10 Most Controversial Western Movies Of All Time
Westerns were once a dominant genre known for romanticizing the American West, but these films are the most controversial of all time.
- Controversy has surrounded Western movies for decades, often stemming from issues of violence, race, and societal norms.
- Westerns faced censorship challenges due to their gunplay, causing famous directors to struggle with distributors.
- Certain Westerns, like “The Wild Bunch” and “Brokeback Mountain,” challenged traditional Western archetypes and faced backlash for their themes.
Though they were once the dominant genre in the ’50s and ’60s, certain Western movies ended up being popular because they were so controversial. Controversy in Westerns arose from all sorts of issues around violence, race, and societal norms of the era, sometimes inspired by something on set during filming, but often the overall quality of the released project. In almost all cases, the same things that were deemed controversial 70 years ago would be considered the same today, except for a select few that can benefit from society’s more modern and tolerant set of standards.
Westerns often faced fierce censorship considering the amount of gunplay involved, and even famous directors like Howard Hughes and John Ford went to head with certain boards, struggling to get distributors for their projects. From gratuitous violence to sexual assault and even on-set deaths, these Western movies have earned all of their reputations. In some cases, through no fault of their own, the stigma attached to the way these Westerns have been received over the years has minimized their impact and reach, while others should remain forgotten history.
10, The Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch, which follows an outlaw (William Holden) and his gang preparing for one final robbery that eventually turns out to be a setup, was attacked when it was released in 1969 due to its graphic violence and crudeness. Its shoot-outs were some of the bloodiest ever seen up until that point, and it was accused of celebrating the carnage it portrayed. Today, not only would its violence seem par for the course, but it would also be expected, particularly to audiences that have seen much worse in other genres and also want an authentic Western experience.
9, The Outlaw
When Howard Hughes made The Outlaw, it caused quite a scandal in ’40s Hollywood. 19-year-old Jane Russell was making her film debut as the love interest of Pat Garrett’s Billy the Kid, but her cleavage was considered so distasteful that it violated the Production Code Administration. Of course, by current standards, nothing about Russell’s outfits, both in the film and in its publicity photos, wouldn’t be considered particularly racy, but at the time not only did they pit Hughes against the censors, but they also ended up generating a lot of interest.
8, Rust
Rust is a recent Western starring Alec Baldwin that saw the actor accidentally discharge a prop weapon while rehearsing a scene which ended up killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. All filming ceased and litigation began to determine who was at fault; Baldwin, the director, the armorer, or anyone. Baldwin and the other producers settled a wrongful death lawsuit with her widower Matthew, and filming resumed with him stewarding the Western.
7, Duel In The Sun
Duel in the Sun surprised audiences for a variety of reasons when it debuted in 1946, first and foremost because it saw Gregory Peck, who normally played upstanding characters, play a degenerate. As Lewt, Peck commits sexual assault at different times to Pearl (Jennifer Jones), which is uncomfortable to watch even by today’s standards. When it was originally shot, it couldn’t pass the Hays Code censors, earning it the nickname “Lust in the Dust” and it had to be heavily edited in order to be released, which also didn’t help its narrative.
6, Five Savage Men/The Animals
The ’70s ushered in a new era of cinema and Westerns got as gritty and violent as the crime dramas and independent foreign films that were becoming popular. Spaghetti Westerns, so named for being filmed in Italy with a small budget, were becoming successful, which is where Five Savage Men
5, Brokeback Mountain
This modern Western directed by Ang Lee was considered controversial because it portrayed two men, Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) falling in love while working as cowboys. At the time, it challenged longstanding traditional Western archetypes as well as concepts of masculinity while receiving backlash from certain groups that didn’t approve of its themes or message of equality. Today, it might not be considered quite so radical, but in 2005, views about the LGBTQ+ community weren’t as progressive.
4, Navajo Joe
In this controversial Western, Burt Reynolds played a First American named Navajo Joe who, after his village is destroyed, vows revenge against the outlaws who were responsible. Not only was it bloody, but it featured a great actor being terribly miscast as a person of color. It would be very controversial today, perhaps even more so than it was at the time, particularly since actors in brown face playing warriors and chiefs was commonplace and accepted as the norm.
3, Django
Prior to Quentin Tarantino making Django Unchained the original Django (which inspired Tarantino’s film) was mired in controversy. Like The Wild Bunch it was incredibly violent and bloody, taking Django’s quest for vengeance to a degree that almost got it banned in multiple countries. .In Italy where it was made, it received an 18 certificate and struggled to find distribution in the United States for years after it was made. Its violence might not seem very noteworthy today, but the no-holds-barred approach is still wildly chaotic.
2, A Man Called Horse
Long before Dances with Wolves was made, Richard Harris starred in A Man Called Horse about a British aristocrat who gets captured by the Sioux but eventually welcomed into the tribe by proving his bravery. It was controversial in the ’70s for its portrayal of the Sioux tribe, inventing customs and rituals that have no basis in reality. Ironically it spawned a series of films, and in the third outing, Triumphs of a Man Called Horse, which was a non-union film and therefore not contractually obligated to comply with AHA, several horses died on set which earned it a national boycott.
1, Sergeant Rutledge
Sergeant Rutledge follows the story of the titular character (Woody Strode), a Black sergeant in the Union Army who is accused of killing a fellow officer and his wife. The Western was made before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and having a Black actor in the lead role as the hero was considered a box office risk. Today, Western like Harder They Fall have entirely Black casts, which shows how far the genre has come, but even so, the fact that this is a significant feature points to the fact that more work is still necessary for true equality despite there being several Black cowboy movies.
