With recent Western hits such as The Power of the Dog revitalizing the genre, movie buggs can't help but look back on great Western movies that were overlooked the first time around. While there are tons of well-known classics, some great Western films fell by the wayside.
Whether it was animated films such as Reddit took to the site to mention the ones that they thought most deserved another look.
The Walking Hills (1949)
The Hollywood golden age was also the biggest period for Western film production, and many great movies were simply swept away by a huge tide of content. AlbinoPlatypus913 mentioned one such film when writing, "The Walking Hills (1949) was a fun and fairly obscure one I saw recently. ... They're hunting for treasure out in Death Valley."
Not all Westerns had to be about gunfighters and desperadoes, and movies like The Walking Hills presented a more suspense driven plot about greed and mistrust. While stars like John Wayne were dominating the box office, smaller Westerns slipped through the cracks because they couldn't compete, but were still great films in their own right.
100 Rifles (1969)
Shortly before Burt Reynolds appeared in some of his most iconic roles, he cut his teeth in the Western genre. theblackswapper1 plumbed the depths of Reynolds' filmography to mention that "I think 100 Rifles doesn't get enough love. It's one of Jim Brown's best".
The late '60s was a time of rebirth in the Western genre, and 100 Rifles pushed boundaries by casting a black actor in the predominantly white role of a Western sheriff. It isn't the best, but the film has a fun energy that permeated filmmaking at the turn of that decade, and Reynold's star power was obvious even before he was a hitmaker.
The Sheepman (1958)
Though not usually mentioned among the likes of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, Glenn Ford also had an impressive career as a western movie star. GreetingsFromWaWa was pleasantly surprised by a hidden Ford gem, saying "I just watched The Sheepman with Glenn Ford & I loved it...Never seen it mentioned on here though".
Splashed with technicolor brilliance, the Westerns of the 1950s could truly capture the beauty of the American West. The Sheepman, though its plot is somewhat stock-standard, is an enjoyable ride with a brilliant cast including Hollywood legend Shirley MacLaine. When it comes to the familiar trappings of a Western film, The Sheepman is a perfect primer for new fans.
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Not all overlooked Westerns are old, and some slipped right past most audiences in the modern day. A deleted was glad they found an overlooked Western, commenting "Bone Tomahawk was a recent one that I heard nothing about when it was released and ended up really enjoying".
Westerns aren't for everyone, but Bone Tomahawk is usually considered the perfect Western for people who don't like the genre. Instead of the usual gunplay of the cowboys of old, Bone Tomahawk is practically a horror film, and has one of the most shocking climaxes in cinema history. Westerns have always pushed the boundaries, but Bone Tomahawk pushed things further than ever before.
Rango (2011)
Initially dismissed as a children's film with little substance, the animated film Rango was nevertheless a great addition to the Western genre. KongzillaRex took time to praise the film when they described it as an "underappreciated Western with a great story, good characters, a badass villain, and pretty great music...a great take on the Western film".
Where Rango succeeds is in its tone, and the fact that it manages to be a parody and an homage at the same time. The familiar Western tropes are still in the film, but they are done in a tongue-in-cheek way that never feels like it is mocking the genre. Rango may not have been a hit, but it came from a place of love for the classics of Western cinema.
High Plains Drifter (1973)
It is hard to call any Clint Eastwood Western obscure, but he nevertheless made so many that some were overshadowed by others. Dollars trilogy this is right up your alley if you haven't seen it".
Eastwood made a name for himself in spaghetti Westerns, and he honed a finely crafted character that he carried with him into his American Westerns as well. High Plains Drifter is an excellent film, but it was most likely overlooked because of its standard plot in a time when Westerns were expanding into new territory.
Duck You Sucker (1971)
Italian director Sergio Leone gave the Western genre a shot in the arm when he directed his legendary Dollars trilogy, but that wasn't his only contribution to Western cinema. ridingshotgun mentioned another Leone classic when saying "I really feel that Duck You Sucker is incredibly underrated when compared to Sergio Leones other work".
The spaghetti Western sub-genre played up the exaggerated aspects of Westerns and had a heightened sense of cinema. Duck You Sucker checked all of the boxes that the Dollars trilogy did, but suffered from being overshadowed by its more popular predecessors. Nevertheless, the film is an indelible part of Leone's career, and a great next step for spaghetti Western fans.
Run Of The Arrow (1957)
Perhaps one of the most prolific filmmakers of the 20th century, Samuel Fuller worked in nearly every genre, but especially in Westerns. Granite_Man turned to Fuller's work when saying "If you want a relatively unknown Western, I'd recommend Samuel Fuller's Run of the Arrow".
Considered by many to have been ripped off in the wildly popular one of Samuel Fuller's best films, Run of the Arrow had his usual wit and tackled deep issues that Westerns of the '50s usually avoided.
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
As the 1970s wore on, the Western began to lose popularity with most audiences, and yet many classics were produced during that time. VicFatale thought a certain film was essential viewing when they said "The Outlaw Josey Wales. Not really unknown in the Western genre, but a lot of people have never seen it".
Blending Western and war films together, Josey Wales is the typical Clint Eastwood character and he is his usual stoic self. Despite this, the film does an excellent job of tugging on the viewer's heartstrings, and is generally considered one of the best "revisionist" Westerns of all time.
The Big Gundown (1966)
If Sergio Leone was the master of the spaghetti Western, Sergio Sollima was his underrated contemporary. Ironthumb went obscure when mentioning a spaghetti Western, saying "I'll just give my two cents for an underrated Western: The Big Gundown. Enjoyable film with an excellent score".
With Ennio Morricone providing the sweeping music, The Big Gundown is a darker alternative to Leone's more familiar Dollars films. Even though it has a less playful tone, it still contains many of the over-the-top elements that make spaghetti Westerns so good. Also, casting Lee Van Cleef as a hero was an interesting reversal of roles for an actor who usually only played steely eyed villains.
