The Western is very specifically an American genre, since it deals with a specific period of time in American history: the settling of the Western frontier during the late 1800’s. For decades, the Western has been a hugely popular genre with audiences, with its tales of heroism and courage in the face of adversity, and celebration of the “pioneering spirit.” (Modern audiences perceive colonization in a different way, though), along with the notion of the “Code of Honour.” There have been so many Westerns made in film history that we can identify a number of recurring story tropes. A few examples:

The Lawless Town, or The Peaceful Town that is suddenly threatened by Lawlessness. In either case, a hero has to enter the picture to restore Law and Order . HIGH NOON and TOMBSTONE are two good examples.

The Daring Robbery. Either the entire film is structured around the carrying out of a plan to rob a bank/train/gold shipment/whatever, or the robbery is just one element of the story. There are always repercussions, usually involving someone betraying someone else and taking more than their fair share.

“The Taming of the West” – conflicts arise between settlers and Native Americans. In older Westerns, a non-PC approach is taken (the depiction of natives as brutal savages), but Westerns made later have portrayed Native Americans more sympathetically. (DANCES WITH WOLVES)

The Revenge Plot. The main character is seeking revenge for the death of someone close to him, a wife or another family member, or maybe revenge for being mistreated in some way (imprisoned, tortured, framed for a crime, double-crossed by someone they trusted, etc.). Gregory Peck in SHOOT OUT and the spaghetti westerns A MAN CALLED DJANGO and THE HILLS RUN RED are good examples. The Revenge Plot takes a supernatural turn in HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER and THE STRANGER’S GUNDOWN, where it is strongly suggested that the character out for revenge is actually a ghost.

The Lone Gunslinger. A Gun for Hire, or maybe someone who is a perpetual wanderer, and always finds trouble wherever he goes. His motives may be selfless (to help people in trouble) or selfish (to seek financial gain). We have John Wayne in HONDO, Alan Ladd in SHANE, Franco Nero in DJANGO, and of course Clint Eastwood in numerous films.

Trouble at the Ranch! The villains of the story try to drive someone off their ranch. Maybe the property is valuable in some way, or they have other reasons for wanting the land. There are plenty of shoot-outs and casualties on both sides before things are settled.

The Showdown. Any Western has a showdown between characters who are opposites in some way.

Fun With Coffins. A lot of black humour is derived from the hero drumming up lots of business for the local undertaker, sometimes buying coffins in advance, sometimes arranging things so that when he shoots someone dead, they fall straight into an open coffin. One SARTANA movie has a shoot-out take place in the funeral parlour, with a line of coffins tumbling over like dominos.

The Western is a very masculine genre, because of the emphasis on aggression, competition, toughness and endurance (at some point in any Western, you can count on the hero having to stoically endure beatings or torture by the bad guys), and gunplay, which can take on a Freudian meaning (look at DJANGO and his Big gatling gun, for instance). Out of the many, many Westerns that have been made, a number have become classics of the genre, like HIGH NOON, THE SEARCHERS, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, TRUE GRIT, and THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY. But for every classic western, there are probably about 100 obscure ones. The Western as a film genre has pretty much been usurped nowadays by Super Hero movies, but the occasional one still gets made. Quentin Tarantino gave us both THE HATEFUL EIGHT and DJANGO UNCHAINED. But the western today seems to thrive on TV, with popular series like DEADWOOD and YELLOWSTONE.

Barry Yuen
(“The Rootinest, Tootinest Poster Collector North of the Border”)