The Western genre has long given audiences some of the greatest stories ever told, from John Ford’s The Searchers to Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven. Focusing on the lives and trials of gunslingers, lawmen, and weary travelers in the Wild West, these films have delved into deep topics, from forgiveness to redemption. Along the way, these films have contributed a number of cinema’s most devastating moments.

Considering the depth and symbolism of Western films, few genres have captured the raw emotion of the human experience as the works and characters of film-makers like Sergio Leone and the Coen Brothers. The genre is at its best when it can play on the feelings of its audience. When remembering how difficult, violent and dangerous the Old West was, it’s no surprise that the best films in the genre can cause even the most stoic viewers to shed a tear.

10

The Death Of Chavez y Chavez

Young Guns II (1990)

When the first movie released, Young Guns took the 1980s’ ‘brat pack’ generation of young actors to the Wild West. Uniting Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips and more, the movie explored the tale of Billy the Kid, the Regulators and the Lincoln County War. In the sequel, the survivors of the group reunite, this time fleeing for their lives, culminating in a showdown that results in the death of Chavez y Chavez.

As one of the few moments serious enough to cause Billy to become introspective, the death of Chavez marks the final nail in the coffin for the Regulators. Heading out to die in solitude, the gunslinger finds some semblance of peace from his life of violence. However, like so many deaths in the duology, his pᴀssing should never have happened, and it leaves an already lonely Billy forced to contend with the consequences of his actions.

9

Cheyenne And Harmonica Leave Jill

Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)

In Once Upon A Time In the West, Sergio Leone gave the genre one of its most epic revenge sagas, revolving around the team-up of a widow, a bandit, and vengeful drifter against a murderous outlaw. With the construction of a small town as its backdrop, Charles Bronson’s Harmonica gets his revenge. However, unlike what the audience might expect, neither man swoops the widowed Jill McBain off her feet.

Leone’s epic Western makes the audience root for Jill McBain to find love in one of the heroes, only to watch as she’s abandoned by them at the end. In the span of just a few minutes, the widow is left behind, Cheyenne dies and Harmonica rides away, a holdover of the Old West in a new era that has no use for him. The scene is bittersweet, showing that Jill has a place in the new town, even if her farewell to the heroes is a moment of heartbreak — all to the tender music of Ennio Morricone.

8

Shane Riding Into The Horizon

Shane (1953)

Few films have defined the Western mythos as well as Shane, which documents a retired gunfighter getting back in the saddle to save a family of homesteaders from harm. After fending off a gang of hired guns, the hero is wounded in a shootout and shares a tender moment with the young Joey. After delivering an iconic monologue, he rides off into the horizon, all while the boy pleads for him to come back, to no avail.

The ending of Shane is fully open to interpretation, and how a viewer perceives it will color their response to the final sH๏τ. While some see it as the triumphant hero riding off for the next chapter in his life, others strongly contend that the hero was mortally wounded — and he only left to spare Joey the pain of watching him die. The scene itself signals the end of the Old West, with the Starretts symbolizing the future — which has no place for the gunfighters of old.

7

Doc Holliday’s Death

Tombstone (1993)

In 1993, Tombstone redefined the Western genre for a new generation, blending a buddy team-up action story with an epic tale of revenge. At its heart, the film focuses on the friendship between Wyatt Earp and legendary sharpshooter Doc Holliday as they take on the ruthless Cowboy gang. However, with Doc struggling with tuberculosis from the start, the audience and characters alike understand his days are numbered.

Throughout Tombstone, Doc Holliday makes his desire to die on his feet clear, placing himself in harm’s way and even taunting Johnny Ringo for his failure to kill him. The hero looked for a worthy challenger from start to finish, only to perish in a hospital bed at the hands of a bug. Thanks to the acting of Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, the moment truly feels like one friend watching another die, and marks the end of an era for both Earp and the West.

6

The Murder Of Silence And Pauline

The Great Silence (1968)

As one of the darkest Westerns ever made, The Great Silence documents the quest for vengeance of a silent gunslinger, who comes to the aid of a widow, Pauline, and her child. At first glance, viewers could be mistaken for expecting a triumphant finale in the vein of Django or a Clint Eastwood movie. Instead, they’re horrified by the film’s conclusion as they’re forced to watch the murder of its two protagonists.

The Great Silence pushes its audience to root for swift revenge against its villain, making his victory over Silence all the more brutal. The movie’s ending is a strong condemnation of gun violence, and it conveys that message incredibly effectively. There’s no moment of glory or revenge, instead just the ignominious murder of the film’s protagonists, making for one of the genre’s most bleak and tragic conclusions.

5

Bob Sangster’s Sacrifice

Three Godfathers (1936)

The 1936 version of Three Godfathers follows a trio of outlaws as they’re forced to care for an orphaned baby in the desert. With the heat bearing down on them and the authorities waiting back in town, they’re forced to choose between the child’s life and their own freedom. The hero of the story is Bob Sangster, initially the group’s most selfish member. After losing his friends, the cynical outlaw gives his life for the child’s by knowingly drinking from a poisoned well, allowing him the strength to make it back.

In a moment that perfectly symbolizes the film’s Biblical roots, he stumbles back to the town of New Jerusalem, staggers into a church service and hands the baby over. The scene doesn’t get the respect it deserves, and it gives the genre one of its greatest character arcs. For a man initially driven by greed and self-interest, to see value in another life speaks to the idea that even the coldest cynic isn’t beyond redemption.

4

The Killing Of Two Socks

Dances With Wolves (1990)

Since its release, the story of Kevin Costner’s Dances with Wolves has proven one of the most copied in cinema, influencing everything from The Last Samurai to Avatar. After befriending a wolf, a US Army lieutenant, John Dunbar, builds a relationship with a local Sioux tribe. After enjoying the solitude of his post and becoming one with the tribe, his world is shattered by the arrival of soldiers who, in a moment of senseless cruelty, shoot the wolf in front of Dunbar.

The killing of Two Socks is one of the most helpless moments in the Western genre, with the captured Dunbar forced to watch as his friend, scared by the gunfire, tries to run only to be killed. From the yelp of the animal when it’s finally sH๏τ to the hero’s own captivity, this heartbreaking moment is a reminder of the film’s themes of the destructive nature of Western expansion. Befriending the wolf symbolized Dunbar embracing nature, only for his death to rip that world away from him.

3

Samuel Forgives John Henry

Forsaken (2015)

Forsaken plays on the real-life father-son bond of its stars, Kiefer and Donald Sutherland, who bring their relationship to the Old West. Following the return of a gunslinger after a decade’s absence, it focuses on the pair trying to make amends. Torn between his father’s pacifist religious beliefs and his code of honor compelling him to take on a gang, the younger John Henry spends most of the film practicing non-violence — even when it hurts him.

In the film’s best scene, John Henry breaks down in front of his father in church, confessing to his sins, including the accidental killing of a child. Fighting back tears, Samuel forgives him, solidifying the healing of their relationship. The scene is all the more tragic considering the film’s progression towards the son inevitably turning to violence to save the town and, in turn, his dad. Here, the backdrop fades away and nothing but the pain and love between a father and son remains — and it’s heartbreaking.

2

The Death Of Little Blackie

True Grit (2010)

Telling the story of a young girl, Mattie Ross, hiring a pair of lawmen to avenge her father, True Grit brilliantly combines Western adventure with revenge. When they finally track down and kill the man responsible, Mattie is bitten by a venomous snake, forcing the aged marshal, Rooster Cogburn, to ride her to a doctor. Using the girl’s horse, Little Blackie, they ride through the night, eventually exhausting the small but trusty animal. In a moment of mercy, the seasoned hero shoots the dying nag, and carries Mattie in his arms the rest of the way.

The death of Little Blackie is a reminder of Mattie’s innocence in contrast to Rooster’s more realistic and pragmatic personality. It’s all the more tragic when the audience looks back to earlier in the film, and remembers how much the Marshal cares for horses. The scene brilliantly emphasizes the film’s eponymous theme, showing the harsh realities of life out West, the resilience of Cogburn and the cost of revenge.

1

The Death Of Dan Evans

3:10 To Yuma (2007)

Based on Elmore Leonard’s story of the same name, 3:10 To Yuma follows a farmer, Dan Evans, as he joins a posse to take dangerous outlaw Ben Wade to a train bound for prison. The central theme of the movie revolves around the hero’s integrity and courage, which slowly earns him the respect of the almost nihilistic criminal. When the duo, along with Evans’ son, finally reach the train, the hero is gunned down by one of the villain’s henchmen.

3:10 To Yuma’s ending is one of the biggest gut-punches of the Western genre, in no small part due to Evans’ son watching him die. Having come to respect and like Evans, a repentant Wade loads himself aboard the train, accepting his fate. Nobody wins here, and the finale only underscores the senseless nature of violence in the West. After building up one of the Western genre’s best, most sympathetic heroes, everything comes tumbling down in a single sH๏τ.