If a movie is a crowd-pleaser, then it’s probably something of a blockbuster, or at least it’s the kind of smaller movie that’s going to be broadly appealing. Raiders of the Lost Ark or maybe Star Wars (at least the good ones, concerning the latter) are probably the best examples of full-on crowd-pleasers, being the kinds of films just about everyone seems to like, but as for Westerns that fit into this category…

…Honestly, they’re a little less common. Not everyone likes Westerns, a bit like how not everyone gets on board with the musical genre, and perhaps comparable to how some people just aren’t fans of horror movies. But, if you wanted to convert someone who says they’re not a Western fan, the following films might well do the trick, because they are all pretty easy to appreciate and/or enjoy.

10

‘Dances with Wolves’ (1990)

Dances with Wolves is a massive movie, clocking in at one minute over three hours in total, and even longer if you watch the extended cut (much longer, actually, since that one’s almost four hours all up). It’s a movie that takes place during the Civil War, even if the Civil War isn’t really the focus, being about a wounded Union army soldier falling in with a tribe of Sioux people.

Yes, it’s got that classic narrative of “individual from one culture gets wrapped up in another culture and ends up fighting for them,” but it’s a good sort of story, and Dances with Wolves tells it well. It’s also an easy one to select for present purposes, since it was indeed popular when it came to both the box office and awards seasons (it was the biggest and most prominent Oscar winner of its year).

9

‘For a Few Dollars More’ (1965)

The Dollars trilogy began in 1964, with A Fistful of Dollars, and it’s worthy of an honorable mention here, even if it’s not quite as entertaining as the two movies that came later. The second of the trilogy was For a Few Dollars More, which is tied to A Fistful of Dollars because of the people involved (notably, Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood, and Ennio Morricone), but is otherwise its own story, with the biggest connection being that Eastwood is the Man with No Name… or a Man with No Name. Probably the same one.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter too much, and what matters more is how great For a Few Dollars More is, not to mention quite the upgrade quality-wise on A Fistful of Dollars. It’s about a pair of bounty hunters pursuing the same notorious criminal for very different reasons, and it all ends in an incredibly satisfying and memorable way.

8

‘The Good, the Bad, the Weird’ (2008)

Not to be mixed up with another movie in the Dollars trilogy (which itself will get mentioned later), The Good, the Bad, the Weird… okay, it does have the premise you’d expect it to. It’s got that whole The Good, the Bad and the Ugly premise of three chaotic characters competing with each other to find treasure somewhere in the desert, but it distinguishes itself tonally and pacing-wise, not to mention in terms of what genres it tackles.

See, The Good, the Bad, the Weird is more of a broad action/comedy than the film it’s paying homage to, and that does make it incredibly fun. So, why isn’t it more crowd-pleasing? Well, The Good, the Bad, the Weird is also very cynical and kind of downbeat in some ways, alongside all the fun and wacky stuff that happens, so you sort of have to dock a few points if you’re assessing how much of a conventional crowd-pleaser it is or can be.

7

‘Django Unchained’ (2012)

While there are quite a few Quentin Tarantino movies that play around with time,Django Unchained isn’t really one of them. Instead being relentlessly straightforward and even a bit linear. But linear does not equal bad since there’s a lot of excitement and catharsis here with a story about a freed slave teaming up with a bounty hunter to rescue his wife and also enact vengeance upon those who abused him while he was enslaved.

It’s heavy subject matter for sure and parts ofDjango Unchained are appropriately grim and emotionally intense though much of the film is entertaining with revenge/rescue quest beingeasy to get wrapped up in. Django Unchained is quite thrilling and funny at times, balancing all that stuff with more serious dramatic side fairly well overall. It’s certainly more conventional and crowd pleasing than Tarantino’s later Western (The Hateful Eight) that’s for sure.

6
‘The Magnificent Seven’ (1960)

‘There was little movie in 1954 calledSeven Samuraithat actually wasn’t little at all.’ It was instead one of all-time greatest samurai/martial arts films ever. Its influence was felt well beyond genre(s) belonged to seeing as it was remade as Western withThe Magnificent Seven allbefore being remixed referenced parodied by sorts other movies later on.

‘To focus onThe Magnificent Seventhough it’s gotSeven Samurai premise structure assembling team preparing conflict then taking part large-scale fight but gunfighters Western setting instead taking place Japan during samurai times.’ And sure it’s not as good asSeven Samuraibut not much is as far remakes go really gets job done holds pretty darn well film age.

5
‘Tombstone’ (1993)

‘Whatever online equivalent riots streets would be happening right about now ifTombstonewere not included here.’ If anything some might consider not high enough but hey top five pretty great something trying look all-time greats.’ Certainly this much can be said aboutTombstoneit’s greatest all movies aboutWyatt Earp,Doc Holliday,gunfight O.K. Corral which saying quite bit since all stuff’s been well-represented depicted throughout cinema history.