The Japanese have the samurai and daimyos, Europeans their Kings and knights, the Scandinavian countries the vikings, but we Americans have the westerns. Each people’s legends teach them some of their history and values. It’s past time that Americans return to the freedom and rugged individualism of the old western gunslingers that we all want to be.

There are people who use the word _cowboy_ as a derogatory term, an insult. But in a country with a comparatively short history, the "Cowboy" is the American version of the "Knight-Errant" - This should tell you everything you need to know about those people...

Audie fucking Murphy... 19 years old, 5'5" out of ammo, led the charge and captured a German bunker. He received EVERY COMBAT VALOR AWARD THAT EXISTED.

I would say even the amoral protagonists you'd see Eastwood and Bronson portray are still infinitely better role models for young men than what we have today. The ability to carry yourself with dignity while not allowing anyone to dictate how you should live or how you should think.

The problem with doing a modern western is simple...modern Hollywood can't write bad guys for shit and won't make anything without sticking "the message" in with all the subtlety of a 1980s Very Special Episode. Look at the classic Leone westerns, Angel Eyes, Tuco, Rojo, the bad guys in his movies were fucking awesome! Today you get Marvel Villains which are either cookie cutter cartoon baddies or snarky comic relief. So while I would love for westerns to make a comeback they will have to be made outside the USA like the Spaghetti westerns of old because Hollywood simply cannot make a decent western these days without royally cocking it up or cramming propaganda down our throats.

I hope we can find our way back from post-modernism, which ironically has been around for so long it’s now traditional. The minute we decided we were all too hip for mythological archetypes and our entertainment started elbowing us in the ribs everything went to shit. And the western is our American mythology.

The reason why westerns are great/necessary can be said in one sentence: *_“In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.”_*

Imagine a world were there was no Disney SW and they used the Western "Lone Gunman" formula for the Kenobi series, with the Jedi wandering through the desert and getting rid of scum all over Tatooine. Or if the Mandalorian was a proper bounty hunter working his way through the outer rim...

Fun fact: my grandmother in her 20s (which would've been in the 30-40s) wrote a western script for film class called Chisholm whose main character was modeled after her dad, a Scottish immigrant, and sold it to a studio for $50. Years later John Wayne starred in a western called 'Chisum' (pronounced like her maiden name) that was eerily similar to the script she wrote.

I absolutely agree with the need to make more old school morality stories. I’m getting tired of the old “nobody is entirely good or evil” tales.

The Sergio Leone trilogy with Clint Eastwood was how I got into old movies, and I still rank it among the best movies ever made.

Don’t forget that the Coen Bros remade TRUE GRIT IN 2010 and in 2018 the excellent western anthology, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS. The classic Western may never again define the culture but it still has stories to be told by thoughtful filmmakers.

Yee-and I cannot stress this enough-HAW.

They matter because they represent every that is good about America and everything that is missing in modern America: Rugged masculinity, femininity, individualism, a sense of objective morality, discipline, liberty. All of which are desperately needed back in modern day America. That is why they are important.

List of film mentions/recommendations: 3:21 the searchers 4:32 have gun will travel 5:43 a fist full of dollars 6:40 Django 7:16 Sartana 9:05 The Great Silence 10:14 The Outlaw Josie Wales 11:13 Pale Rider 14:22 Deadwood (show) 16:00 310 to Yuma, Appaloosa, The Old Way 17:00 Bone Tomahawk 17:14 Dark Valley, The Salvation

I was a huge fan of the "newer" westerns such as Wyatt Earp and Tombstone, I'd love to see a modern revival of the genre on a bigger scale.

Lee Van Cleef approves this message. Rest In Peace sir. You had more gravitas in one long stare than this entire generation of Hollywood has in their entire bodies.

Hit the nail on the head. Westerns are one of the most important genres, not just in film, but arguably fiction as a whole. Here's hoping your prediction comes to fruition and we see a new Western renaissance.

I can already tell this will be a video I rewatch every now and again. Western, Film Noir and Sword & Sorcery. Three film genres that are in DIRE need of a comeback.

My working theory as to the fall of western civilization is: 1. Participation trophies for everyone... 2. Banning Dodge Ball in Schools.... 3. No Westerns on Prime Time TV. Great Video Rage.

I'd love to see a nice, simple story about a lawman riding into town with a big iron on his hip, again.

Clint Eastwood said "Making 'Outlaw Josey Wales' wasn't a good time for westerns, but it was a good time for me" is what made it my personal favorite, he made a masterpiece in his on time, recognized or not at the time.

Good stuff Razor. A few thoughts to add ... Westerns had a partial continuation with the Mad Max series (cars instead of horses) and its many post apocalypse imitators. I think the zombie movie genre has also acted as a psychological replacement, being those movies involve the collapse of civilization and a return to a wild west of sorts. Though the 80's lacked official westerns, action movies like the brilliant 48 hrs, Predator, Star Wars, Westworld and Robocop have western elements ... not that I'm endorsing the death of the traditional western. Clint Eastwood's Every Which Way / Any Which Way comedies retained western elements, as did Dirty Harry. I absolutely agree the audience is still there for trad westerns. My daughter adores Clint Eastwood. All I have to do is mention his name in relation to a movie she hasn't seen and she jumps at the option to see it. She loved For A Few Dollars More, High Plains Drifter as well as other westerns like The Magnificent Seven (original one of course), and the criminally underrated Charles Bronson western Red Sun. BTW a recent western you didn't mention which I enjoyed was The Sisters Brothers (2018). Unfortunately it flopped, drags on a bit too long and lacks a strong protagonist the audience can really identify with. But yes, modern westerns could do with some sort of twist to spice them up, as happened with the Spaghettis. Maybe that's what already happened though with all those 80's "western in spirit" flicks. Personally I think High Plains Drifter hit the ball out the park with it's ghostly elements (Pale Rider for me felt like a weaker, less gutsy remake). Supernatural westerns ... I'd like to see a lot more of those. I mean the spiritual thing is already there in the beliefs of Native Americans so that could be hugely expanded upon.

The quotes from that era... Pure Gold. "I call that bold talk for a one eyed fat man!" ... "FILL YOUR HANDS, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

My grandparents would almost exclusively watch westerns and cop shows. I’d come in the house and there’s grandpa, watching John Wayne for the umpteenth time. They hardly ever cared for anything modern. One of the only modern films they ever watched and *loved* was Hell or High Water with Chris Pine and Jeff Bridged. Though I can’t say how close it held to the western standard, it’s a good example of how even the sense of of that can still be well received today.

Last weekend I was watching some old western tv shows like The Cisco Kid. It's almost embarrassing how easily each episode showed the nature of true heroism. The man in black comes into town and is eager to hear about the problems and do everything he can to set them right. By contrast modern heroes are entirely selfish and exist in a bubble, to be idolized. Watching those old shows is like looking through a portal into a world where morality still exists.

The good the bad and the ugly is and will always be my number one movie. Loved all the characters but Tuco is my spirit animal.

"Have Gun Will Travel reads the card of the man, a knight without armor in a savage land."

Trust me Razor. You don't want the western making a comeback. It'll suffer the same fate as Star Wars, Star Trek, and what is currently happening to superheroes. It'll either be an anti-american screed, or a poorly put together joke. Can you imagine what handwringing a new western would have over how 'oppressed' women were by their cattle rancher husbands, what 'ignorant religious bigots' people used to be, or how black people and mexicans were treated, or how america is 'stolen land' from the native americans? Not to mention with the straight up historical revisionism of things like Doctor Who or Vikings which showed the past as a multiethnic multicultural gender diverse place that simply did not exist, for the sake of propaganda. Hollywood will never make a big budget western again, and I don't want them to for the same reason I don't want them to make a Superman movie again. They'll just be bad.

Considering our current obsession with superheroes I'm somewhat surprised that more people aren't trying to make Westerns in general considering they were essentially cinema's OG superheroes.

>Independence >Guns >Noble Heroes >Attractive Women Gee, I wonder why Hollywood just can't seem to make a proper western anymore

Grew up on John Wayne westerns mostly, then Clint Eastwood, and got into Deadwood as an adult. Red Dead Redemption 2 was amazing for me because it was not only an incredible game with great storytelling, it was simultaneously nostalgic.

I think that we can also attribute the success of The Mandalorian to people wanting new westerns given how it takes a lot of inspiration from shows like The Lone Ranger.

Ever since seeing the Good the Bad and the Ugly as a kid I've always loved the Western genre and hope that it has a Resurgence one day.

Don't forget, Yellowstone is a huge hit. I know it's not actually a Western, but it goes to show people crave the scenery rather than obvious green screen action scenes

Funny enough, there was a movie that did mix Samurai and Cowboys. Its called Red Sun. And it features Charles Bronson and Toshiro Mifune (yes, that Mifune). Either way, we need a revival of Western.

For a Few Dollars More is my favorite! One of the best duels in a western, with Lee Van Kleef acting through his expression and a killer theme to go with it.

Fallout New Vegas is technically a Western as well(mixed with other genres).I'm convinced the setting was a huge part in why the game was so beloved.

Lonesome Dove deserved a mention. The books and mini series are the greatest western media of all time imo.

I think a lot of old western shows are very underrated in terms of story telling. I watched episodes of Gunsmoke, the Virginian, and Rifleman and while family friendly they deal with stories about generational vengeance, mob justice, dealing with getting older, how rivalry can heat up leading to tragedy, dealing with death, and so much more. I love how the heroes while they have some moments or doubt or saddness it never over takes them and they become sad saps. They are still strong and powerful. Ready to fight for justice. Matt Dillon was a badass.

The biggest thing that stands in the way of any good movies going into production and surviving the movie industry is the movie industry itself. The MESSAGE outweighs anything else as far as they are concerned, and that includes good story writing.

A little disappointed you didn’t mention the True Grit remake here. Probably the best Western movie made in two decades.

Honestly, I feel like the gothic western genre is a vastly untapped resource in modern media. I'm currently started reading The Dark Tower series, and the concept just sounds so cool. Even as a musical art form, the Dark Country series of compilation albums really help sell the dark western idea. And don't even get me started on Evil West, I'm having high hopes for that game.

"Harder to find than a pulse on a Clinton witness." 😂😂 I spat my coffee!

I'm surprised the Western and the ghost story together wasn't done a whole lot more they just seem to go together for me.

The only way for Western‘s to come back is America needs to take back its identity and show why the cowboy is synonymous with America just like Europe with chivalrous knight or the stoic Samurai from Japan.

You know that movie series The Expendables? We should do that but make it a spaghetti western. A bunch of old action stars that are in their 70s and with that just have them all being kickass cowboys taking out evil where it needs to have a diet change from dried meet to burning lead.

We need more rageaholic cinema episodes you beautiful bastard!

The Outlaw Josey Wales, Fort Apache, Pale Rider, Rio Bravo, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Searches, etc. Edit: I forgot to mention another one of my favourites; Jeremiah Johnson. Pure film glory.

I think a traditional white hat do gooder could work in modern times honestly. Have the hero be well mannered, meanwhile his surroundings are dirty, violent, and cynical. I always liked the idea of adapting Cheyenne(Clint walker.) where he’s still the same well natured gentle giant. Meanwhile the west is filled with corrupt lawmen, bandits, drunkards, and the like. Everyone’s swearing up a storm, and ideas of chivalry and heroism are laughed at(much like today.) but it’s up to Cheyenne’s morals, kindness, and his quick hand at the draw, to right the wrongs of the world. Thus symbolizing a return to old fashioned heroism to a cynical age.

My all time favourite films are a fistful of dollars, for a few dollars more and the good, the bad and the ugly. I recently learned that John Wayne used to run errands for Wyatt Earp when he was a young 'un.

As a kid, I loved Westerns. As an adult, I still do. I can't remember what my first Western was, but I can remember my first Eastwood Western. "The Outlaw Josey Wales". I saw it when I was 5 and 17 years later, it still remains one of my favorites.

I lived in WashDC for decades. Rita Kemply’s review of “Pale Rider” caused me to stop reading the WaPo pretty much forever. Edit: Thanks for this Rage. I think the Western is *our story* the American mythology that’s actually true. Heck, I even love “Paint Your Wagon.” You haven’t lived until you’ve seen and heard Eastwood and Lee Marvin both singing in a western about a woman living with two husbands in a mining camp. And Eastwood is the square in this story.

I love westerns, you have the main character having to deal with so many different conflicts, from nature, to humans to even themselves.

I'll just say: I was introduced to comics (and literature in general) through Lucky Luke, and my favorite film growing up was The Magnificent 7. Westerns capture a mixture between wilderness and civilization that is very relatable to any human being at any point in history, since we all have that tension within us in the form of instincts vs rationality. Obviously it can be adressed through other genres/settings, but the Wild West setting fits like a glove.

I will readily admit, I would LOVE to get a competent Jonah Hex movie off the ground, that seems a mighty good idea

My English grandfather who fought in WW1 was obsessed with the old west and Wild Bill Hickok in particular. He gave me me a love for Westerns that thrives to this day.

Let's face it, Rango was honestly the best tribute to westerns of the twentieth century.

Westerns were really big worldwide in the past. Look at the italian Tex comics,still ongoing since '48 and have a good fanbase worldwide ,even here in Brazil. In Japan not only Kurosawa films but some classic manga like Hokuto no Ken were inspired by old westerns .

"Quigley Down Under" is one of the best westerns ever put to film.

I was actually talking to a friend last week about the complete lack of Westerns in comics, movies and literature. 1883 was actually really good for the handful of people who have Paramount+.

I'm surprised by the lack of a mention of Fallout: New Vegas. The western aspect is one of the main reasons I feel make people love it so much. Not to mention the music and the radio.

"Spaggetti westerns almost never had native Americans" Gee, couldn't they find any olive-skinned, black-haired people in Italy?

Been working on a Western rpg for a while and this attitude gives me a hell of a lot of encouragement, Thanks!

The only things I’ve watched in the last 6 months are The Outlaw Josey Wales, Tombstone, and Deadwood. My grandfather who was a antique gun collector, distilled a love for westerns in me as a kid. They are especially refreshing in these times.

Shane has to be one of the most copied movie formulas ever. Great movie.

I never got into Westerns at all until a couple years ago when I started watching a bunch of them with my dad. Now I own the whole Gunsmoke series and a number of movies.

The Long Riders is another good one. The last robbery and get away scene is spectacular.

Oh shit razor dropped a vid on one of my favorite genres

Wife out of the blue wanted to start watching westerns a month ago. And I can't be more thrilled. She had no interest and the only clint Eastwood movie she had ever seen was gran torino. So every weekend I have been bringing out all my old dvds and she just been eating them up. This adds a few to my list to pick up.

You have to admit, for it's outlandish performance, "They call me Trinity" was a fun movie to watch. The one movie that seems to always be left out of the discussion when someone is talking about Westerns is Quigley Down Under. I would rate it in the top 10 of the greatest Westerns of all time. From the change of scenery, the treatment of the natives, down to how under developed the culture and technology was of the time for the location versus what we always saw in a modern Western. We were used to seeing westerns where the modern cartridge was being used, but in Quigley Down Under, they were still using muskets and flintlock pistols. Even in The Good-bad-ugly movie, you see Angel Eyes loading cartridge rounds into his weapon, but if you look closely, the weapon is a cap & ball weapon. When Quigley went to the weapon smith to get more ammo, he even had to explain to the weapon smith that he could use a older French rifle ammo to substitute for parts needed. It was little details like this, that separated it from a subpar western to a great western. You can even see it in Quigley's saddle, an American Western style saddle, versus the Australian Saddles and English Saddles used by everyone else. (English saddles don't have a horn on them).

Been watching a lot of old school Gunsmoke reruns and honestly that's a damn good show with stories that are still relevant even more so today than ever. Love INSP for that.

"Well you may not know this, but there's things that gnaw on a man worse than dying." - Open Range. That's the kind of manly life lesson you won't get in any other genre....God I love Westerns.

I grew up watching Westerns, old ones & new ones, colour & black & white ones, good ones & bad ones, all on TV, & all repeats. And I loved every single one. As a Brit, seeing that wide open space, the freedom, the lack of government control, & the guns. Oh the guns. Every country has its bad points & it's good points in history. For me, the main US good point, is it's Western frontier heritage. I'd love to see the genre come back. When men were men, & horses were scared.

Big fan of the western genre here. Grew up watching John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movies with my grandfather whenever I’d visit him. I also remember my Dad watching Tombstone (one of my favorite movies ever) with me for the first time. Then when they came out, games like Red Dead 1 and 2 allowed me to live out my Wild West fantasies in spectacular fashion. Westerns desperately need a revival. They need to make a comeback in our entertainment industry. They’re as important to American culture as the Samurai are to Japanese culture, Knights to European culture, or Vikings to Norse culture. A more recent Western film that I thoroughly enjoyed, much to my surprise, was The Magnificent Seven with Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt. Great movie.

Razor always hit the nail with his takes. The most accurate aim of the Western side of the UKposts.

Lonesome Dove (1989) really kicked off the 90s westerns and basically covers all the same themes (and more) as Unforgiven. Based on a Pulitzer prize winning novel no less by Larry McMurtry. There were thousands of westerns made in the 40s and 50s and there's an insane amount of gold to be found even just there. Last year I watched about 50 Roy Rogers (King Of The Cowboys and box office king of the 1950s) movies and to be honest I think western newcomers should go back and watch as many older westerns as possible. Pure comfort cinema. Shane and The Gunfighter destroy any modern attempt at a revisionist western and Peckinpah's masterwork The Wild Bunch puts any spaghetti western to shame. These are big name films I'm mentioning here but they're only just starter points. Explore the genre as much as possible. Even this videos mention of John Wayne's death in the 70s overlooks the classics he starred in that decade.. Masterpieces like Big Jake, The Cowboys, The Train Robbers and The Shootist. They dont make classic westerns anymore and I doubt they could if they tried. Luckily for us there's a lifetime of amazing westerns already made for us to watch and cherish.

There was this movie coming out that took place in the Old West. It starred an aging Hollywood celebrity who was to bring back the greatness of old Western films. The main actor was upset one day and just shot two crew members, killing one, because he couldn't replicate the good old cowboy actors and had a meltdown(allegedly). Can't think of the name, my mind is a little RUSTy.

Old Henry was a great new western! Love the genre more than any other, I can't wait for its eventual revival.

Hell & Yeah 🤠 Been waitin for Rageaholic Westerns!!! “Hop on and open fire!” perfectly said sir!

I've noticed that since the death of the genre in the 80s, most westerns are disguised as other genres in order to pass by the critics. Movies like Priest (fight me, it's a good movie) and the original Star Wars were westerns cloaked as sci-fi and I'd argue a lot of mafia movies, especially those surrounding the good guys taking on the mob, are westerns wearing pinstripes.

I love westerns. They have the unique quality of combining a world that is fairly recognizable to a modern audience (firearms, towns, trains, etc), but still different enough to feel distant and exotic, where things like a haunted mines, stone-age tribal warriors or conquistador's buried gold don't seem out of place. Unfortunately, Hollywood's current fetish for mUh dIEveRSiTy requires that any story set in the aggressively colonial Old West be saddled with the obligatory albatross of endless grovelling and self-flagellation about the European/Indignenous conflict.

This video really changed my perspective on westerns. All the comparisons to superhero movies today is all about how westerns died out due to over-saturation, but the way you put it, westerns are a genre that only makes us want them more when there is a drought of them.

I like the analysis. I would also mention Quigley Down Under as an odd but still appreciable western and Sukiyaki Western Django as a very interesting take on the genre in that it retold the story of Yojimbo while adding western elements and being very Japanese at the same time.

I'd add that a resurgence of the western doesn't even count its spin off generas such as Mountain Man, Longhunter, and Weird West properties. Like the Post Apocalyptic genera, there's a multitude of interesting stories you can tell.

Of course Ebert gave Pale Rider some love at a time when Westerns were unfashionable, he was always one of the few film critics that I thought was a fairly likeable guy regardless of whether I always agreed with him or not.

LOVE it!!👍👍👍👍 To see Eli shoot "Fuck your freedom" Arnold WOULD be a GREAT Western. A REAL morale booster during these dark days.

Fun fact: MANY cowboys were directly genetically related to the vikings. Meaning they are literal descendents of the vikings, both culturally and genetically. And given that many of the crusading knights were also direct descendants of these vikings, that means that the cowboys fall perfectly in line with this great succession of heroes of Western civilization. They were both the honorable knights and the marauding vikings of the American West and left a legacy every bit as great as these great men of old. Who will be the next, I wonder?

The Western might be one of the most versatile genres of fiction of all time. Fantasy, sci-fi, horror, detective fiction, noir, neo western, heist film, weird fiction etc... I'd love it if the genre came back in a big way.

The last time I saw a good Western was when I watched the anime version of "Golden Kamuy" (or at least the first season, my schedule keeps slipping for seeing what comes after) and seeing the public reception to it was a bit of a heartbreaker. It was a nakedly Western show, from the gruff-faced war veteran panning for gold on the frontier to the factional interplay between natives, outlaws, and an encroaching federal government. Yet, despite being so obviously a Western, the difference in setting from the American West to Hokkaido was apparently enough to make it so that no one was able to recognize it as a Western. The Western has been gone for so long that no one remembers what a Western even is anymore. Ironically, this could be one of the best things to ever happen to the genre, because it means that the "cliché" tale of the white hat sheriff riding in to save the day from the black hat bandit can come back and few will use that stale word to describe it. Add in Razor's point here about the society, and we're primed for a revival of epic proportions.

The moment you mentioned aging action stars… damn. Stallone would be perfect for a grizzled old gunman.

A lot of great mentions in this but one of my favorites is one with Tom Selleck and Alan Rickman called Quigley Down Under. Ridiculously underrated IMO.

Make Westerns Great Again! 🤠

Glad you stuck ol Chuck Connors into the beginning. I absolutely love The Rifleman. Lucas McCain is the most badass single dad ever!

Man, I gotta say Rage, you have really open my eyes to such good class, quality, authenticity, and much more significance when it comes to cinema, games, books and more pop culture that is actually good. Glad I discovered this channel lol

In games at least, the stage is already set. We have Breath of the Wild, Sonic Frontiers, even the latest Pokemon games revel in wide open spaces. Add in a few frontier towns and an in-depth mission log, maybe some hunts, and you're printing money. Anyone else remember the clamor for Stranger's Wrath?

Some of my fondest memories were watching westerns with my grandfather at night after working in his garden or baling hay during the summer vacations. I graduated high school in 2005, and owe my grandpa much of the credit for the man I am today. My parents kind of sucked. My boomer grandpa is a baller.

Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a Coen Brothers movie I recommend. Not the classic stern faced western like Clint but a western I stand by.

What’s sad is that Eastwood wanted to do a sequel to Josey Wales, but a horse allergy prevented him from doing a Western until Pale Rider.

Hell, classic Westerns are all I've been watching for some time now. Damn right, we need more of them these days...