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Michael Block
Published 47 minutes ago
Michael Block is a 14 time GLAM Award nominated writer, producer, and host of the podcast Block Talk. Throughout his time in the entertainment industry, he has worked on and off Broadway as a stage manager, written several produced plays, critiqued hundreds of theatrical performances, drag and cabaret shows, and has produced events randing from drag competitoons to variety concerts!
On Block Talk, he interviews nightlife personalities, covers the wide world of entertainment through features, ranking episodes, and recaps ALL of Drag Race, as well as Dragula and Survivor. He has interviewed hundreds of RuGirls that span the globe at DragCon NYC, DragCon LA, and DragCon UK.
In his free time, he makes one-of-a-kind jewelry and gift baskets with his mom. He is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.
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It's safe to say that the Western genre has continued to dazzle audiences. Once upon a time, spaghetti Westerns took viewers to a place they could only dream of — a place where cowboys roamed on horseback, serving as the heroes of the day. The genre has constantly evolved over time, as new epics were brought to life through a modern lens, with neo-Westerns taking the genre's classic ideals and dropping them into daring new places.
If you're like me and you need a Western to watch for the thrill and the action, Netflix has you covered, but selecting the right film may keep you stuck on the main screen as you decide what's right for the moment. Before the new Netflix Western series The Abandons drops, these four films are ready for you to enjoy right now.
4 'True Grit' (2010)
Hailee Steinfeld with braids looks deeply into the distance for her Oscar-nominated role in True Grit (2010)Image via Paramount Pictures
Two of the most prolific visionaries of the generation are Joel and Ethan Coen. With a resume filled with award-winning hits, the duo brought Charles Portis's epic novel back to life with 2010's True Grit. A more reliable and faithful adaptation than the 1969 version with John Wayne, True Grit follows 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) as she hires grizzled, trigger-happy lawman Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to go after outlaw Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), who murdered her father. Accompanied by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who has his own vendetta against Chaney, the trio embarks on a perilous journey into Indian Territory for revenge and punishment. A spalling epic, True Grit brought large-scale grandeur from the Golden Age of Hollywood into the 21st century for a cinematic marvel.
True Grit's plot is one of the best in the genre. Pair that with standout performances from a top-tier cast, and you'll understand why True Grit stands tall as a major entry into the genre. With a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score, its resounding reception is warranted. This version of the film focuses on experiencing the story through Mattie's perspective, and with an extraordinary debut in a theatrical performance, Steinfeld earned an Academy Award nomination for the film. For Western lovers, this True Grit serves as the superior adaptation of the novel. It's grizzly and grim, yet enthralling from start to finish. It's intelligently directed and doesn't rely on bloodshed as its primary focus. Classic cinema was reinvigorated with the release of this film. Before Taylor Sheridan launched the Western craze, True Grit gave us a revitalized appetite.
3 'The Hateful Eight' (2015)
John "The Hangman" and "Crazy" Daisy walking into a cabin in The Hateful Eight.Image via The Weinstein Company
When it comes to bloody masterpieces, no one quite does it like Quentin Tarantino. Whether it's graphic violence and excessive profanity in war or in a heist, Tarantino's signature touch has entertained audiences for decades. For his 2015 epic entry, The Hateful Eight, Tarantino transported audiences to post-Civil War Wyoming for a Western mystery unlike any other. While racing toward the town of Red Rock, bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive prisoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh) encounter another bounty hunter, Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), and a man who claims to be the sheriff, Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins). Seeking refuge and shelter, the group travels to a stagecoach stopover called Minnie's Habberdashery, where they are met by four strangers. Now eight weary travelers, they soon learn that they all may not make it to their final destination.
Blending action, intrigue, humor, and over-the-top violence, The Hateful Eight may be one of Tarantino's underrated hits, especially if you have a fondness for Westerns. For the most part, the film uses a singular setting, but that doesn't stop it from being a masterful high-octane thriller. With masterfully executed twists and an ensemble steeped in talent, The Hateful Eight gives you the best of both worlds as a Western epic masquerading as a Tarantino action thriller. It's funny because it's crazy violent. It's terrifying because it's so realistic.
2 'Gunslingers' (2025)
Stephen Dorff faking his character's death in GunslingersImage via Lionsgate
Now listen, if you've already seen Gunslingers, you are most certainly asking yourself if "best" is the proper moniker to give to the film. I will admit, it's not. But what it is, most certainly, is essential viewing. The experience in itself is worth the sit-down. We're talking about you, Nicolas Cage! Wearing multiple hats on the project, Brian Skiba's Gunslingers is a violent Western that pays homage to yesteryear's films. Thomas Keller (Stephen Dorff), a reformed outlaw, hides out in a town of like-minded reformed outlaws called Redemption. But just when he thinks he's in the clear, his life comes catching up to him as his brother, Robert (Jeremy Kent Jackson), who was presumed to be dead, arrives with a posse of 100 men eager to collect the bounty on his head. With equal parts action-packed violence and bouts of irreverent humor, Gunslingers is somehow both everything you imagine it to be and completely the opposite.
With an accurately low Rotten Tomatoes score, Gunslingers does that thing where it's so bad it's entertaining. The film is worthwhile simply to understand how it reached the rating that it did. Dorff does a solid job leading the film. Even Heather Graham does a worthy job as a woman with a life-defying secret. But when you finally meet Cage's character, adorned with rose-tinted cross sunglasses, you worry that he may have node issues with whatever vocal decision he's making (and we're not just talking about the ill-placed accent). When it comes to Razzie season, it may very well be the award darling, so watch now so you can understand later.
1 'The Harder They Fall' (2021)
Idris Elba, Regina King, and LaKeith Stanfield meet for a stand-off in The Harder They FallImage via Netflix
Westerns that draw on reality are among the most fascinating to watch. When history is infused into the dramatization, it becomes a new kind of viewing experience. Such is the case for The Harder They Fall. Directed by Jeymes Samuel in his directorial debut, The Harder They Fall features characters based on real cowboys, lawmen, and outlaws of the 19th-century American West. The film follows outlaw Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) as he assembles a gang to seek revenge against his childhood nemesis, Rufus Black (Idris Elba), a ruthless crime boss who murdered his parents. The two rival gangs clash, as it's Nat, his former love, Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz), his right and left-hand men, the hot-tempered Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi) and fast-drawing Jim Beckworth (R.J. Cyler), against Rufus with "Treacherous Trudy Smith (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield). The film is a groundbreaking Western, one of the rare few composed of an all-Black principal cast.
The Harder They Fall is a fearless and energetic thriller with a brilliant cast keeping the action flowing. Samuel's ability to spotlight a rarely celebrated group of individuals during this period should be applauded, especially with the skill and care he took when crafting this masterpiece. Even though many artistic liberties were taken, Samuel's eye in assembling the Avengers of Black Western characters for a fantastical film truly captures the spirit and allure of the genre.
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R
Western
Drama
Action
Release Date
November 3, 2021
Runtime
139 Minutes
Director
Jeymes Samuel
Writers
Boaz Yakin, Jeymes Samuel
Cast
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Jonathan Majors
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Idris Elba
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Delroy Lindo
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Danielle Deadwyler
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The Harder They Fall
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