7 best Westerns of all time based on top novels – number one is a masterpiece | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV
Hollywood’s obsession with the Western genre have established the careers of film legends from John Wayne, Clint Eastwood to Kevin Costner.
The classic Western narrative builds toward a dramatic showdown where the hero confronts the villain, seeking justice or the ultimate revenge. The genre has produced some of the most powerful films in cinematic history. However, many of them have been adapted from novels.
Many directors have attempted to ensure the movie mirrors much of the classic literature. Express.co.uk counts down the best Westerns based on top-selling novels rated by fans.
7. The Revenant (2015)
Author: Michael Punke
A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
The movie: The Revenant is an American epic western action drama directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. The film is based on the 2002 novel The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge by author Michael Punke. They both tell the true 1823 story of American frontiersman Hugh Glass, who was mauled by a grizzly bear and left for dead by his companions. The 21st century offering stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Glass, alongside Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter. Punke’s novel eventually became a bestseller gaining immense popularity during the release of the 2015 film adaptation.
Rating: It received a decent score of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes. One audience reviewer remarked, “The film is barbarically crude, but very realistic and a masterful piece of art.” Another said, “Great movie, Camera work brilliant. Kept me entertained all 3 hours.”
(Image: Twentieth Century Fox)
6. Dances With Wolves (1990)
Author: Michael Blake
Dances with Wolves tells the story of a young US Army lieutenant assigned to a remote Civil War outpost. John J. Dunbar begins to question his purpose after making contact with a neighboring Sioux settlement. Heading out to the remote outpost of Fort Sedgwick, which he intends to rebuild, the war hero is soon met by local Native Americans. But when the army turns up, things get complicated for the lieutenant as loyalties are tested.
The movie: The American Western film directed and produced by Kevin Costner in his feature directorial debut was released in the UK in 1991. It features an ensemble cast including Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene and Rodney Grant. The film is an adaptation of the 1988 novel of the same name by Michael Blake, who also wrote the screenplay. His book was a number one New York Times bestseller.
Rating: The movie received a solid score of 87% as fans praised Costner’s “tremendous” directorial debut.
(Image: YouTube)
5. The Shootist (1976)
Author: Glendon Swarthout
The Shootist tells the story of JB Books, a legendary gunfighter of the Old West. Now an elderly man, he rides into Carson City where he’s diagnosed with cancer. The dying gunfighter spends his last days looking for a way to die with minimum pain but maximum of dignity. However, word gets out that he is in town, and a long line of men attempt to kill Books but the old shootist decides to go out in a blaze of glory.
The movie: The 1976 American Western film was directed by Don Siegel. It stars John Wayne in his last film appearance before his death in 1979, along with Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart, Richard Boone, John Carradine, Scatman Crothers, Rick Lenz, Harry Morgan, Sheree North, and Hugh O’Brian. The film is based on Glendon Swarthout’s 1975 novel of the same name. It is considered a classic of Western fiction and has maintained popularity for decades.
Rating: John Wayne’s final film scored an impressive 81% on Rotten Tomatoes as fans claimed it’s the “best movie the actor ever made,” while another echoed, “not only the finest John Wayne western, but one of the greatest westerns ever made”.
(Image: Getty)
4. No Country For Old Men (2007)
Author: Cormac McCarthy
The film tells the story of Llewelyn Moss, a Texas hunter who stumbles across a large sum of cash in the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong. Keen to run off with the loot, things come to a head when one of the gang members involved sends assassin, Anton Chigurh, to recover the stolen two million dollars. Violence and mayhem ensues leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.
The movie: No Country For Old Men is a 2007 American neo-Western film based on Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel. It was directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and featured a star studded cast that included Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin. The Academy Award-winning film, helped cement the novel as a modern classic. The novel became a bestseller and helped turn McCarthy into a household name.
Rating: It scored a solid score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes as reviewers dubbed the movie the “perfect adaptation of a perfect novel”.
(Image: Paramount)
