Contemporary Western

'''Contemporary Western''' is a subgenre of the Western genre that includes contemporary settings and uses Old West themes, archetypes, and motifs, such as a rebellious antihero, open plains and desert landscapes, or gunfights. This sub-genre includes the '''post-Western''', '''neo-Western''', and '''urban Western''' genres that include "the cowboy cult" in a modern setting that involves the audience's feelings and understanding of Western movies.<ref name=":3">{{cite book |last=French |first=Philip |title=Westerns: aspects of a movie genre; and, Westerns revisited |date=2005 |publisher=Carcanet |isbn=1-85754-747-0 |location=Manchester |pages=84 |oclc=57484960}}</ref> A neo-Western can be said to use Western themes set in the present day.<ref name=":4">{{cite book |last=Broughton |first=Lee |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hKnqDAAAQBAJ |title=Critical Perspectives on the Western: From A Fistful of Dollars to Django Unchained |date=2016-09-19 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-7243-9 |pages= |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=62}} According to Stephen Teo in ''Eastern Westerns: Film and Genre Outside and Inside Hollywood'', there is little difference between the neo-Western and post-Western, and the terms may often be used interchangeably.<ref name=":2">{{cite book |last=Teo |first=Stephen |title=Eastern westerns: film and genre outside and inside Hollywood |date=2017 |isbn=978-1-317-59226-6 |location=Abingdon, Oxon |publisher=Routledge |oclc=968926905}}</ref>{{Rp|page=96}}

== Development == As early as 1929, there was talk about the need for change in Western films in order to stay relevant in then-modern America ("Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson and Ken Maynard must swap horses for aeroplanes or go to the old actors' home."). However, the rise of the contemporary Western is credited to two specific reasons: 1) contemporary setting enabled the use of a higher number of potential plot-ideas, which "included everything from modern crooks and evil Nazis to high-tech cars and machine guns"; 2) Gene Autry, a famous Western film star, was also a famous singer and performer. In order to use his reputation as much as possible, Republic Pictures decided that it was best for Autry to play himself, thus moving the films from the Old West into a contemporary setting. Some earlier actors, such as Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson, sometimes starred in the films featuring modern setting, but Autry was the first actor starring in such films on a regular basis.<ref name="aquila" />{{rp|109}} Autry's films were also described as "crime dramas in contemporary Western setting".<ref name=lusted>{{cite book |last=Lusted |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yF7vHCI3G-QC |title=The Western |date=2003 |publisher=Pearson/Longman |isbn=9780582437364}}</ref>{{Rp|page=100}}

Other early examples of the genre were films starring Roy Rogers which included contemporary settings with heavy reliance on traditional western characters and imagery, such as Silver Spurs (1943). His films made after 1947 are described as "almost without exception, modern-day adventure films set in the American west".<ref name="wilt" />{{rp|90, 153}} Republic Pictures, which distributed a significant number of Autry's and Rogers's films, soon specialized in the contemporary Western subgenre, an example of which is also Paramount's Texas Rangers Ride Again (1940).<ref name="wilt" />{{rp|153}}

Beginning in the postwar era, radio dramas such as ''Tales of the Texas Rangers'' (1950–1952), with Joel McCrea, a contemporary detective drama set in Texas, featured many of the characteristics of traditional Westerns.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dunning |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2e0RDAAAQBAJ |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-19-507678-8 |pages=652–653}}</ref> In this period, post-Western precursors to the modern neo-Western films began to appear. This includes films such as Nicholas Ray's ''The Lusty Men'' (1952) and John Sturges's ''Bad Day at Black Rock'' (1955).<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last=Campbell |first=Neil |title=Post-westerns : cinema, region, West |date=2013 |isbn=978-1-4619-3720-3 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press|location=Lincoln |pages= |oclc=856584709}}</ref>{{Rp|page=56}} Examples of the modern "first phase" of neo-Westerns include films such as ''Lonely Are the Brave'' (1962) and ''Hud'' (1963).<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=324}} The popularity of the subgenre has been resurgent since the release of Joel and Ethan Coen's ''No Country for Old Men'' (2007).<ref name=":0" />

The subgenre can also be seen in television in shows such as ''Breaking Bad.'' According to ''Breaking Bad'' creator Vince Gilligan, "After the first ''Breaking Bad'' episode, it started to dawn on me that we could be making a contemporary Western. So you see scenes that are like gunfighters squaring off, like Clint Eastwood and Lee van Cleef—we have Walt and others like that."<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-03-27 |title=Contemporary Western: An interview with Vince Gilligan |work=News |publisher=Local iQ |place=United States |url=http://www.local-iq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3019&Itemid=56 |url-status=dead |access-date=2013-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403091323/http://www.local-iq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3019&Itemid=56 |archive-date=2013-04-03}}</ref>

Many space Westerns and science fiction Westerns can be classed within the neo-Western genre, particularly if the science fiction elements are of secondary importance to the Western characteristics of the plotlines. Some well-known examples include the original TV series ''Star Trek'' (1966–1969) and the Joss Whedon film ''Serenity'' (2005).<ref name="happylarry">{{cite web |url=https://www.slaphappylarry.com/western-anti-western-neo-western/ |title=Westerns, Anti-Westerns, and Neo-Westerns |date=May 11, 2017 |work=Slap Happy Larry |author=Lynley |access-date=2022-11-10}}</ref> Other kinds of science fiction Westerns, such as the film ''Mad Max'' (1979), have also become popular.

== Neo-Westerns - setting, motif and themes == Some neo-Westerns still take place in the American West and reveal the progression of the Old West mentality into the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This subgenre often features Old West-type characters struggling with displacement in a "civilized" world that rejects their "outdated" brand of justice. However, the contemporary Western need not be limited to the traditional American West setting. ''Coogan's Bluff'' and ''Midnight Cowboy'' are examples of urban Westerns set in New York City.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|pages=148-149}} The neo-Western television series ''Justified'' is set in Eastern Kentucky.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hale |first=Mike |date=January 19, 2015 |title=A Wry Comedy of Manners in Kentucky Coal Country |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/20/arts/television/justified-on-fx-returns-for-final-season.html |access-date=January 13, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |quote=another gun-happy neo-western, 'Justified' has been true to its Elmore Leonard roots}}</ref>

The neo-Western has three identifying themes. First is the lack of rules, with morals guided by the character's or audience's instincts of right and wrong rather than by governance. The second is characters searching for justice. The third theme, characters feeling remorse, connects the neo-Western to the broader Western genre, reinforcing a universal theme that consequences come with actions.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Teti |first=Julia |date=January 2, 2018 |title=How Taylor Sheridan's Films Define The Neo-Western |url=https://theplaylist.net/taylor-sheridan-neo-western-20180102/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412150608/https://theplaylist.net/taylor-sheridan-neo-western-20180102/ |archive-date=2020-04-12 |access-date=2020-04-12 |website=The Playlist}}</ref> Other conventions of the genre include "virility and thus patriarchal rights... secured through public performances of competence; and competence, in turn, is measured and proven in (successful) acts of violence."<ref name="redding">{{cite book |last=Redding |first=Aurthur |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NI2tCwAAQBAJ |title=The New Western: Critical Essays on the Genre Since 9/11 |date=2016-02-16 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-0-7864-7928-3 |editor-last=Stoddart |editor-first=Scott F. |pages=17 |language=en |chapter=Built Ford Tough: The Sincerity of John Ford and the Persistence of the American Western}}</ref> Taylor Sheridan's filmography includes many examples of what being a neo-Western means.<ref name=":0" />

==List of contemporary Westerns== {{dynamic list}} This list is not exhaustive. It includes major films and television labelled contemporary Western, neo-Western, post-Western, or urban Western. The list highlights the media released to illustrate the development of the concept over time.

=== Novels ===

* ''Welcome to Hard Times'' (1960)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bold |first=Christine |title=Selling the Wild West: popular western fiction, 1860 to 1960 |date=1987 |publisher=Indiana Univ. Pr |isbn=978-0-253-35151-7 |location=Bloomington}}</ref>

===Films=== {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * ''Hidden Valley'' (1932)<ref name="grieve">{{cite web |last=Grieve |first=Laura |date=August 16, 2023 |title=Western Round Up: "B" Movie Sampler – Vol.2 |url=https://www.classicmoviehub.com/blog/western-round-up-b-movie-sampler-vol-2/ |website=Classic Movie Hub}}</ref> * ''Thunder Over Texas'' (1934) * ''Under Western Stars'' (1938)<ref name="aquila">{{cite book|last=Aquila|first=Richard|title=The Sagebrush Trail: Western Movies and Twentieth-Century America|publisher=University of Arizona Press|date=2015|isbn=9780816531547|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=igS5BgAAQBAJ}}</ref>{{rp|114}} * ''Texas Rangers Ride Again'' (1940)<ref name="tucker">{{cite book|last=Tucker|first=David C.|title=Gale Storm: A Biography and Career Record|publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers|date=2018|isbn=9781476671772|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QnleDwAAQBAJ}}</ref>{{rp|58}} * ''Man from Cheyenne'' (1942)<ref name="wilt">{{cite book|last=Wilt|first=David A.|title=Hardboiled in Hollywood|publisher=Bowling Green State University Popular Press|date=1991|isbn=9780879725259|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XPizfHP1NPUC}}</ref>{{rp|23}} * ''Silver Spurs'' (1943)<ref name="wilt" />{{rp|153}} * ''Bells of San Angelo'' (1947)<ref name="tnborm">{{cite book|last=|first=|title=The New Movies|publisher=National Board of Review of Motion Pictures|date=1947|isbn=|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YPyHMbvFcbwC}}</ref>{{rp|19}} * ''Springtime in the Sierras'' (1947)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mikestakeonthemovies.com/2018/03/10/springtime-in-the-sierras-1947/ | title=Springtime in the Sierras (1947) | date=10 March 2018 }}</ref> * ''North of the Great Divide'' (1950)<ref name="wilt" />{{rp|90}} * ''Heart of the Rockies'' (1951)<ref name="wilt" />{{rp|90}} * ''South of Caliente'' (1951)<ref name="wilt" />{{rp|90}} * ''Pals of the Golden West'' (1951)<ref name="wilt" />{{rp|91}} * ''The Misfits'' (1961) * ''Lonely are the Brave'' (1962) * ''Midnight Cowboy'' (1969) * ''Dirty Harry'' (1971)<ref name="mcveigh">{{cite book|last=McVeigh|first=Stephen|title=The American Western|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|date=2007|isbn=978-0-7486-2140-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IdyqBgAAQBAJ}}</ref>{{rp|181}}<ref name="umland">{{cite book|last=Umland|first=Rebecca|title=Outlaw Heroes as Liminal Figures of Film|publisher=McFarland & Company|date=2016|isbn=978-1-4766-2351-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S0H8CwAAQBAJ}}</ref>{{rp|5}} * ''The Getaway'' (1972)<ref name="hughes">{{cite book |last=Hughes |first=Howard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zp6LDwAAQBAJ |title=Stagecoach to Tombstone: The Filmgoers' Guide to the Great Westerns |date=2007-10-24 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-0-85773-046-6 |language=en}}</ref> * ''Junior Bonner'' (1972)<ref name="hughes" /> * ''J. W. Coop'' (1972) * ''Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia'' (1974)<ref name="hughes" /> * ''Hearts of the West'' (1975) * ''Assault on Precinct 13'' (1976)<ref name="screenrant_10" /> * ''Comes a Horseman'' (1978) * ''Lone Wolf McQuade'' (1983) * ''Flashpoint'' (1984) * ''Paris, Texas'' (1984) * ''Extreme Prejudice'' (1987) * ''Near Dark'' (1987) * ''Road House'' (1989) * ''Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man'' (1991) * ''El Mariachi'' (1992)<ref name="screenrant_10" /> * ''Red Rock West'' (1993)<ref name="screenrant_cage">{{cite web |last=Pierce-Bohen |first=Kayleena |date=January 12, 2023 |title=The Old Way Is Nicolas Cage's First Western |url=https://screenrant.com/nicolas-cage-old-way-first-western-reason/ |website=Screen Rant}}</ref> * ''Desperado'' (1995) * ''Lone Star'' (1996) * ''The Way of the Gun'' (2000) * ''Once Upon a Time in Mexico'' (2003) * ''Down in the Valley'' (2005) * ''Kill Bill: Volume 2'' (2004) * ''The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada'' (2005) * ''Brokeback Mountain'' (2005)<ref name="screenrant_10" /> * ''Don't Come Knocking'' (2005) * ''No Country for Old Men'' (2007) * ''Shotgun Stories'' (2007)<ref name="abuín">{{cite web |last1=Abuín |first1=Alberto |title=''Shotgun Stories'', Jeff Nichols' debut film |url=https://www.espinof.com/criticas/shotgun-stories-la-opera-prima-de-jeff-nichols |website=Espinof |access-date=February 2, 2026 |date=January 20, 2017}}</ref> * ''Gran Torino'' (2008){{r|redding|p=17-18}} * ''Crazy Heart'' (2009) * ''Out of the Furnace'' (2013) * ''Mystery Road'' (2013) * ''The Rover'' (2014) * ''Blood Father'' (2016) * ''Hell or High Water'' (2016)<ref name="NYT_sheridan">{{cite news|last=Murray|first=Noel|title=With '1883,' Taylor Sheridan Expands His Western Empire|work=New York Times|date=December 17, 2021|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/17/arts/television/taylor-sheridan-yellowstone-1883.html|access-date=January 31, 2023|quote=Before Taylor Sheridan became the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of the 2016 neo-western "Hell or High Water"...}}</ref><ref name="screenrant_10">{{cite web|last=Sherlock|first=Ben|title=10 Smartest Neo-Westerns To Watch If You Like No Country For Old Men|website=Screen Rant|date=November 10, 2019|url=https://screenrant.com/neo-westerns-watch-if-like-no-country-for-old-men/|access-date=January 31, 2023}}</ref> * ''Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'' (2017) * ''Wind River'' (2017)<ref name="screenrant_10" /><ref name="Matheson">{{cite book |last=Matheson |first=Sue |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZncxEAAAQBAJ |title=Women in the Western |date=2020-07-31 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-1-4744-4416-3 |language=en}}</ref> * ''Logan'' (2017)<ref name="screenrant_10" /> * ''To Hell and Gone'' (2019)<ref>{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Jon |date=2019-04-19 |title='To Hell and Gone': A modern Spaghetti Western that's a pleasure to devour |url=https://gilaherald.com/to-hell-and-gone-a-modern-spaghetti-western-thats-a-pleasure-to-devour/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=The Gila Herald |language=en}}</ref> * ''El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'' (2019) * ''Nomadland'' (2020) * ''The Power of the Dog'' (2021) * ''Cry Macho'' (2021)<ref name="screenrant_macho">{{cite web |last=Cotter |first=Padraig |date=January 7, 2023 |title=Clint Eastwood's Movie Wish Could Break An Incredible Director Record |website=Screen Rant |url=https://screenrant.com/clint-eastwood-oldest-director-record/}}</ref> * ''The Last Victim'' (2021) * ''Nope'' (2022)<ref name="screenrant_nope">{{cite web|last=Young |first=Kai |date=January 29, 2023 |title=Nope's Oscar Snub Makes The Movie's Plot Mirror A Real-Life Issue |website=Screen Rant |url=https://screenrant.com/nope-oscar-snub-movie-real-life-parallel/}}</ref> * ''The Bikeriders'' (2023)<ref name="clarkeTBR">{{cite news |last1=Clarke |first1=Donald |title=''The Bikeriders'' review: Jodie Comer ensures you pay attention to this violent, sometimes tragic biker-gang saga |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/review/2024/06/19/the-bikeriders-review-jodie-comer-ensures-you-pay-attention-to-this-violent-sometimes-tragic-biker-gang-saga/ |access-date=February 23, 2026 |work=The Irish Times |date=June 19, 2024}}</ref> * ''Eddington'' (2025)<ref name="deadline_eddington">{{cite web |last1=Wise |first1=Damon |title='Eddington' Review: Ari Aster's Explosive, Satirical Neo-Western Takes A Big Swing At MAGA Culture – Cannes Film Festival |url=https://deadline.com/2025/05/eddington-review-ari-asters-explosive-satirical-neo-western-takes-a-big-swing-at-maga-culture-cannes-film-festival-1236401277/ |website=Deadline |access-date=15 July 2025 |date=16 May 2025}}</ref> * ''Mrigaya: The Hunt'' (2025) * ''Rebuilding'' (2025)<ref name="nyt_rebuilding">{{cite news |last1=Kennedy |first1=Lisa |title=''Rebuilding'' Review: When Life Bucks You Off |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/movies/rebuilding-review.html |access-date=December 19, 2025 |work=The New York Times |date=November 13, 2025}}</ref> * ''Violent Ends'' (2025)<ref name="maidy">{{cite web |last1=Maidy |first1=Alex |title=''Violent Ends'' Review: Billy Magnussen leads a solid Southern-fried revenge thriller |url=https://www.joblo.com/violent-ends-review/ |website=JoBlo |access-date=February 13, 2026}}</ref> {{div col end}}

=== Comics === * Bronc Peeler (1933–1938), a comic strip by Fred Harman<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fred Harman |url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/h/harman_fred.htm |access-date=2025-08-06 |website=lambiek.net |language=en}}</ref> * Vigilante from DC Comics<ref>{{Cite web |title=Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Vigilante |url=https://www.toonopedia.com/vig-1.htm |access-date=2025-08-06 |website=www.toonopedia.com}}</ref>

===Television=== {{div col}} * ''Cade's County'' (1971–1972) * ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' (1993–2001) * ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and its spinoff ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022) * ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2014) * ''Justified'' (2010–2015) * ''Longmire'' (2012–2017) * ''Mystery Road'' (2018–2020) * ''Yellowstone'' (2018–2024) * ''Too Old to Die Young'' (2019) * ''Walker'' (2021–2024) * ''Joe Pickett'' (2021–2023) * ''Outer Range'' (2022–2024) * ''Dark Winds'' (2022–present) * ''Justified: City Primeval'' (2023) * ''The Walking Dead'' (2010–2022) * ''Supernatural'' (2005–2020) * ''Territory'' (2024) * ''Landman'' (2024–present) * ''Marshals'' (2026–present) * ''The Madison'' (2026–present) * ''Lanterns'' (2026) {{div col end}}

===Video games=== {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * ''Ground Zero: Texas'' (1994) * ''Full Throttle'' (1995) * ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' (2004) * ''Total Overdose'' (2005) * ''Chili Con Carnage'' (2007) * ''Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned'' (2009) * ''Wet'' (2009) * ''Fallout: New Vegas'' (2010) * ''Call of Juarez: The Cartel'' (2011) * ''The Last of Us'' (2013) * ''Grand Theft Auto V'' (2013) * ''Far Cry 5'' (2018) * ''Days Gone'' (2019) {{div col end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Contemporary Westerns Category:Western (genre) subgenres