Western Movies: Expansive Tales Of Ethnic Conflicts

The genre of western movies depicts stories and themes which are laid in the second half of the 19th century. The conflicts in the western movies are between natives and the settlers, or between the farmers and the ranchers. The theme holds the viewers intently until the end of the movie.

The plot of all best western movies is based on the archetypal conflict between the good and bad, new arrivals (settlers) vs. Native Americans (usually portrayed as savages), virtue vs. evil etc.

In a sense western movies celebrate the nostalgia of the untamed.  Or the expansive clash between civilization and wilderness. Nevertheless, western movies are the oldest; enduring and characteristically American with mythical origins.

Western movies are populated with the heroes who are law enforcement officers, army officers, ranchers or skilled gun fighters.

The typical ingredients of Western movies are guns and gun fights, horses, human massacres, train and bank robberies, kidnappings etc.’

Memorable actors and heroes in western films need a mention. All western movies have heroes enacting gunfights, town marshals, or bounty hunters. The best western movie heroes ride horses, chase bad guys, hunt and kill if needed.

Here are the great heroes of western Movies. John Wayne is undoubtedly the best western movie actor. He was noticed in “The Big Trail; “Riders of Destiny”: “The High and The Mighty”.

Clint Eastwood was famous for his role as Rowdy Yates in the movie “Rawhide.” His biggest roles included “A Fistful of Dollars” in 1963.

James Stewart is a veteran. His films “The Murder Man”: “Destry Rides Again” received critical acclaim. Robert Redford was a great actor in films “Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid” and “Jeremiah Johnson” and “War Hunt.”

A Quick List of Top 10 Western Movies

•    Johnny Guitar
•    Ride in the Whirlwind
•    The Shooting
•    Great Silence
•    Little Big Man
•    High Plains Drifter
•    Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
•    Keoma
•    Ravenous
•    The Proposition

Oscar Touch: Ticket to Big Glory

All Oscar movies seem to get a double life as soon as they are nominated or declared winner of the Oscar award. Such is the power and glamour or appeal of the coveted Oscar award in film making.

Some examples are. In 2011 many of the Oscar nominations were shared by 'The King's Speech,' 'Black Swan,' 'The Social Network,' 'True Grit,' 'Toy Story 3' and 'Inception'.

In that crowd of seemingly Goliaths there stood a small film called 'Winter's Bone,' that made a scant $6 million since its release.  Thanks to OSCAR nominations, the fortunes changed and jumped from obscurity to instant glory and attention.

Similarly, in 2004, the Brazilian film 'City of God' was hardly famous. As soon as four nominations, including Best Director award went to Fernando Meirelles  the movie had a new destiny and has since been called as one of the greatest movies of all time.

Same was the case with 'Il Postino' that received little attention until it got Oscar. When the Academy bestowed five nominations for the Italian movie, the movie fans got a great film.

The movie also had a heartbreaking story when Best Actor nominee Massimo Troisi who head off heart surgery to complete the film and died just a few hours after shooting the final scene.

The Oscar movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' scripted a rags to riches story. Its rise from unknown indie to eight-time Oscar winner in 2008 paid off. Thanks to the Academy Awards; 'Slumdog Millionaire' jumped to number-one slot worldwide.

The Oscar touch of 'Crash' is different, Brokeback Mountain topped critic's list and became the talk of the town. But 'Crash' toppled all expectations and won the Best Picture award despite not carrying a nomination at the Golden Globes. The victory made it to a front page headliner overnight.

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Crime Movies: There is an Eerie Appeal!

Crime films portray heroic tales from the world of crime. The lives of underworld dons or ruthless hoodlums who defy the rule of law and run their mafia business, indulging in violence, murder and kidnapping come alive in vivid colors. 

Crime films vow the audience with their heroism and eerie ambience provided by large cities where starry nightclubs and streets dotting neon lights, fast cars, sleazy bars, drug peddlers, dingy living quarters together create a world smelling crime, revenge and ill-gotten money.

In the movies, the criminals evoke empathy with their materialistic, street-smart and self-destructive ways. Even in the era of silent movies, the crime genre got a head start with D. W. Griffith's The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) glorifying organized crime.

In the modern era, 'The Godfather' tops the charts as the legendary crime film, adapted from Mario Puzo’s celebrated novel of that title. 'The Godfather'  tells the story of a decade long event in the (1945 to 1955) mafia syndicate of the Corleone crime family. Its sequels 'The Godfather Part II' in 1974 and 'The Godfather Part III' in 1990 also received rave reviews.

Hailed as the second greatest film in American cinematic history, Godfather has few parallels. It bagged so many Oscar awards. As a complete film Godfather mixes action, drama, intrigue, conspiracy, and tension in the right proportion. In the 1980s 'Scarface' reigned as a sensational gangster film. The 1990s lapped up Quentin Tarantini’s 'Pulp Fiction' starring John Travolta and Uma Thurman with its high degree of violence and dark humor.

Some other memorable crime movies include Mean Streets, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Goodfellas and The Untouchables.  Crime movies will flourish. There is a captive market and commercial success is unlikely to bother the film makers.

Action Movies Celebrate Expression Of Oppressed Voice

Action Movies generate adrenaline rush about exciting events and protagonists. No wonder action films are all time beloved for the movie goers. People watch action movies to identify themselves with the aggressive hero, who, despite many flaws battles many dark and evil forces. Whether it is the dark and brutal Batman of the recent action flicks or the flawed John McClane of "Die Hard," an action film’s hero is someone the audience can identify with.

Top 10 Action Movies

The following Top 10 list will illustrate the popularity of Hollywood action movies

1.    Die Hard (1988) directed by John McKiernan
2. The Dark Knight (2008) directed by Christopher Nolan
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) directed by Steven Spielberg
4. Troy (2004) directed by Wolfgang Petersen
5. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) directed by James Cameron
6. Jurassic Park (1993) directed by Steven Spielberg
7. Gladiator (2000) directed by Ridley Scott
8. Bourne Identity (2002) directed by Doug Liman
9. Star Wars (1999) directed by George Lucas
10. Batman Begins (2005) directed by Christopher Nolan

In the modern action movies we can still see the hangover of James Bond series.  The set patterns of larger-than-life characters; a powerful hero demolishing adversaries as a "one-man army" is still a working formula. The fast narration is made enjoyable with quick cutting, fist fights, car chases, amazing gadgets and elaborate action sequences. In the 1970s, new action movies had fused detective stories and urban crime dramas. Films such as Bullitt (1968), The French Connection (1971) and Dirty Harry (1971) were turning points in this genre. 

For a real adrenaline rush, there are war-action hybrids (First Blood and Missing in Action), science fiction (The Terminator, and Robocop), horror-action (Aliens and Predator), and musical-action-comedy (The Blues Brothers).