The Last Picture Show (1971)
Rural Drama
North Texas, 1951
◄ IMDb Polls
Poll: Westerns That Aren't Westerns
The definitions of abstract concepts like genres can be notoriously hard to pin down, so, rather than leave everybody to fight amongst themselves about what exactly a "western" or a "thriller" is, IMDb has thoughtfully provided us with official definitions on their help page. What is their definition of "Western"? Read on:
Should contain numerous scenes and/or a narrative where the portrayal is similar to that of frontier life in the American West during 1600s to contemporary times. Objective.In other words, the basic criteria for being a Western is based on time and place: the American West in the frontier era. This is easy enough to apply to things like The Searchers (1956) or Gunsmoke (1955-1975), titles that fit neatly within those parameters. But what about those movies and TV shows that happen to meet some, but not all, of the criteria? What about the pieces of media that only vaguely, kinda sorta fit the bill?
Not one single title on this list is officially recognized as a "Western" by IMDb. Yet, every last one of them has some significant connection to the genre. The question is, which of these films/TV series do you think is the best example of a Western... that's not a Western?
After voting, please discuss here. Click here for the expanded version of this list. Click here to read an alternate version of this list with detailed descriptions for each title.
Make Your Choice
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Short Cuts (1993)
Urban Drama/Social Satire Los Angeles, 1990s -
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Adventure/Comedy Las Vegas, 1971 -
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Western Homage/Urban Drama New York City, 1960s -
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Contemporary Western/Romance Wyoming, 1960s -
The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
Pre-Western Upstate New York, 1757 -
The General (1926)
Civil War/Action-Adventure Confederate Georgia, 1860s -
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Depression Drama/Road Movie Oklahoma and California, 1930s -
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Period-Drama/Tragedy California and New Mexico, 1890s-1920s -
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Neo-Western/Crime-Thriller Texas, 1980s -
Dirty Harry (1971)
Neo-Western/Crime-Thriller San Francisco, 1970s -
Die Hard (1988)
Action/Crime Los Angeles, 1980s -
El Mariachi (1992)
Action/Crime/Neo-Western Small Town in Coahuíla, 1990s -
Breaking Bad (2008)
Neo-Western/Crime-Thriller Albuquerque, 2008-2010 -
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Crime/Action Southern Great Plains, 1930s -
Into the Wild (2007)
Wilderness Adventure Georgia, Arizona, California, South Dakota, and Alaska, 1990-1992 -
Easy Rider (1969)
Adventure Drama/Road Movie Los Angeles to New Orleans, 1960s -
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Road-Trip-Comedy Albuquerque to Redondo Beach, 2000s -
Smoke Signals (1998)
Native American Cinema/Road Movie Coeur d'Alene Reservation to Phoenix, 1990s -
Ace in the Hole (1951)
Film-Noir/Contemporary Western Albuquerque, 1950s -
The Living Desert (1953)
Nature Documentary Various North American Deserts, 1950s -
Fast and Furry-ous (1949)
Comedy/Animation American Southwest, 1940s-1960s -
Robin Hood (1973)
Comedy/Animation Sherwood Forest, 13th-14th Century -
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Comedy/Animation Fictional Tri-County Metropolitan Area in Unspecified Part of the United States, 1990s -
Tampopo (1985)
"Ramen Western" Japan, 1980s -
Seven Samurai (1954)
Samurai Film Feudal Japan, 1586 -
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Martial Arts/Action El Paso and Tokyo, 2000s -
The Walking Dead (2010)
Post-Apocalypse Atlanta-Georgia region, 2010s-2020s -
Logan (2017)
Neo-Western/Adventure/Sci-Fi Northern Mexico to Upper Great Plains, 2020s -
Firefly (2002)
Space Western Outer Space, 26th Century -
Cowboy Bebop (1998)
Space-Western/Anime Outer Space, 2071 -
Twin Peaks (1990)
Supernatural Mystery/Crime Fictional town of Twin Peaks in Washington, 1989 -
The Shining (1980)
Supernatural Horror Fictional Overlook Hotel in Colorado Rockies, 1980s -
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Rural Horror Texas, 1973 -
Selena (1997)
Tejano/Western Music Texas, 1990s
