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[Kelly Knight]

The recent posting listing classic western films reminded me of how many "twisted westerns" I've enjoyed over the years. While most are not for everyone, they are creative and often thought-provoking.

Post your favorites and why!

Kelly Knight

[Kelly Knight]

I'll get the ball rolling with one of my favorites, The Proposition. Musician Nick Cave wrote this funky western set in the outback about a man who must kill his older brother to save his younger brother. John Hillcoat (The Road, Red Dead Redemption) directs an outstanding cast including Guy Pearce and Emily Watson.

Psychedelic cinematography, sparse dialogue, off-kilter soundtrack and a plot full of interesting touches mix extremely well with the stunning scenery.

Some viewers will be confused by the conclusion.

Two thumbs up, cowpokes!

Kelly Knight

[Kentbob]

Ah, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.  What a strange musical group.  Interesting to see that he wrote a movie as well.

One of my favorite Westerns, I don't know if you'd call it twisted, was called, I believe, "El Diablo", about a teacher in the old west that somehow gets hired to join a posse in order to track down some gunman that shot up the place and took some girl, I think.  Can't quite remember, it's been years since I saw it.

Kent

[Hock]

Okay! Lets look it up.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099493/

This it?
I never saw it, but remember Gosset being in it. Probably a cool part.

Hock

[Kelly Knight]

El Diablo looks like a good one! I don't remember it at all, if I have seen it - worth a look!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmK7h868DY0

Thanks, Kentbob!

Kelly Knight

[Kelly Knight]

Remember going to the Lazer light show at your local science museum and listening to The Dark Side of The Moon?

When you were there, did you think, "Gee, this would be even better if it were a western!"

Yeah, me neither. But that's what you get in this downright trippy tale of a US Marshall tracking the killer of his girlfriend.

Outstanding French actor Vincent Cassel leads an excellent cast in this dusty movie shot through a kaleidoscope.

Some viewers might get bored with the endless shots envisioning a drugged mind on a visionquest. But, if you liked movies like Altered States, you'll like this one.

Originally released under the title Blueberry, it was released in the States as Renegade. Here is a slightly more detailed review on my blog - http://k2isee.blogspot.com/2010/06/movie-blueberry-pass.html.

Two spurs up, cowpokes!

Kelly Knight

[Hock]

Here's a twisted western

Outland
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082869/

Its High Noon in outer space. This is worth watching.

Hock
 

[Kelly Knight]

Agreed! Outland is a classic. It's a bit slower and less action packed than some people expect, though. There's a whole 'lotta jawin' goin' on. Still, a classic.

It has been argued that most great space movies are really westerns. At the same time, it's been argued that most great westerns are really chambara. Here are a couple of obvious examples:

The Magnificent Seven = The Seven Samurai

-or-

Star Wars = The Hidden Fortress

...and there are other easily correlated films.

Kelly Knight

[sarguy]

My fave is Firefly, and it's big-screen companion, Serenity. The series was based on the book Killer Angels, which also inspired the movie Gettysburg.

There's saloons, revolvers, sagebrush, fast women, cattle, gunfire, oh, and a spaceship.

[redhawk44357]

Outland is alot like High Noon. Sherrif alone against bad guys, cant get help, wife leaving to go back to earth. Good movie!!!    How about the new one "Cowboys vs Aliens"?  Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig. Previews look interesting.

[Kelly Knight]

My next pic is the comedy western, Lust in the Dust, starring Tab Hunter and the transvestite Devine. The plot is a typical treasure hunting in the Old West type of deal, the acting is B-level and the chuckles are only rather mild. But, it's all still very wacky and entertaining. From the same director as Cannonball! and the original Death Race 2000. Grab a tub of popcorn, dudes!

Kelly Knight

[Kelly Knight]

Sarguy,

One hundred percent on Firefly/Serenity! The mixture of scifi/western/Chinese...just brilliant! Too bad Whedon never did anything of equal value (sorry to all you Whedon fans!). The depth of that show is amazing - so amazing it's taken several books to explain it all. I particularly loved reading Finding Serenity and Serenity Found.

I did not know that it was based on Killer Angels. Will have to check that out!

Kelly Knight

[Kelly Knight]

And one last one for the night.

I give you....Grim Prairie Tales. James Earl Jones and Brad Dourif star in what is basically a couple of Tales from the Crypt stories by way of the western. The stories range from cerebral to the not-so-cerebral, but they are all fun to watch in a crappy 80s horror flick sort of way (it was actually released in 1990). The western angle makes it all feel fresh, though the production values by today's standards are pretty low. Still, a keeper and fully worthy of the title "Twisted Western".

Brand you some cattle, stoke the camp fire and watch this one with your favorite cowgirl!

Kelly Knight

[Kentbob]

Firefly has it's own Magnificent Seven episode, as well as a train robbery, shootouts, a couple ambushes, that sort of thing.  It was a good series, it just never should have been on Fox.  Maybe someplace cool, like SciFi, or FX, even though FX is a Fox network.  Just saying, Fox was not the right choice.  I heard they're showing it on the Science channel now.

Kent

[Keith Miller]

Here's a good one.