Movies - TV
15 Underrated Westerns You Need to Watch
By NICK BARTLETT
Silverado
It’s a shame that “Silverado” seems to have been forgotten as it’s a film that will make the viewer laugh out loud and has a perfect cast that includes Scott Glenn, Kevin Kline, Danny Glover, and Kevin Costner. The highlight is Brian Dennehy’s smiley, hard-to-hate sheriff, who is inarguably one of the greatest western villains of all time.
The Tall T
What is most interesting about this underrated masterpiece is its lack of violence for most of the movie so that when it does finally happen, it is shocking in its casual brutality. The difference between good and evil is also unclear as the supposed heroes are just as corrupt as the villains.
Ride with the Devil
Ang Lee’s Civil War western gets overlooked for his more mainstream films, but it might be his best. The multi-layered characters are led by Tobey Maguire, who showcases his most mature performance as the German-born Roedel who joins the side of the Confederacy.
Long Riders
The film is best remembered for the casting of real-life brothers as related gang members: James and Stacy Keach play the James brothers, David, Keith, and Robert Carradine appear as the Youngers, Randy and Dennis Quaid take on the Millers, and Nicholas and Christopher Guest play the opportunistic Ford brothers.
The Nightingale
While the film’s brutality made it controversial and caused several critics to walk out of it during Cannes, the violence serves a purpose. Jennifer Kent is telling the story of a broken woman (Aisling Franciosi) who, in her quest to get revenge on those who have made her suffer abuse and loss, is also trying to recapture her humanity.