Written by John Patrick, Philip Barry | Directed by Charles Walters

In 1940, a trio of future Hollywood Legends would come together to put to screen a romantic comedy that would be forever regarded as one of the greatest romcoms ever. Of course, I am talking about The Philadelphia Story. Just a short 16 years later, in 1956, MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) decided to remake the classic, but with an interesting twist. They decided to hire two of the most popular crooners and a future princess and rename the films High Society.

Next year (2026), High Society will be celebrating its 70th anniversary. But before we get to that date, Warner Archive Collection have restored and released this classic musical on 4k/Blu-ray combo pack.

Legendary Louis Armstrong as himself, plays his trumpet and narrates in prose and song the peccadillos of his songwriter friend C.

In the early days of Hollywood, Westerns dominated the box office. Shootouts and horse chases were exciting to watch and easy to understand without dialogue during the silent movie era. Audiences were drawn to stories of brave cowboys and mustache-twirling villains because, in times like the Great Depression when hope was hard to find, they could escape into uplifting tales of a hero winning the day. Then, after World War II, in the 1950s, the U.S. emerged as a mighty force to be reckoned with. We had conquered the frontier and helped defeat the Nazis. As such, Westerns became more popular than ever because they reflected our national identity, which was built on a clear good versus evil narrative.

However, the Western genre took a different path when Americans no longer felt that swell of pride in their country. While there are some exceptions, in the 1960s and 1970s...

In between looking after the well-being of the nation and forging strong relationships overseas, the President of the United States sometimes finds a few spare hours to catch a flick. Luckily, they don't need to catch a motorcade down to the local multiplex and queue up like the rest of us. Instead, there is a small movie theater in the East Wing of White House where the President can enjoy a movie with his family and guests. Harry Truman was a fan of "My Darling Clementine" while John F. Kennedy preferred the adventures of James Bond in "Dr. No." More recently, Bill Clinton loved "High Noon" so much that he screened the classic Western 20 times during his residency at the White House. He also had some very positive things to say about another more contemporary movie directly related to his day job: Wolfgang Petersen's "In the Line of Fire.

Casting Beau Bridges and Jason Ritter as father-and-son attorneys on “Matlock” was a stroke of genius — and perhaps an inevitability. Both were born into performing families; Bridges is the son of Lloyd and brother to Jeff Bridges. Ritter is the grandson of Tex Ritter and son of the late John Ritter, who, ironically, was often mistaken for Beau Bridges during his early career, even to the point where people asked him to sign the wrong headshot.

The two actors have even shared a role: Ritter participated in a 2007 reading of the play “The Trial of the Catonsville Nine,” taking on the part that Beau had originated in 1971. While Bridges had a different part at the reading, it was there that the two actors first met in person.

Now, the legacy actors are sharing scenes in the CBS hit, created by Jennie Snyder Urman and starring Kathy Bates as the eponymous attorney,...

For better or worse, John Wayne, also known as The Duke, became a cinematic symbol of the jingoistic ideals of the American West: rugged individualism, Manifest Destiny, and hypermasculine law and order. With over 100 films to his name and a career that spans five decades, these six films you should see at least once because they not only represent the sheer enormity of John Wayne's star power and why he has become synonymous with the Western genre, but are also foundational works of film history. John Wayne's career is a compelling way to observe the early days of Hollywood under the studio system, a pivotal period in cinema that has inspired generations of future directors.

John Wayne's staunch conservative politics were often questionable. He was a fervent supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committee (Huac), the infamous witch hunt of leftist artists. In 1968, he released "The Green Berets," a propaganda...

Warning: There will be spoilers for "Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld".

The second half of "Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld" concerns itself with the origins of Cad Bane, the Duros bounty hunter who became one of the most ruthless and notorious guns for hire in that galaxy far, far away.

In the first installment we see him and his friend Niro scratching out a living on the street. Orphaned before they could remember their parents, Cad (then going by the name Colby) and Niro would pull small con jobs and steal food where they could. This drew the attention of a gangster who thought the kids might be useful, and he immediately put them to work as a distraction while he pulled off a mafia-style hit. In fact, the first episode of Cad Bane's arc has all the feeling of the Robert DeNiro scenes in "The Godfather Part II."

Unfortunately,...

When the “Tales” mini-series started to air every May the 4th, they felt like a gimmick to give the Lucasfilm Animation team a chance to revisit their favorite characters. In the years since, several of these shows have popped up, but with each year, Lucasfilm and the animation team push the boundaries of what is possible within their aesthetic and storytelling choices. With Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld, they may have cracked the code for the best kinds of stories, with two of the best Dave Filoni-era characters the galaxy has ever seen. With two more phenomenal stories for Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane, Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld represents a new high watermark for the animated mini-series.

Related: Star Wars: Tales of the Empire Review: 6 Episodes of Brilliant Animation But Lackluster Stories Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld — The Plot

Two of the best characters from...

Gary Cooper was a two-time Oscar winner who starred in dozens of movies before his death in 1961, but how many of those titles remain classics? Let's take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1901, Cooper got his start in silent movies, most notably the aerial drama "Wings" (1927), which won the very first Academy Award as Best Picture. He would collect his own statuette as Best Actor for another WWI film: the biographical drama "Sergeant York" (1941). Directed by Howard Hawks, it helped create Cooper's screen persona of an ordinary man capable of extraordinary courage in the face of adversity.

He won a second Best Actor trophy for playing a similar character in Fred Zinnemann's western "High Noon" (1952), which cast him as a retired marshal who must stand up to a gang of killers arriving on the noon train. Cooper earned additional nominations for similarly idealistic,...

Gary Cooper is now the pride of the Southampton Playhouse. The iconic actor, whose career spanned roles in “The Pride of the Yankees,” “Ball of Fire,” and “High Noon,” will now posthumously receive the honor of having an annual film festival in his name.

IndieWire can announce that the recently reopened Southampton Playhouse will have its inaugural Gary Cooper Festival from May 9 to May 11. The first annual Gary Cooper Festival takes place on the actor’s birthday week, celebrating Cooper’s history in Southampton. The late two-time Academy Award-winning actor rests at Southampton Cemetery since his death in 1961.

“Cooper’s filmography provides a template not only for first-rate screen acting, but the enduring power of the movies themselves,” Southampton Playhouse Artistic Director (and former IndieWire editor) Eric Kohn said. “Cinema is a portal to learn more about the world around us, and Gary Cooper’s rich filmography will provide us...

When you think of old-fashioned movie stars, few people are more apt to come to mind than Gary Cooper. Cooper was the embodiment of his name: a solid, straightforward presence who captured audience attention for decades. His career spanned from 1925 to 1961, and his legacy lives on more than sixty years later through his roles in classics like "The Pride of the Yankees," "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," and other Old Hollywood titles. Though he passed in 1961, Cooper's legend is such that he's never really left our minds, even as an avatar of old-fashioned masculinity without seeming a bit outsized or exaggerated. Cooper was a quintessentially American star, having won two Best Actor Oscars during his life as well. One of those Oscars was for the early-1940s title "Sergeant York," but it's the other film he won for that we'll discuss today.

As many classics as Cooper has, just one...

Picture the scene: You've been dating this great person for a while and it's time to find out whether they're a keeper. One night over cheeseburgers and vanilla Cokes you decide to pop the question: "Hey, do you like 'Rio Bravo?'" By his own admission, that was a criteria for a successful relationship in director Quentin Tarantino's younger years and he has called Howard Hawks' classic western of the greatest hang-out movies of all time. Depending on your point of view, spending two hours hanging out with John Wayne might not sound like the most appealing prospect, but there is little denying he was a screen icon despite his personal flaws. In "Rio Bravo," we find the Duke at his most engaging and charismatic, and the movie was so successful that it launched an unofficial trilogy.

Released in 1959, "Rio Bravo" was born out of Howard Hawks and...

As with fellow legendary families like the Barrymores and Fondas, the Bridges are undeniably acting royalty in Tinseltown, with father Lloyd Bridges trailblazing his way in the entertainment industry and sons Beau and Jeff following in his talented footsteps. The big and small-screen star appeared in over 150 feature films throughout his more than 50 years in the business, starring in a slew of hits like Sahara, High Noon, Airplane!, and Hotshots! (among countless others) and programs including Sea Hunt and The Lloyd Bridges Show during his sensational career. In 1965, Bridges continued his television takeover when he headlined the shamefully underrated Western The Loner.

Created by trailblazing producer and screenwriter Rod Serling, the mastermind behind the groundbreaking sci-fi horror series The Twilight Zone, The Loner focused on former American Civil War soldier William Colton as he sets out on a treacherous quest across the country to start a new life and is...

While audiences typically associate the Western genre with lone gunslingers like Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name, it also has a rich history of team-up stories. With countless stories focusing on the work of iconic lawmen, bounty hunters, and gangs of outlaws, these movies typically explore themes of revenge and friendship. These movies have proven every bit as influential and enduring as others, allowing for comedy and levity in a way lone gunfighter movies don't.

Team-up Westerns have brought the genre some of its best ensemble casts, with stars like Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, and Charlie Sheen stepping into the role of gunslinger. While these movies don't always receive the box office success they deserve, they have brought a unique dynamic and sense of adventure to the genre. From John Wayne classics to '80s buddy movies, these all deserve a look.

Silverado Is An '80s Classic 1985

Silverado...

Best Actor Oscar Winners List (Photo Credit – Instagram/Wikipedia)

The Academy Awards have long vaunted acting titans, and a rare few male actors have commandeered the Best Actor statuette more than once, with Daniel Day-Lewis scaling the peak thrice. From living legends like Tom Hanks to recent winners such as Adrien Brody, 10 men are trailing Day-Lewis’ record. Here is every name with two or more wins in this hallowed category.

1. Daniel Day-Lewis

Sir Daniel Day-Lewis stands alone with three Best Actor Oscars, a feat no other man has matched. His wins were facilitated thanks to dramatic transformations for My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, and Lincoln—roles that exhibit him as an unforgettable chameleon. The Irish actor has retired since 2017’s Phantom Thread, but his five nominations out of fewer than a couple dozen movies certainly make us wonder whether Day-Lewis could come back for that gold once again...

Whenever Roger Ebert saw a limp Hollywood remake of a classic movie, the esteemed film critic used to lament that studios had it all wrong. They shouldn't be redoing movies that were already brilliant, but, rather, revisiting films with promising premises that, for whatever reason, didn't work the first time out. While this may sound like perfectly reasonable advice, studios typically aren't keen to throw money at projects that already failed once. That's how executives get fired.

This is how we get unwanted, undercooked remakes like 2006's "The Omen," 2012's "Total Recall," and 2014's "RoboCop." The originals were smart, zeitgeisty genre flicks from top-notch directors, while the second go-rounds were sweaty retreads with no point of view and, thus, no reason for being -- but at least the execs who greenlit these movies could defend them on the grounds of brand recognition. Had they gone down in flames with a remake of,...

Earning his second Best Actor Oscar 22 years after his first, Adrien Brody entered the history books as the first leading actor to win two statuettes on his first two attempts on Sunday.

He won for his role as an ingenious, haunted architect in Brady Corbet’s epic, following his win in 2003 for Roman Polanski’s biographical World War II drama “The Pianist.”

And by wining Best Actor on Sunday, Brody not only made history but also preserved his place among Oscar milestones. Had 29-year-old Timothée Chalamet won in the category for “A Complete Unknown,” he would have become the youngest Best Actor victor ever, beating Brody’s own record from 2003.

Brody is the 11th leading actor to win twice in the top category.

“Acting is a very fragile profession,” Brody opened his acceptance speech. “It looks very glamorous, and certain moments it is, but the one thing that I’ve...

Winning an Oscar is supposed to be the pinnacle, right? The ultimate stamp of approval, the golden ticket to prestige projects and paychecks. But how could it ever be that simple? There’s a long history of actors who, after basking in the glow of their Academy Award moment, have suddenly found themselves struggling to land roles, battling weird industry backlash, or – if they happen to be a woman – being deemed “too difficult” overnight.

Some just call it the Oscar curse, because Hollywood loves to anoint a star, but it also loves to tear one down. Having said that, there’s a rare breed of actors who not only win an Oscar but do it again. And again. So who are these titans of the Academy, the actors who didn’t just win but kept winning?

Robert De Niro in a still from Taxi Driver | Credits: Columbia Pictures 25. Elizabeth Taylor...

Undeniably, there’s something great about a Western that contains plenty of action or proves exciting to watch. Take a look at something like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, which might have some slower moments in the first half, but eventually takes off and gets pretty relentless as it goes along. High Noon is another classic that wastes very little time pacing-wise, and something like Stagecoach zips by more than most other films of its age.

If you want to get a feel for what cinema was like in a given year, looking at that year's best picture nominees would seem to be a good place to start. After all, only between five and 10 movies have received such a distinction annually, and since people voting work in the entertainment industry themselves, it's understandable they'd choose the cream of the crop, right?

Wrong!

It shouldn't be hard to find at least five amazing films each year, yet every so often, the Academy honors something that wasn't a hit with critics or audiences. People are quick to point out the worst Oscar best picture winners ever, like "Crash" and "Green Book," but when you expand that to nominees, you really wind up with some dreck (with a couple even taking home the big prize). For this list, we took the worst 10 films ever nominated based on their critics' Rotten Tomatoes scores.

The western genre has been a staple of American cinema since almost it's inception, with themes of rugged individualism, the true moral ambiguity of the world, and the vast, untamed frontier where anything can happen for decades. Many iconic films from the genre—The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, High Noon, Stagecoach—remain part of the collective film consciousness. However, countless other westerns, though critically acclaimed or innovative in their own right, have slipped from the spotlight over the generations. These gems, whether due to being overshadowed by their more famous counterparts or simply relegated to obscurity by time, still offer the very best in Western stories, gripping performances, and distinct takes on the mythology of the American Frontier.

The decline in the popularity of traditional westerns in the late 20th century, compounded by the rise of new genres and filmmaking styles, has led to many remarkable films in...

Robert De Niro won his second Oscar in 1981 for playing a boxing champ in Raging Bull. And now he has been chosen as the acting champ when it comes to Academy Awards.

His performance for the Martin Scorsese film from 1980 has been voted the greatest Oscar Best Actor winner ever, according to a Gold Derby ballot cast by 21 of our film experts, critics, and editors, who ranked all 97 male leading actors.

Anthony Hopkins finished second for The Silence of the Lambs (1991), with Marlon Brando following in third for The Godfather (1972). Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood (2007), and Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mockingbird (1961) rounded out the top five.

At the bottom of the list of the Best Actor winners is Warner Baxter for In Old Arizona (1928). George Arliss in Disraeli (1929), Lionel Barrymore for A Free Soul (1930), Paul Lukas for Watch on the Rhine (1942), and Paul Muni for The Story of Louis Pasteur...

Robert De Niro won his second Oscar in 1981 for playing a boxing champ in Raging Bull. And now he has been chosen as the champ of all actors.

His performance for the Martin Scorsese film from 1980 has been voted the greatest Oscar Best Actor winner ever, according to a Gold Derby ballot cast by 21 of our film experts, critics, and editors, who ranked all 97 male leading actors.

Anthony Hopkins ranked second for The Silence of the Lambs (1991), with Marlon Brando following in third for The Godfather (1972). Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood (2007), and Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mockingbird (1961) rounded out the top five.

At the bottom of the list of the Best Actor winners is Warner Baxter for In Old Arizona (1928). Just above that film performance in the rankings are George Arliss in Disraeli (1929), Lionel Barrymore for A Free Soul (1930), Paul Lukas for Watch on the Rhine...

The Western genre is one of the oldest and cherished film genres to ever enter the landscape of cinema and successfully transitioned into the Talkies, only growing immensely popular among movie goers. With a monumental legacy and array of classics such as High Noon, The Searchers and, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the western genre continues to thrive today, inspiring current filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers, who have kept the iconic genre at the forefront of cinema.

In the year without a frontrunner, the doors are still wide open. I’m predicting three films will tie for the most nominations with 10 each: “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez” and “Wicked.”

Jacques Audiard’s crime musical “Emilia Pérez” is poised to dominate, and if it can tack on a tech nom or two, the Netflix film could become the most nominated non-English-language film in history, surpassing “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000) and “Roma” (2018). The streamer’s primary awards pony could potentially go even further. On an ideal nomination day, if it lands nods in all of its “on the bubble” categories — such as cinematography, sound, and two extra bids for supporting actress (Selena Gomez) and original song — it could secure 14 nominations, tying with “All About Eve” (1950), “Titanic” (1997), and “La La Land” (2016) as the most-nominated films of all time. Notably, “La La Land,” also a musical, is the only one to lose the best picture.

Exclusive: Early one morning up in Haddon Hall, a grand Tudor hall in Derbyshire, England, this corpulent, menacing-looking man swathed in a richly brocaded tunic trimmed with fur shuffled over to have a chat with filmmaker Karim Aïnouz and the Oscar-winning actor Alicia Vikander.

I had no idea who he was.

We were on the set of Firebrand, about Henry VIII’s marriage — his sixth and final one — to Katherine Parr.

Jude Law was supposed to join them. “Where is he?” I asked Gabby Tana, Firebrand’s producer.

“He’s in front of you talking to Karim,” Tana responded.

“That’s Jude Law?” I blurted.

Jude Law is bemused when I recount the story

He’s calling me from New York, and when he realizes that I’m in Beverly Hills, his voice breaks as he mentions that he’s been in touch with friends “who have lost everything” in...

Quick Links The 1990s Gave As Much Good As Bad For the Western Genre Ravenous Is A Truly Unique Film Ravenous Is A Great Allegory For Addiction Ravenous Punches Above Its Weight

Since the earliest days of Hollywood, the Western has proven one of the most versatile and enduring genres in film, thanks to classics like The Searchers, High Noon, and the Dollars Trilogy. While many of the films made between the 1930s and 1970s took the genre to its peak, it experienced a notable decline going into the 1980s. As it has become less known to modern audiences, it has also produced some exceptional cult classics -- including a forgotten gem from 1999.

Western movies have found success in blending elements of action, adventure, character study, and even horror and comedy throughout the years. From hilarious parodies like Blazing Saddles to gruesome horrors like Bone Tomahawk, its versatility is matched...

John Wayne was nominated for an Oscar three times across his 50-year career, but he only walked home with one. Wayne starred in around 80 Westerns, so his defining image in pop culture is as a macho, no-nonsense cowboy. This gives a limited view of his range because while he often played variations on the same character, he delivered some layered performances too. The Searchers is Wayne's best and darkest work, while he's genuinely charming in the romantic drama The Quiet Man. Still, Wayne rarely got much respect from the Academy Awards.

Many of the John Wayne/John Ford movie collaborations received great reviews, but somehow, none of the star's Oscar nods came from those films. Wayne also picked up several awards on behalf of other performers, including Gary Cooper for High Noon; this is a little bizarre in hindsight, as Wayne deeply hated High Noon and its moral message. The...

When John Wayne named his personal favorite top five out of the movies he’d starred in, he left out the classic that finally earned him an Academy Award: 1969’s True Grit. Over the course of his legendary, decades-long film career, Wayne starred in some truly great movies. He starred in hits like Big Jake and El Dorado and appeared alongside fellow screen legends in the sprawling ensembles of classic epics like The Longest Day and How the West Was Won.

So, when Wayne was asked to name the best movies he’d starred in, he had a lot of gems to choose from. Wayne co-starred with Jimmy Stewart in the character-driven western drama The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. He made Rio Bravo, one of the greatest hangout movies ever made, as a response to the cowardice displayed by Gary Cooper in High Noon. But surprisingly, when Wayne named his top five,...

Gary Cooper is one of the most enduring and beloved figures in Western cinema, carving out a tenured career that saw him reach the pinnacle of the genre. He was best known for playing heroic roles that are morally complex, which added grandeur and dignity to the roles he portrayed and the films he starred in. Gary Cooper's films highlighted the intricacies of the Western lifestyle on the American frontier, and he cemented his status as a true icon in cinema.

Cooper was an extraordinary acting talent who also starred in many different genres of films, but his most famous works were iconic Westerns like High Noon and The Hanging Tree. His quiet vulnerability and ability to display a vast range of emotions in characters who would usually be played as black-and-white roles, influenced the next generation of both actors and filmmakers. His Westerns have gone down in cinematic history...

Firecreek made it possible for audiences to see what it would have been like had High Noon been a James Stewart Western. Easily one of the most iconic Westerns of all time, High Noon is Gary Cooper's best-known work in Hollywood. Released in 1952, High Noon starred Cooper and Grace Kelly in a Western tale that wound up with a slew of Academy Award nominations and wins.

Directed by Fred Zinnemann, High Noon received praise for its unique take on the Western formula. In the movie, Cooper plays married town marshal Will Kane, who realizes that he's completely on his own against a gang of outlaws. Will's story sees him try to rally the townspeople to help, but his neighbors and friends aren't willing to take a stand. It's a darker look at the setting than many Western movies of the 1950s provided, but the arc it offered to its...

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In the history of the Academy Awards, only 17 Westerns have ever been nominated for Best Picture. A brief list of the nominees: "In Old Arizona" (1928), "Cimarron" (1931), "Viva Villa!" (1934), "Stagecoach" (1939), "The Ox-Bow Incident" (1943), "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948), "High Noon" (1952), "Shane" (1953), "How the West Was Won" (1963), "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969), "Dances with Wolves" (1990), "Unforgiven" (1992), "No Country for Old Men" (2007), "True Grit" (2010), "Django Unchained" (2012), "Hell or High Water" (2016), and "The Power of the Dog" (2021).

Others may be on the border of the genre, like, say, "Brokeback Mountain" or "The Revenant," but the above 17 are indisputable.

The first of those 17 films to win Best Picture was Wesley Ruggles' American history epic "Cimarron," one of the highest-reviewed films of its day. Variety's 1931 review of the film praised it as one of the modern age's great spectacles, a pinnacle of pop filmmaking.

Rotten Tomatoes is an increasingly popular metric for judging whether or not a film is worth an audience's time, carefully curating the opinions of dozens of critics to distill a movie's quality down to an easily digestible score. So, when a film can achieve the incredibly rare 100% score, it's worth taking notice.

There are a number of great Western films that earn the coveted 100% Rotten Tomatoes crown, each providing audiences with an entertaining and powerful portrayal of the Wild Wild West. These films have stood the test of time, widely considered some of the best movies ever made.

Related 10 Best Slow-Burn Westerns, Ranked

Westerns are known for their slower pace and films like Unforgiven and Bone Tomahawk are some of the best slow-burn Westerns.

The First in Clint Eastwood's Dollars Trilogy Is the Best A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

One of the greatest trilogies of all time, Sergio Leone's...

For film fans, the next best thing to actually watching movies is talking about movies. There's not much in this life that's better than having a great conversation about the films that move us, exasperate us, confuse us, and change us. This is probably why we love when celebrities get asked about their own favorite movies, whether they're listing their Letterboxd top four or gushing about their five favorites to Rotten Tomatoes. It's simple: we learn more about people, and love them more, when we get to see them light up talking about the movies they love. Esteemed actor Morgan Freeman has shared his five favorite films with Rotten Tomatoes twice now, and his choices are wide-ranging and unexpected.

The first time the Oscar-winning star of such films as "Million Dollar Baby," "The Dark Knight," and "Driving Miss Daisy" was asked about his all-time favorite movies, in 2011, he dropped a...

John Wayne's career is often viewed through the lens of his outspoken nationalist ideals, which influenced not only his public persona but also his choice of roles. His strong beliefs made him a divisive figure in the politically charged climate of mid-20th-century Hollywood. It wasn't uncommon for Wayne to turn down parts that he deemed unpatriotic. He famously refused an offer to lead the cast in High Noon, for which his replacement, Gary Cooper, snagged an Academy Award. Similarly, when the producers of All the King's Men came knocking, Wayne couldn't stand the script that clashed with his political views, and again, Broderick Crawford walked away with the golden statuette for playing the iconic Willie Stark. Wayne passed on many roles for his beliefs, and collaborators often avoided political discussions with him to sidestep conflict.

The director of Rio Lobo was deeply unhappy with his final John Wayne movie - and wasn't above pointing the blame elsewhere. Rio Bravo was John Wayne's angry response to High Noon because, despite this Gary Cooper Western being acclaimed upon release, Wayne and director Howard Hawks despised its politics. Rio Bravo has celebrity fans like Quentin Tarantino and John Carpenter and is now just as well regarded as High Noon. The film wasn't intended to lead to a trilogy of movies either, but Wayne and Hawks kept going back to the same well.

The Rio Bravo movie trilogy is an unofficial one, since the three films aren't direct sequels. Instead, they remix the same themes, characters and scenarios, often involving a heroic figure played by Wayne being besieged by killers in an isolated town. The final entry Rio Lobo landed with a thud in 1970, receiving tepid reviews and bombing financially.

Westerns have one of the deepest and more storied cinematic histories of any genre, producing timeless classics that can be endlessly rewatched. Tales of old-school frontier conflicts, visuals of dusty landscapes, and a catalog of the best Western villains, heroes, and morally complex characters who envelop the ideals of the old West. Over time, filmmakers seek to make use of these tried and tested tropes and plot remakes of some old favorites to put a fresh spin or new idea on a traditional story.

It's these overarching themes that make Western filmmakers have a penchant for remakes, with films like Stagecoach and 3:10 to Yuma providing perfect narratives and premises to build and create a fresh perspective and feel. From robberies and character studies to showdowns and revenge, adding new techniques, advances in technology, and modern filming and production practices to use in works that pay tribute but also differentiate themselves from the original classics.

Clint Eastwood might've appeared in 14 films after "Unforgiven" but his Oscar-winning directorial effort really does feel like a fond farewell to the genre that defined his career in front of the camera. For many, his stint as Will Munny, a worn down gunman making one last stand, sits as one of his finest and he could've hung up his acting hat for good there and then in one of the best Western movies of all time. For his co-star, Morgan Freeman, though, there's an earlier role rooted in Eastwood's time in the Old West that outshines even that.

Speaking to Rotten Tomatoes in 2023, the five-time Oscar nominee (one of which he won for his performance in Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby"), was asked about his favorite films. Of his five truly fascinating choices, one of them was Eastwood's own cold-blooded 1976 cowboy movie "The Outlaw Josey Wales." The film saw Easwood play the titular character,...

John Ford's success at the Oscars speaks to the director's reputation as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Over the course of his long career in the industry, Ford worked with many of the most prominent actors in Hollywood from the 1920s to 1960s, pumping out a long list of memorable hits at the box office. Many were born from his collaborations with John Wayne, but it's important to note that his own directorial style, not necessarily Wayne or any other actor, that made Ford the Hollywood legend he is today.

Ford's work represents a very distinctive version of America, and his films often centered on specific themes and genres. Ford is well known for making Westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, among many others. John Ford was also well known for having served in World War II and for...

While the legal aspects of Suits were a large part of the TV show's long-running success, the characters and their dynamics remain one of the most important parts. Mike Ross, played by Patrick J. Adams, might have started out as the show's protagonist, but his relationship with Harvey, Gabriel Macht, is what won fans over. Harvey was the seasoned and brilliant lawyer who took Mike under his wing because he saw his potential from the beginning. Though they didn't always see eye to eye, Harvey was Mike's best friend and a driving force behind the series' impact.

While there are plenty of harsh realities about Harvey Specter's characters in Suits, like his questionable treatment of women and the lengths he'll go to win a case, Harvey's evolution as a character is also what makes him special. He remains the stone-cold shark he's always been in the courtroom, but time...

Oscar-winning actress Grace Kelly made just a handful of movies before transforming from a Hollywood princess into a real life one following her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956. Let’s take a look back in the photo gallery above of all 11 of her films, ranked worst to best.

Kelly got her start performing onstage and in television before being drafted by Hollywood to appear in Henry Hathaway‘s ripped-from-the-headlines nail-biter “Fourteen Hours” (1951) when she was just 22-years-old. The next year found her starring as the concerned wife to an imperiled town marshal (Gary Cooper) in Fred Zinnemann‘s landmark western “High Noon” (1952).

She got her first Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress for John Ford‘s adventure yarn “Mogambo” (1953), playing one of two love interests (along with Ava Gardner) to big game hunter Clark Gable. The next year, Kelly upset frontrunner Judy Garland, who made a massive comeback...

Quick Links How Clint Eastwood and Kurt Russell Raised the Bar For New Westerns How This Father/Son Collaboration Honors Eastwood's Vision How Forsaken Honors Eastwood's '90s Vision of the West Where the Two Films Differ Forsaken Is A Hidden Gem On Several Levels

While many associate it with wagons and shootouts, the Western genre has been one of the best-written in film history, as shown in classics like High Noon, The Searchers, and True Grit. Exploring themes like revenge, justice, prejudice, compassion, and redemption, the West has made for a fantastic backdrop for character studies and period pieces. Although not as revered as the 20th century, the last twenty-four years have delivered some great Westerns, including an overlooked 2015 gem.

The Western genre has played host to some of the greatest creators in Hollywood history, from directors like John Sturges, John Ford, and Sergio Leone to stars like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.

Since the dawn of Hollywood, Westerns have been some of the most acclaimed, respected, and best-written stories in Hollywood, from classics like High Noon to modern hits like Django Unchained. Focusing on everything from sheriffs and bounty hunters to outlaws and even ghosts, the genre has one of the best-defined formulas in film. From beloved tropes to repetitive clichs, the Old West still knows how to please audiences.

While the use of the Western formula can sometimes make even the best movies feel predictable, some things happen so often that they're expected as part of the experience. Although some movies master these tropes better than others, audiences still enjoy seeing them all the same. From locations to character motivations, the Wild West wouldn't be what it is without certain ingredients keeping it familiar.

Someone Forms A Posse

Best Westerns Based on True Stories

1 - Tombstone

2 - The Revenant

3 - The Searchers

In the Wild West,...

The classic 1990s Western Tombstone is rated R, but why did it get that rating, and how does it compare to older classic Westerns? There are plenty of examples of R-rated Westerns, and some of the best Western movies ever are rated-r. However, there are also quite a few Westerns, especially from the 1960s and earlier, that are nowhere near as violent or mature. Westerns can vary in their ratings and maturity levels just as much as any other genre, from kids movies like Rango to ultra-violent films like Django Unchained, so the reason Tombstone is rated-r isn't immediately obvious.

Since Tombstone tells the true story of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, it had to include some of the real-life deaths that happened at the time. It also came after Westerns became unpopular in Hollywood, so there was some pressure to give the...

Western movies have long been built on repeated tropes that define the genre. As the exciting stories of how cowboys, bandits, and outlaws make their way through a lawless life across the Wild West frontier, many tropes and cliches have reappeared time and time again to the point that they become readily associated with the genre itself. These tropes helped create a cinematic language for Western movies and helped them stand apart from other types of genre films.

Many of the best Western movies ever made were packed with tropes and cliches of the genre. The acclaimed collaborations of icons like John Wayne and John Ford would not have been possible without the foundations of the Western genre and the tropes and clichs that it embodied. From over-the-top brawls in dusty saloons to lone gunmen facing off against ruthless crooks in a lawless town, these tropes helped define Westerns.

A...

Lyon’s Lumière festival screened a fascinating footnote to the great duo’s career: Behold a Pale Horse, an adaptation of Emeric Pressburger’s novel by Fred Zinnemann

The Lumière festival in Lyon in south-east France – the home of 19th-century movie inventor-pioneers Auguste and Louis Lumière – always serves up mouthwatering classic films on the big screen. This is true once again this year, with a retrospective season of works by Fred Zinnemann, famously the director of High Noon and From Here to Eternity.

In one of its most interesting films, the festival also provided what could be the last remaining underexamined footnote in the history of the great Powell/Pressburger partnership that gave us Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.