One of cinema’s most storied and celebrated brands of film, theWesterngenre has played host to some of Hollywood’s most prominent and lauded A-Listers. From classic genre big hitters in the vein of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood all the way to more modern stars like Jeff Bridges and Samuel L. Jackson, thebest Western movies ever madeboast some of the most memorable and widely imitated performances in the history of cinema, breathing life into a diverse array of lawmen, gunslingers, and outlaws.
However, the foundations for the Western genre’s success aren’t solely built on the backs of its leading men. Some of the finest Westerns owe a great deal to a first-rate supporting character role, whether that be a loyal right-hand man, or a despicable villain who serves as the movie’s antagonistic foil. From thebest spaghetti WesternstoWesterns where the villain wins,a number of great supporting characters have been brought to life by an A-Lister who can rival the movie’s lead,serving to elevate the film’s quality through their assured presence and onscreen charisma.
Django Unchained
Cast
Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained follows Jamie Foxx’s Django, a Black slave who is freed before becoming a bounty hunter. After meeting German dentist-turned-bounty-hunter Dr. King Schultz, Django sets off to free his wife from the cruel and charismatic plantation owner Calvin Candie. Christophe Waltz stars alongside Foxx, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kerry Washington rounding out the cast of Tarantino’s revisionist Spaghetti Western.
A blood-soaked revisionist Western masterpiece from Quentin Tarantino, 2012’sDjango Unchainedboasts an enviable ensemble cast. Led by Jamie Foxx as the eponymous character, the film also features the big names likes of Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kerry Washington. However, despite Waltz earning an Academy Award for his turn as King Schultz, the greatest supporting role played by an A-list actor throughoutDjango Unchainedis undoubtedly Leonardo DiCaprio’s Calvin Candie.
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Effecting a simpering facade of Southern civility that serves as a veil for the sadistic proclivities lurking beneath, Candie is one of Tarantino’s most memorable and compelling villains, brought to life through a gleefully unrestrained performance in one ofDiCaprio’s best movie bows. The six-time Academy Award nominee is gloriously wicked as Candie,a ruthless plantation owner who gets his kicks through delightful pursuits like watching slaves fight to the death or having his dogs tear runaways to shreds.
Tombstone
Tombstone chronicles legendary marshal Wyatt Earp and his brothers as they seek fortune in a prosperous mining town. Forced to confront a gang threatening the community, Earp joins forces with the infamous Doc Holliday, highlighting a tense battle between lawmen and outlaws in the American West.
Loosely based on true events, 1993’sTombstoneis a stylish Western fromRambo: First Blood Part IIdirector George P. Cosmatos. Boasting an ensemble cast led by Kurt Russell aslawman Wyatt Earp, the movie received highly positive reviews, with particular praise directed towards a superb performance fromTop Gunalum Val Kilmer in the supporting role of Earp’s old friend, Doc Holliday.
…the drink-swilling Holliday is one of the most memorable and instantly quotable characters in the entire Western genre.
Turning in a scene-stealing bow as the smooth-talking, sickly gunslinger that somehow failed to be nominated for an Academy Award, the drink-swilling Holliday is one of the most memorable and instantly quotable characters in the entire Western genre.Batman Foreverstar Kilmer turns in what is contentiously a career best performanceagainst the backdrop of a seminal offering for the genre, a bow that is further aided by some first-rate chemistry with his onscreen rival in Michael Biehn’s Johnny Ringo.
No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men is a western crime-thriller based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy and directed by the Cohen Brothers. Following three protagonists, the film centers around a large $2,000,000+ cache of dirty money lost near the Rio Grande. With a veteran who finds it, a hitman who will stop at nothing to get it, and a sheriff trying to investigate the crimes connected to it, all roads lead to death and mayhem as they find themselves in each other’s crosshairs.
It speaks volumes to the cultural impact of Javier Bardem’s take on Anton Chigurh that the enigmatic hit man is the name most closely associated with 2007’s neo-Western standoutNo Country for Old Men, despite the fact that he is not actually the main focus of the movie. A ruthless killer with a preternatural ability to track his prey based on Cormac McCarthy’s character of the same name, Chigurh spends the movie attempting to track down the cartel money stolen by Josh Brolin’s Llewelyn Moss.
Whether he’s gambling lives on a literal coin toss or brutally taking them with the help of his cattle gun, there isn’t much to say about Bardem’s generational turn as Chigurh that hasn’t been said already. With the actor earning an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA for his chilling take on the hit man, the live-action version of McCarthy’s psychopathic killer is widely regarded as thebest Western villainin cinematic history andis arguably long time A-Lister Bardem’s most impressive role in a lengthy and storied career.
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven is a Western film directed by John Sturges. Released in 1960, it follows a group of seven gunfighters, led by Chris Adams, hired to protect a defenseless Mexican village from marauding bandits. The ensemble cast includes Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, and Charles Bronson.
One of the genre’s seminal outings, 1960’sThe Magnificent Sevenis an Old Western style remake of the iconic 1954 action epic,Seven Samurai. Chronicling the titular group of gunfighters' attempts to defend a Mexican village from a gang of vicious bandits, the movie features an ensemble cast for the ages, many of whom went on to become superstars in their own right following their success in John Sturges' outing.
The Magnificent Sevenwas remade again in 2016, starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke.
However, the gold standard for the supporting roles among said ensemble cast is undoubtedly Bernardo O’Reilly, brought to life in an unforgettable role from the lateWestern movie icon Charles Bronson. An A-List name across the action, war, and Western genres,Bronson’s take on the Irish-Mexican gunslinger fallen upon hard times is one of his most celebrated roles.A self-assured and stoic presence, the actor’s role as O’Reilly arguably helped solidify Bronson’s reputation as the strong and silent type in future genre outings.
The Hateful Eight
Quentin Tarantino’s 2015 Western incorporates elements of the mystery and thriller genres. Set in 1877, The Hateful Eight follows eight strangers who seek refuge from a blizzard in an isolated stagecoach stopover. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, and Channing Tatum, The Hateful Eight was inspired by the Western TV shows of 1960s.
The second genre offering in the storied career of illustrious filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, 2015’srevisionist WesternThe Hateful Eightfollows eight strangers taking refuge from a blizzard, who soon become caught up in a web of murder and deceit. Set in the aftermath of the American Civil War, the film’s titular eight characters feature a number of prominent A-listers, including Kurt Russell and Walton Goggins.
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However,the highlight of the movie’s sterling supporting performances is that of Jennifer Jason Leigh as Daisy Domergue.A merciless killer and lethally cunning outlaw with a ten thousand dollar bounty on her head, Domergue serves asThe Hateful Eight’smain antagonist. Leigh demonstrates her remarkable range through an intense performance for the ages that earned her an Academy Award nomination, effortlessly capturing the pathos of a chained woman in many instances before shifting to an unhinged banshee without a second’s warning in others.
True Grit
An adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name, True Grit tells the story of 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), who enlists the help of morally-questionable lawman Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to avenge the death of her father by apprehending the criminal Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). They are joined by a cocksure Texas Ranger named Labeouf (Matt Damon), who insists upon collecting the bounty on Chaney’s head. The three travel across the Arkansas plains in pursuit of Chaney, risking life and limb against outlaws and wild animals in pursuit of justice.
A remake of the 1969 film of the same name led by John Wayne, 2010’sTrue Gritis one of the most critically acclaimed Western movies in modern cinema. Earning 10 Academy Award nominations and boasting a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the Coen Brothers' offering features an enviable cast of Hollywood big-hitters in supporting roles, withJosh Brolin’s Tom Chaney serving as the pick of an impressive bunch.
Chaney is no Machiavellian schemer, but the deeply human nature of his brutish tendencies and his subsequent lack of remorse means that he simultaneously comes across as an extremely pathetic and deeply frightening character…
Known for his roles in blockbuster franchises likeThe Avengers,Dune, andDeadpool, the man who brought Thanos to life is one of Hollywood’s most instantly recognizable faces, but does some of his most underrated work asTrue Grit’soverarching antagonist. Chaney is no Machiavellian schemer, but the deeply human nature of his brutish tendencies and his subsequent lack of remorse means that he simultaneously comes across as an extremely pathetic and deeply frightening character in one ofBrolin’s finest Western movies.
The Revenant
Inspired by the true events in the life of Hugh Glass, The Revenant is an action-drama movie that sees Leonardo DiCaprio in the starring role. Betrayed and left for dead by one of the members of his hunting group, Glass finds himself contending with some of the harshest elements imaginable while tending to his deadly wounds, as his will to carry on and need for revenge push him to carry on in this gripping tale of survival.
The revenge story to end all revenge stories fromBirdmandirector Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2015’sThe Revenantis undoubtedly the Leonardo DiCaprio show. The movie that finally earnedThe Wolf of Wall Streetstar his long awaited Academy Award, the film chronicles a near-literal return from the dead for DiCaprio’s charge Hugh Glass, a fur trapper during the 1800s who is left for dead by his companions after being savagely mauled by a gargantuan grizzly bear.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Academy Award Nominations and Wins
Best Actor
Lost
Fellow A-lister Tom Hardy takes on the supporting role of Hugh’s primary tormentor in John Fitzgerald.The actor produces an Academy Award-nominated bow as the brutal Fitzgerald, a morally devoid villain who rubs salt in the wounds by murdering Glass' son and burying the stricken trapper alive in a shallow grave before abandoning him. Fitzgerald’s dastardly actions prove to be the driving force of the movie, prompting a vengeful Glass to defy all the odds just to get his revenge on him duringThe Revenant’svisceral ending.
Appaloosa
Appaloosa is a Western film directed by Ed Harris, who also stars as lawman Virgil Cole. Set in the New Mexico Territory during the 1880s, Cole and his deputy, Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen), are hired to protect a town from the ruthless rancher Randall Bragg, portrayed by Jeremy Irons. Renée Zellweger co-stars as Allison French, a piano player caught in the moral complexities of the escalating conflict.
Directed by Ed Harris and boasting some of thebest performances in modern Westernmovie history,Appaloosais an underrated picture from the 2000s. Featuring Harris andThe Lord of the Ringsmegastar Viggo Mortensen in the leading roles, the 2008 movie follows two prolific peacekeepers hired to restore law and order to the movie’s titular town. The leading duo’s primary antagonistic foil takes the form of murderous rancher, Randall Bragg,played by fellow A-Lister,Die Hard with Vengeancestar Jeremy Irons.
Appaloosais based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Robert B. Parker.
A dastardly criminal who murdered the former marshal and now frequently terrorizes the town, Irons' charge rounds out an all-star cast that also features Renée Zellweger. A polished villain from an actor who is renowned for producing them, the nefarious Bragg serves as a worthy antagonist against the backdrop of one of the more underrated Western movies that the 2000s have to offer.
Unforgiven
Unforgiven follows retired gunslinger Will Munny as he is drawn back into his former life for a final mission, seeking justice with his old partner and a young outlaw called The Schofield Kid.
Widely regarded asClint Eastwood’s best Western moviesince 1966’sThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly,1992’sUnforgivensees theDirty Harrystar take on the role of William Munny, an aging gunslinger who finds himself tempted out of retirement for one last score. In addition to Eastwood and Gene Hackman in an Academy Award-winning performance as Sheriff Bill Daggett,Unforgivenalso features a supporting bow from cinema icon Morgan Freeman.
The Oscar winning star of seminal outings in the vein ofMillion Dollar Baby,The Shawshank Redemption, andThe Dark Knighttrilogy,Freeman plays Munny’s old friend and retired outlaw, Ned Logan, in the 1992 Western.It’s not one of Freeman’s biggest roles, but it’s decidedly one of his most memorable, with his character’s death serving as the catalyst for a murderous rampage from Munny that stands as one of cinema’s finest revenge sequences.
There Will Be Blood
Loosely based on an Upton Sinclair novel, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood follows Daniel Plainview, a ruthless entrepreneur and oil man who, in his quest to run a successful oil business, slowly descends into crime and corruption and alienates everyone around him. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Plainview, alongside co-stars Paul Dano, Kevin J. O’Connor, and Ciarán Hinds.
Standout roles in the acclaimed likes ofPrisoners,12 Years a Slave, andThe Batmanhave left Paul Dano with a reputation as one of Hollywood’s more prominent faces in recent years. However, in spite of his more recent success, the performance that the American finds his name most inextricably linked with is that of his dual supporting role as twin brothers Eli and Paul Sunday in 2007’sThere Will Be Blood.
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One of thebest neo-Western moviesever made, Paul Thomas Anderson’s picture received universal acclaim upon release and is widely regarded as one of the most influential films in the history of cinema. In addition to the exemplary cinematography, Jonny Greenwood’s score, and an Academy Award-winning turn from Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, particular praise must be singled out forA-Lister Dano’s compelling supporting performanceand his impressive ability to play off his famously mercurial co-star.
