The Western

as a film genre is quintessentially American in its roots. The classic Westerns commonly depict the struggles of establishing settlements and the challenges people face while living in the wilderness and crossing the frontier. Despite what one would expect given their period and subject matter, many Westerns from the 1950s, including John Ford’s best movies and Robert Mitchum’s best Western movies, took a revisionist approach. They fought back against racial prejudices by exploring the immorality of the gunslingers’ behavior, especially towards Indigenous people.

So, today, the Western is no longer inextricably and exclusively an American film genre. It has evolved into a set of sensibilities and conventions derived from the best Western movies ever made. The revisionism of history, arid or difficult terrain, loose code of morals, adventure in the hope of better living conditions or for revenge, and epic gunfights are some of the common traits found in most Westerns. Revenge and epic fights set in historical times are common in Asian martial arts cinema too, so, it’s no surprise that there are many great Asian Western movies.

10

Sukiyaki Western Django (2007)

Japan, Directed By Takashi Miike

Hideaki Ito plays his version of Clint Eastwood’s iconic character from Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy, The Man With No Name, in Sukiyaki Western Django. It is an imaginative and wacky action thriller by Takashi Miike, director of Audition, which features a shocking horror movie moment you’ll audibly gasp when watching. He’s known for making whimsical creative choices and this is reflected in Sukiyaki Western Django as well.

Quentin Tarantino, who wouldn’t direct his own version of Leone’s Django for another half a decade, even makes an appearance in it as a mystical gunman. The film features an ensemble cast and is based on the history of gang violence in Japan which marked the beginning of the era of samurai dominance in the country. However, the fights in the film are all elaborate gun fights and only Miike’s visionary direction makes the conflicting elements in the film work together for a funny and entertaining ride.

9

The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008)

South Korea, Directed By Kim Jee-woon

Few Westerns have the legacy that Sergio Leone’s crowning achievement, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly does. It changed many aspects of Western filmmaking forever, introducing different approaches to storytelling that have inspired countless Westerns since its release nearly six decades ago. Of them, the most imaginative is perhaps the South Korean film The Good, the Bad, the Weird.

The ending of the film in the Korean theatrical version is slightly different from the international version, depicting The Weird winning and walking away in pursuit of adventure as The Good prepares to hunt him down. The international version ends more cynically, in a manner more traditional to the Spaghetti Western genre.

Of all the unique stylistic choices in The Good, the Bad, the Weird, the decision to make Song Kang-ho’s character, “The Weird,” the central focus and sideline the quintessential antihero, “The Good,” played by Jung Woo-sung, stands out. The Weird would usually be the memorable sidekick who interjects with unique lines and exists to make the hero seem more competent. The choice to focus on him makes the genre feel more accessible. Moreover, the physical gags, characteristic of Asian martial arts films like those of Jackie Chan, make the engaging and intense shootouts even more whimsical.

8

Let The Bullets Fly (2010)

China, Directed By Jiang Wen

There was a time when Western movies would be the highest-grossing releases in any calendar year. We no longer live in such an era, but even as recently as 2010, the feat was achieved by a Western film in China. Jiang Wen’s adaptation of a Ma sнιтu story, Let the Bullets Fly, became the highest-grossing domestic film in the country at that point.

Set in war-torn China in the 1920s, the film follows a group of bandits as they ambush a man who has been appointed the new county governor of Goose Town. He has bribed his way into the job, and he comes up with a smart lie to try and trick his pursuers into leaving him alone. The film’s popularity prompted Jiang Wen to turn it into a full-fledged gangster trilogy, with Gone with the Bullets and Hidden Man as sequels.

7

Tears Of The Black Tiger (2000)

Thailand, Directed By Wisit Sasanatieng

Revenge is a popular theme in both Western and martial arts adventure movies. So, it’s inevitable that a parody of famous Westerns will involve a revenge plot as well. Wisit Sasanatieng’s film feels like a Tarantino movie right from the beginning because of the absurdly improbable sH๏τ that Black Tiger makes when he’s introduced. Thai romantic melodramas from the ’50s and the ’60s used to commonly feature plots of forbidden love and Tears of the Black Tiger uses a similar premise for its action.

He learns of a tragedy years later and adopts the idenтιтy of the Black Tiger to enact revenge.

Thai action movies also often feature intense action sequences, but this movie pays homage to them through parody where the action is blown out of proportion. Excessive gore and absurd choreography create a fun and thrilling ride through engaging scenes of battles that are set up by the revenge plot. A man is forced to stay away from his beloved because their love wasn’t approved of, but he learns of a tragedy years later and adopts the idenтιтy of the Black Tiger to enact revenge. It might be a parody, but the film is a love letter to the genre.

6

Millionaires’ Express (1986)

Hong Kong, Directed By Sammo Hung Kam-bo

A train robbery in a deserted land featuring shootouts between a group of upper-class people and a scrawny band of criminals shouts Western like few other movies do. Director Sammo Hung Kam-bo also plays the protagonist of Millionaires’ Express, who narrowly escapes after being caught during a daring attempt to rob Russian goods from a group of soldiers. He then comes across various conflicting criminal groups as he attempts to stop a train.

Sammo Hung expertly fuses the genres of kung fu action and Western slow-burn thrillers to create a comedic and elaborate journey through engaging set pieces. The action packs a punch, with every dropkick and blow landing with such intensity that the more invested viewers will feel their impact. An impressive ensemble cast of heavy-hitting Hong Kong A-listers bring their best to what was possibly the largest-scale Western film from Hong Kong.

5

Marlina The Murderer In Four Acts (2017)

Indonesia, France, Malaysia, & Thailand, Directed By Mouly Surya

The rape-revenge subgenre is known for exploitation films with excessively violent encounters, which makes it ideal for blending with the Western genre. Director Mouly Surya, who recently made Trigger Warning featuring Jessica Alba, produced the Western film Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts in 2017 with a premise familiar to similar popular movies. It follows a woman who defends herself from ᴀssault and robbery and then sets out in search of justice. However, it couldn’t be more different from typical films of the genre.

The success of Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts birthed an entire genre of neo-Westerns, known as the Satay Western.

A feminist twist on the Western genre, the film still keeps the common themes, like retributive justice, harsh living conditions, and a general state of lawlessness. However, the use of a woman’s perspective to tell a Western is a very rare occurrence for a genre that still stays largely male-dominated even, in the 21st century. Moreover, Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts uniquely uses elements of supernatural horror to explore her experiences, which is a rather difficult accomplishment and earned it all the accolades it received.

4

Sholay (1975)

India, Directed By Ramesh Sippy

Bollywood movies are known for their over-the-top dialogue, memorable soundtracks, and extensive runtimes. Now, many modern Bollywood films fail to justify that runtime, stretching out insufficient material into lengthier movies that start to drag by the end of their first acts. However, one of the greatest Bollywood films, and the most quintessential Bollywood movie of the ’70s, that influenced action thrillers for years to come, Sholay, perfectly makes use of its three-and-a-half-hour runtime.

Written by the legendary duo of Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan, Sholay follows two foolhardy friends, played by Dharmendra and Abhishek Bachchan, as they attempt to take down a notorious gang boss for money. The strength of their friendship, their typically Bollywood romantic experiences, thrilling action sequences, an unforgettable performance by Amjad Khan as the villain, and a classic soundtrack with songs by the greatest playback singers in Bollywood history – it’s not hard to see why the film is iconic, with lines living rent-free even in the heads of those who haven’t seen it.

3

Break Up The Chain (1971)

South Korea, Directed By Lee Man-hee

Before there was The Good, The Bad, The Weird, there was Break Up the Chain. The low-budget Korean film is also clearly inspired by Leone’s Western and might have influenced Kim Jee-woon’s film three decades later. There is a certain adorable and heartwarming charm to the low-budget aesthetic because it hints at the crew’s pᴀssion for the subject and story. Break Up the Chain follows an unlikely ragtag trio who work together for the sake of their currently aligned goal: stealing an old statuette of a Buddha.

The violence is abundant and cynical, the characters are goofy but jaded and immoral, and the stunts are exciting.

A code from the war is embedded in the statuette, and on their quest, the untrustworthy men who would turn on each other for personal gain, realize they care about their nation and want to join the war effort against Japan. The violence is abundant and cynical, the characters are goofy but jaded and immoral, and the stunts are exciting — Break Up the Chain is the perfect ’70s nostalgia film for fans of low-budget wacky Westerns.

2

Unforgiven (2013)

Japan & United States, Directed By Lee Sang-il

Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven deconstructs the Western movie, by investigating the myth at the center of the genre and exposing the violent fantasy that drives the image of the gunslinging lawman. It attempts to undo the years of Western filmmaking that have sold viewers the idea that having such a violent hero with questionable morals is aspirational. A sense of tragedy gloomily hangs over every frame of the film, even the ones that would be glorified moments of triumph in a typical Western.

Lee Sang-ji’s remake of the film, set in the late 19th century, uses that sensibility to explore the declining relevance of the samurai in a rapidly changing world. The samurai aren’t glamorous warriors but distraught people doing what is needed to survive in a state of lawlessness where their code isn’t pertinent anymore. Ken Watanabe’s slick action with the sword is another selling point, as it’s incredibly cool to watch, but also carries a sense of gloomy finality to it.

1

Yojimbo (1961)

Japan, Directed By Akira Kurosawa

Cinema as we know it today wouldn’t be the same if Akira Kurosawa hadn’t made the films he did. From the Rashomon effect to the inspiration for Star Wars, he has created and influenced trends that continue today, decades later. Leone and Eastwood became household names for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, one of the most influential Westerns ever, but it wouldn’t have existed without A Fistful of Dollars, which was inspired by Kurosawa’s Yojimbo.

Sergio Leone never acknowledged the influence of Kurosawa’s film on the part of his Dollars trilogy, but the Japanese filmmaker successfully sued him for intellectual property theft.

A lone samurai without known origins, aka a ronin, walks into a town where two gangs are in conflict over control of the gambling trade. He sets out to exploit their hatred for each other and incite a full-blown war between them. Watching Yojimbo today feels like watching a compilation of prevalent filmmaking choices because it’s apparent exactly which films ripped off which aspects of this highly influential samurai movie inspired by ’40s and ’50s Westerns. The official American remake, Last Man Standing, is one of Bruce Willis’ best action movies that’s not Die Hard.