Category: 2000s

Seraphim Falls: Liam Neeson obsessively pursues Pierce Brosnan in this austere & atmospheric post-civil war Western

Seraphim Falls(2006), directed by David Von Ancken, is a gritty Western set in the desolate, post-civil war American landscape where an Ex-confederate officer, played by Liam Neeson, driven by vengeance is hunting for a Union soldier played by Pierce Brosnan. Before his Action-film-star making performance in 2008's Taken: where he played Bryan Mills, a former CIA operative … Continue reading Seraphim Falls: Liam Neeson obsessively pursues Pierce Brosnan in this austere & atmospheric post-civil war Western →

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Django Unchained: Quentin Tarantino’s postmodern ‘Antebellum’ Western is too self-indulgent, but still very entertaining

Django Unchained(2012), Quentin Tarantino's 7th film as a director, is a homage to spaghetti-Westerns, Blaxploitation flicks and Wagner's opera. The film, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio, is a revenge-Western set in the Antebellum South. “We participated in a hero’s journey — the hero here being Quentin,...And you scale the … Continue reading Django Unchained: Quentin Tarantino’s postmodern ‘Antebellum’ Western is too self-indulgent, but still very entertaining →

Inglourious Basterds: In Quentin Tarantino’s glorious homage to WWII ‘Men on a Mission’ movies, words & films are more powerful than bullets & grenades

Inglourious Basterds(2009) is Quentin Tarantino's sixth feature film as a director. The film, starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth and Diane Kruger, is an idiosyncratic mashup of War films and Spaghetti-Westerns, and presents an alternate history of WWII and the assassination of Hitler. If my initiation into the events of WWII was through Quentin … Continue reading Inglourious Basterds: In Quentin Tarantino’s glorious homage to WWII ‘Men on a Mission’ movies, words & films are more powerful than bullets & grenades →

3:10 to Yuma: Russell Crowe and Christian Bale add strength and depth to this gritty and gripping adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s Western thriller

3:10 to Yuma (2007) is the second film adaptation of Elmore Leonard's eponymous short story. This tense, psychological Western thriller is directed by James Mangold and stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in lead roles. Eminent writer Elmore Leonard has a rather strange relationship with Hollywood. On one hand, more than 25 of his works … Continue reading 3:10 to Yuma: Russell Crowe and Christian Bale add strength and depth to this gritty and gripping adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s Western thriller →

Cry Macho: Clint Eastwood’s first Western since ‘Unforgiven’ is funny, poignant and earnest, but ultimately a minor entry in the icon’s illustrious film cannon

Cry Macho (2021) is legendary actor\director Clint Eastwood's first Western since the Oscar Winning classic Unforgiven(1992). Apart from playing the lead role, the 91-year old Clint produced and directed this film from a script that has been kicking around Hollywood for almost 50 years. This macho thing is overrated. Just people trying to show that … Continue reading Cry Macho: Clint Eastwood’s first Western since ‘Unforgiven’ is funny, poignant and earnest, but ultimately a minor entry in the icon’s illustrious film cannon →

True Grit(2010): Jeff Bridges brilliantly reprises John Wayne’s Oscar winning role in Coen Brothers’ fantastic reimagining of the classic 1969 Western

True Grit (2010) is the second screen adaptation of Charles Portis' eponymous novel. This time the film is scripted & directed by Joel & Ethan Coen, and stars Jeff Bridges as the tough frontier lawman, Rooster Cogburn- a role immortalized by the great John Wayne in the 1969 adaptation. The Coen brothers- Joel & Ethan- … Continue reading True Grit(2010): Jeff Bridges brilliantly reprises John Wayne’s Oscar winning role in Coen Brothers’ fantastic reimagining of the classic 1969 Western →

The Missing: Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett excels in this thrilling Western from Ron Howard

The Missing (2003) is a superb Western directed by Ron Howard, and starring Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchet in lead roles. The film, adapted from Thomas Eidson's novel The Last Ride, plays more like an updated version of John Ford's classic 1956 Western, "The Searchers" John Ford's 1956 Western classic "The Searchers" may or … Continue reading The Missing: Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett excels in this thrilling Western from Ron Howard →

Gladiator: Russell Crowe’s magnificent performance and Ridley Scott’s visual artistry resurrected the Roman empire epic

With his 2000 epic film, Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe, Jaquan Phoenix, Connie Nielson, Oliver Reed and Richard Harris, Director Ridley Scott successfully resurrected the Roman empire epic that flourished during the 1950s and 60s. It's one of Cinema's great ironies that the film which ended the hot streak of big-budget biblical\Ancient Roman epic productions in … Continue reading Gladiator: Russell Crowe’s magnificent performance and Ridley Scott’s visual artistry resurrected the Roman empire epic →

Appaloosa: Ed Harris directs and stars alongside Viggo Mortensen in this solid traditional Western that deals with themes of law, justice and male camaraderie

Appaloosa (2008), co-written, co-produced and directed by Ed Harris, and starring Harris alongside Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons and Renee Zellweger, is a well-made old-fashioned 'Law & order' Western that adds just enough nuances to the genre archetypes to make it a little different. "A town without laws. Two Men with their own, the law you … Continue reading Appaloosa: Ed Harris directs and stars alongside Viggo Mortensen in this solid traditional Western that deals with themes of law, justice and male camaraderie →

Open Range: Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner created a lush love letter to the traditional Western genre

Open Range(2003), starring Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall and Annette Benning, and directed by Kevin Costner, is the last of the great traditional Westerns. Apart from delivering all the ingredients that one expects from a Western, the film also features one of the greatest climactic gunfights in Western film history. I don't think i have ever … Continue reading Open Range: Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner created a lush love letter to the traditional Western genre →