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Panning for Gold: Discovering the New Golden Era of the Western

By Travis Keune | April 6, 2020

Perhaps the only genre of film that has ever feared the status of going extinct is the western. For many, it may seem that’s already the case. Believe it or not, this quintessential American genre of filmmaking is still holding on by its bootstraps.

However, despite the abundant history of western movies, the bulk of the filmography pre-dates the 1960s. I argue that the modern era is the true golden age of the western and the showcase for what potential the genre holds.

For me, the western is the epitome of quantity over quality. Prior to the 1960s, the Hollywood machine churned out countless examples of mostly formulaic flicks. Only a select portion of these deserved any significant praise.

Our contemporary fare, however, shows the opposite to be very true. As uncommon as it is to see a new western film hit theaters, or even direct-to-streaming, we find a much higher ratio of quality attached to these films.

Relative to the sheer number of titles in the genre, I far more frequently pleased with the outcome of the modern western than I am discovering an old one for the first time. One theory is obvious, given we have virtually no rules of content anymore, in comparison to the pre-1960s motion picture codes of decency.

More directly, I feel like the ease of access to technology and resources and relatively lower cost of filmmaking is what has reintroduced modern filmmakers to this genre. Indie filmmakers have especially found the western to be a rich and fertile playground.

So much of the western focuses on the actor and location. The western typically is not subject to the burdens of special effects. This is a genre once known for lacking involved plots or any real character development, instead focusing on action and popcorn entertainment.

Now, it’s an opportunity for eager writers and filmmakers to take a dying genre and infuse it with fresh blood. This has proven time and again to be a vibrant, often volatile cocktail, leading to powerful and occasionally controversial storytelling.

Consider taking some time during this time of quarantine to introduce yourself to some great new films and a few legendary classics of the genre. I’ve developed a list of some of the best western movies currently streaming for free, current as of April 1^st, 2020.

With all the gritty, gunslinging and riding off into the sunsets available in the list below, remember this is just a drop in the bucket of the greatness that is the modern western. Amongst the many options not currently available to stream for free include, but are not limited to The Wild Bunch, Silverado, Unforgiven and Maverick. Another point of interest that I chose not to include are the modern crossover westerns, such as the comedy/western Blazing Saddles or the vampire/western Near Dark. Finally, if you blow through this list and need more, there are a slew of spaghetti westerns from Italian filmmakers available online, many of which are streaming from the Amazon Prime catalogue, but beware, as many are of poor transfer quality.

(*Hoopla and *Kanopy are free apps that allow you to “borrow” and stream books, movies and music for FREE with a valid library membership card.)