6. Bad Company (1972) 3d5o3z
Bad Company takes the traditional outlaw Western and turns it into something more cynical, offbeat, and darkly humorous. A forgotten gem of the era, it was directed by Robert Benton (who went on to helm the award-winning Kramer vs. Kramer in 1979) and stars a young Jeff Bridges in one of his first major roles.
Set during the American Civil War, the film follows Drew (Barry Brown), a privileged young man who dodges the draft and heads west, only to fall in with a gang of ragtag outlaws led by Bridges’ charismatic yet morally questionable Jake.
Bad Company was one of the first Westerns to really embrace the disillusionment of the era but has a through line tackling the notion of the grass not necessarily always being greener. Drew’s morals and meaning are questioned as he embraces what he initially sees as freedom, but it swiftly comes at a price. Bad Company is a much more raw and ironic film than it’s perhaps given credit for, Bridges is, as always, effortlessly watchable, but it’s Brown’s naïve protagonist who gives the film its emotional weight.
7. The Grand Duel (1972)
Only recently released on Blu-Ray, The Grand Duel is an absolute must-see. Directed by Giancarlo Santi, the film stars Lee Van Cleef in full-on gunslinger mode, delivering one of his coolest and most commanding performances; dare I say it, up there with his iconic roles in the Dollars Trilogy (1964-1966).
He plays Sheriff Clayton, a world-weary lawman tasked with protecting a young fugitive accused of murder. As the pair go on the run, they’re pursued by three ruthless brothers, leading to a series of violent and expertly staged shootouts, and the whole thing is gripping from start to finish.
The Grand Duel attempts to recreate the myth of the previous decade in the sense that it’s an homage to the Spaghetti Westerns that came before it, but Santi’s film easily stands on its own feet and isn’t overshadowed by its predecessors in any way or fashion.
Ever the fan of under-seen and unknown Westerns, Quentin Tarantino used Luis Bacalov’s score as part of his soundtrack for Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003), proving to many that The Grand Duel deserves to be seen on a much wider scale.
8. A Reason to Live, A Reason to Die (1972)
A Western heist film with an all-star cast and an explosive finale, A Reason to Live, A Reason to Die (also known as Massacre at Fort Holman) is a Spaghetti Western that some claim is simply a combination of The Dirty Dozen (1968) and Where Eagles Dare (1968). But is that such a crime?
James Coburn stars as Colonel Pembroke, a disgraced Union officer who assembles a team of criminals to help him retake a fortress that was stolen from him by a ruthless Confederate commander (Telly Savalas, having an absolute blast).
Tonino Valerii’s film may be unfairly dismissed because of its plot similarities to the films mentioned above, but it more than holds its own whilst knowing exactly what it is. A Reason to Live, A Reason to Die stays true to its Spaghetti Western roots and culminates with a spectacular finale that invites favourable comparison with Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch (1969), although claiming Valerii’s film is on the same level as Peckinpah’s would ittedly be quite a stretch.
9. Westworld (1973)
The younger generation might well be more au fait with the recent HBO Westworld television series (2016-2022), but Michael Crichton’s original 1973 directorial debut (that he also scripted) is arguably a more efficient and consistent piece of work.
While Westworld is naturally associated with science fiction, its core is a classic Western story—except this time, the gunslingers are robots, and the Old West is just a theme park for rich tourists.
The film takes place in a futuristic resort where visitors can live out their Wild West fantasies, offering interesting themes of morality, consent and humanity itself. But when the park’s AI malfunctions, chaos ensues, with Yul Brynner’s robotic Gunslinger going on an unstoppable killing spree. Sound a bit like Jurassic Park? Well Crichton wrote that too of course.
Westworld is an excellent and often underrated work, but in an era where AI is now very much among us, it’s an appropriate time to re-watch and perhaps greater appreciate Crichton’s very fine film.
10. Breakheart (1975)
Part Western, part murder mystery, Breakheart is an overlooked gem that mixes genre themes and ideas in a way that makes it a compelling and exciting thriller, yet with an unmistakeable Western style.
Based on Alistair MacLean’s novel, the film stars Charles Bronson in a rare detective-style role, investigating a series of deaths aboard a train heading for a remote military outpost.
Though it never reached the status of Bronson’s bigger hits like The Mechanic (1972) or Death Wish (1974), Breakheart is an excellent hybrid of Western and mystery thriller, with Bronson perfectly cast in the lead role, and bizarrely makes you think of another film set on a train some twenty years later, the underrated pinnacle of the B-movie in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995).