20 Westerns to Watch Before You Go Wild in Red Dead Redemption 2

As Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming soon, players can't wait to experience the lawless life and the wildness of the West, as well as the punishment brought by fate in this masterpiece. Before Red Dead Redemption, everyone still liked to experience the Western life of a cowboy with their eyes in front of the TV. GameInformer brings us the TOP20 must-see Western movies before the wild arrival of Red Dead Redemption 2. Let's experience the blood and fire in the movie!

20. "3:00 to Yuma" (2007)

This is not the first time that the title "To Yuma" has appeared on the screen. It is actually a remake of the 1957 film of the same name directed by Delmer Daves. The 2007 version was directed by James Mangold and starred Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. It tells the story of a down-and-out farmhand played by Christian Bale who needs to escort a notorious criminal (played by Russell Crowe) to a train, while the criminal's bandit subordinates have been following the farmhand to rescue their leader. Each character in "To Yuma" reflects the various "rules of the game" of the Western world, and the characters and actors also oppress each other. Therefore, the tension in the Western world in the film is suffocating, and "To Yuma" has become one of the representative works that reproduce the sharp contradictions in the West.

Classic Western scenes in the film - cowboys, horses, small towns

Christian Bale plays farmhand

Reason for the list: The West is dominated by "guns", and the narrative of Red Dead Redemption 2 shows the glorious side of the West. The protagonist John Marston becomes a prisoner between reality and the future, and the entanglement between people in 3:15 to Yuma is also very similar to the triangle relationship between Marston, Morgan and Dutch van der Linde. The same West, the same characters, the same fetters, you may want to take a look at this masterpiece that reproduces the conflict in the West after playing the game.

19. "The Assassination of Jesse James Bond" (2005)

If you are looking for the thrill of gunfights in the West, this slow-paced, non-traditional Western may not be for you. The film tells the story of the Western past of Jesse James (Brad Pitt), a well-known American thief. Jesse James, a famous sharpshooter in the West, had robbed countless large banks when he was young. He finally got tired of the life of escape and retired with his most trusted subordinate Robert Ford (Casey Affleck) and his wife and children. However, driven by interests, Robert still sold James to the government. The fate of the two is intertwined, showing that the only truth in the West is freedom!

Jesse James himself (I have to say he is really good-looking)

Jesse James and his most trusted subordinate Robert Ford in the film

Reason for the list: In the preview of Red Dead Redemption 2, John Marston once fought a gangster on a train. The same storyline also appears in the film. The disintegration of the James Gang is similar to the disintegration of the Van Linder Gang in the game. What is more similar is that the Van Linder Gang, like Jesse James, needs to face its own decline. In the blood-stained West, everyone is protecting themselves, and people use each other, which makes the connotation of the film reach a higher level.

18. "The Gunslinger and the Mastermind" (1969)

This movie may not be familiar to everyone, so I still need to briefly introduce it here. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (also translated as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"), an old movie from 1969, is a mixture of a gay drama and a western conflict, and it has become a masterpiece due to the wonderful performances of Paul Newman and Robert Redford as two desperate robbers. The movie is adapted from a true story and tells the story of a pair of robbers, Butch and Sundance, who were wanted by the police after robbing mail trucks many times and eventually had to go on the run. Speaking of this, we must mention another movie from 1969, "The Wild Bunch". Compared with "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", this movie is too old-fashioned and still uses the usual story of a hero saving a beautiful girl. However, the endings of both movies are their finishing touches and have become classics praised by the film industry. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Wild Bunch Kid" may be considered to have put a perfect end to the last glory of westerns.

Classic moments of "The Gunslinger and the Mastermind"

Robert Redford and Paul Newman in a still from "The Gunslinger and the Wizard"

Reason for being on the list: Players may only remember the tragic plot of "Red Dead Redemption" but ignore Rockstar's comedic routines. John and the cunning salesman Nigel Dickens are both funny plots that players ignore. Arthur Morgan's witty words in the trailer of "Red Dead Redemption 2" - "If you die, I'll take the money, it's like being a god on earth" and the hilarious dialogues in "The Gunslinger and the Brainiac" are just what players like.

17. Deadwood (2004)

This TV series is not very friendly to friends who don't know the history of the American West, but as long as you know a little bit, the Western genes in this show will be deeply implanted in your body, such as the strong interaction between the characters and the audience and the luxurious cast, which are the selling points of this western drama. The background of the story is the gold rush period in the United States in the mid-to-late 19th century. The shocking Coaster Indian massacre had just occurred. The influx of a large number of immigrants brought the originally dilapidated Deadwood Town back to life, but because the town is relatively remote and located on the border, some desperadoes tried to do something big here. And Deadwood Town, a place where money, power and violence are intertwined, must be a place where black and white people gather. A wonderful show gradually unfolds in this magical place of Deadwood Town.

Stills from Deadwood

The American national curse from the cowboy's mouth

Reason for being on the list: Deadwood is home to all kinds of people, including fugitives, prostitutes, gamblers, veterans, and Chinese laborers. In the preview of Red Dead Redemption 2, you can also see all kinds of people gathering in towns like Deadwood, and some unexpected stories happen.

16. "Django Unchained" (2012)

Quentin Tarantino, the master of violent aesthetics, brought us "Django Unchained", a tribute to Italian Westerns. The story takes place a few years before the Civil War. Django is a black slave who is rescued by a bounty hunter doctor. The two fight endlessly to create a harmonious world. The cast of this film is also full of big names, Jimmie Foxx, Leonardo Dicaprio, Samuel Jackson and Christoph Waltz are all top stars. No matter how the media evaluates it, "Django Unchained" is not just a commercial entertainment film, but actually the most literary and artistic violent aesthetics of Quentin Tarantino.

Love this lens

Aesthetics of violence

Reason for the list: Like Quentin Tarantino, Rockstar is also good at creating colorful game characters. The diversity of characters in "Red Dead Redemption 2" coincides with "Django Unchained".

15. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Sergio Leone's "Dollars and the Good, the Bad and the Ugly" trilogy plays an important role in the history of westerns. It is an absolute masterpiece of westerns that has been gradually forgotten by Hollywood. If you are interested in this series, the third one, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", is recommended. The story of this Italian western takes place during the American Civil War. Cowboys and bandits have always been a pair of enemies. The two characters in the film set traps for each other to kill each other, but a soldier intervenes halfway, and the three of them perform one good show after another in the desert.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Poster

Does it look like John Marston?

Reason for being on the list: "Red Dead Redemption" borrows a lot from the story structure of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". In the game, you can also unlock the classic costumes of the protagonist of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". There is also a similar killing system (Dead-eye mode) in the game and the movie. I wonder what new elements will be in "Red Dead Redemption 2".

14. Godless (2017)

Godless is probably the most recent series on this list. This 2017 Netflix limited series won a lot of praise for its unique understanding of Westerns. The story is about a remote town where all the men died in a bizarre mining accident, and the remaining women have to take up arms to fight for their own survival. The process of rebuilding the town is quite complicated and cumbersome. A woman in the town shelters a fugitive (played by Jack O'Connell), but is tracked down by the prisoner's master (played by Jeff Daniels). This so-called "master" is a murderer who kills without blinking an eye. He is also a master of disguise who can disguise himself as a victim in the moment after killing someone. The battle of wits and courage between several people has made such a Western drama. Jeff Daniels also won his second Emmy Award for his outstanding performance in the play, and Merritt Wever's performance as a town leader who is not afraid of violence also won the Emmy Award.

Godless poster

Stills from Godless

Reason for the list: Many elements of "Red Dead Redemption" appear in this series, including fugitives and former accomplices, a boss who plays a good role, etc. The story of "Red Dead Redemption 2" should be more exciting than these.

13. The Hateful Eight (2015)

The second western film of the violent aesthetics master Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight, was shot completely according to Quentin's favorite route. The story unfolds with two bounty hunters, a fugitive with a bounty of 10,000 yuan and a newly appointed sheriff, and four outsiders, performing a life-and-death battle on a snowy hillside.

The Hateful Eight poster

Awkward but polite smile

Reason for the list: The snowy weather in "The Hateful Eight" reminds people of the scene where John Marston walked alone on the snowy mountains with his horse. The extremely violent scenes in the film are not to be underestimated in "Red Dead Redemption 2".

12. Hell on Wheels (2011)

The AMC series "Hell on Wheels" focuses on the railroad construction in the United States after the Civil War. The protagonist of the story is a retired Confederate soldier who wants to get rid of the shadow of the past in his new life. The source of the protagonist's survival is revenge, but later he became a legend in railroad construction. In the five seasons of the series, there are all the characters you can imagine, such as street prostitutes, vagrants, mercenaries, etc. The show is now available on Netflix.

Hell on Wheels poster

Stills from Hell on Wheels

Reason for the list: The protagonists of the play, like John Marston, have a glorious past and want to make a comeback to regain their lost glory. Similarly, both of them will serve powerful people, no matter how reluctantly.

11. "The Tiger Comes to the Mountain" (1972)

Early in his film career, Oscar-winning director Sidney Pollack teamed up with Robert Redford (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) and Jeremiah Johnson and John Milouse to write the story of a disaffected soldier who leaves civilization behind to live like a Spartan (like a savage) in the unforgiving wilderness. After making contact with a primitive tribe, he marries a Native American woman and lives an idyllic life in the pine woods, but it doesn't last long and he loses everything, embarking on a bloody journey of revenge to get justice.

A Glimpse

Stills from "Tigers Crossing the Mountain"

Reason for being on the list: The protagonist in the film has too many similarities with John Marston. They both gave up their previous civilized life and wanted to retire to the countryside, but God played a joke on them again, so they had to resort to violence to return to their original lives.

• «
• 1
• 2
• »