1. "Johnny Guitar"
   "Rio Bravo"
2. "Near Dark"
   "Open Range"

Throughout "Rio Bravo," the way John Wayne's character, John T. Chance, wears his hat tells a lot about his character. When his hat is worn up, he's supposed to look friendly, but in the darker scenes, his hat is worn down to look more menacing.

1. "Blazing Saddles"
   "McCabe & Mrs. Miller"
2. "The Proposition"
   "Shanghai Noon"

Gene Wilder was cast to play The Waco Kid out of necessity because the original actor, Gig Young, was suffering from alcohol withdrawals during filming. At first, it seemed like Young was really into character, as The Waco Kid was an alcoholic himself, but eventually, the ambulance had to be called to take care of him.

1. "The Magnificent Seven"
   "The Outlaw Josey Wales"
2. "The Claim"
   "Forsaken"

Clint Eastwood, who directed "The Outlaw Josey Wales," shot the film in autumn, which he felt was the best time to shoot his style of Western. The dying leaves and cooling weather gave his Westerns a more grim and dark appearance.

1. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"
   "Django Unchained"
2. "The Magnificent Seven"
   "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence"

It took the creators of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" quite a while to convince their bosses that Robert Redford was right for the part of The Sundance Kid. But after other stars turned down the role, Redford was given the part, and he certainly produced, even winning the British Academy Film Award for Best Actor.

1. "Near Dark"
   "The Salvation"
2. "A Fistful of Dollars"
   "Maverick"

If "A Fistful of Dollars" had been filmed in the United States, Clint Eastwood couldn't have starred in the Western because of his contract with the show "Rawhide." Luckily, the film was shot in Europe, which didn't violate the contract.

1. "Tombstone"
   "True Grit"
2. "The Wild Bunch"
   "Open Range"

Though George Cosmatos is credited with directing "Tombstone," it was actually the film's star, Kurt Russell, who made most of the major decisions on the film. In fact, Russell had to sacrifice much of his own character's dialogue to work both sides of the camera.

1. "Giant"
   "3:10 to Yuma"
2. "Lone Star"
   "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre"

Director John Huston made a cameo in one of the scenes of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." The scene was directed by Humphrey Bogart, who played Dobbs in the film, and Boggart wasn't easy on his director, making him run the scene over and over.

1. "A Fistful of Dollars"
   "Blazing Saddles"
2. "The Outlaw Josey Wales"
   "Once Upon a Time in the West"

After the success of his "Dollars" trilogy, Sergio Leone went back to the Western genre with "Once Upon a Time in the West." He wanted Clint Eastwood to get on board with the film by playing Harmonica, but Eastwood turned him down.

1. "Tombstone"
   "High Noon"
2. "Rio Bravo"
   "Shane"

When "High Noon" was released in 1952, it was believed that the film was a response to the Red Scare that had engulfed Hollywood. After all, the film followed a man who decided to do what was right despite being threatened, which was similar to the situation writer Carl Foreman found himself in during that time.

1. "Open Range"
   "Dead Man"
2. "Forsaken"
   "The Alamo"

By 2003, when "Open Range" was released, the traditional Western had all but died out, as anti-heroes rose to prominence and the good guy faded. However, "Open Range" recaptures some of the traditional Western style, bringing fans back to the days of John Ford and Anthony Mann.

1. "Bone Tomahawk"
   "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
2. "Appaloosa"
   "True Grit"

"True Grit" was remade and released in 2010 from a film of the same name released in 1969. While the more recent film starred Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld, the original movie starred John Wayne and Kim Darby.

1. "The Missing"
   "Legends of the Fall"
2. "Brimstone"
   "The Magnificent Seven"

When "The Magnificent Seven" was released in 1960, it was pitched as an original idea. However, the story for the film was actually taken from Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai," which had been released six years prior.

1. "The Wild Bunch"
   "Tombstone"
2. "True Grit"
   "Unforgiven"

By 1992, when "Unforgiven" was released, Clint Eastwood had already begun directing many of his own movies. However, "Unforgiven" is easily one of his greatest films, as it won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. As the star of the film, Eastwood was also nominated for Best Actor during the Academy Awards.

1. "The Homesman"
   "Shanghai Noon"
2. "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"
   "Red Hill"

Tom Doniphon, John Wayne's character in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," was supposed to be 30 years younger than Wayne was at the time of shooting. It's believed that the film was shot in black and white, despite technicolor being available, to hide Wayne's age.

1. "McCabe & Mrs. Miller"
   "Winchester '73"
2. "Shane"
   "Johnny Guitar"

By the time "Shane" was released in 1953, Jean Arthur was already a veteran in the film business, with a filmography that stretched back to 1923. "Shane" would end up being her final film appearance, as she retired following the movie.

1. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"
   "The Searchers"
2. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"
   "High Noon"

"The Searchers" follows a Civil War veteran in search of his niece after Native Americans abduct her. The man's niece, Debbie, was played by Natalie Wood, who was still in high school when the film was shot. One of the star actors, John Wayne, occasionally picked her up from school during days she was on set.

1. "Dances with Wolves"
   "High Noon"
2. "The Wild Bunch"
   "Rio Bravo"

The idea for "The Wild Bunch," which features a group of aging outlaws who attempt to complete one last job, came from Roy N. Sickner. Before developing the idea, Sickner had worked on commercials as the Marlboro Man, which served as inspiration for the film.

1. "Stagecoach"
   "Red River"
2. "Dances with Wolves"
   "Open Range"

Instead of writing a screenplay, the creator of "Dances with Wolves," Michael Blake, turned his idea into a novel. He believed that producers would be more willing to get behind a novel than a screenplay because the idea was more fleshed out.

1. "Prospect"
   "3:10 to Yuma"
2. "Meek's Cutoff"
   "Hostiles"

Despite being set in the United States during the 19th century, "3:10 to Yuma" stars two foreign actors: Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Crowe is from New Zealand, while Bale is from Wales.

1. "Blackhorn"
   "Jonah Hex"
2. "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
   "Priest"

There have been plenty of stories about Jesse James and his escapades in the West, but no film captures the outlaw quite like "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." The film tells the story of James' last days as he tries to revive his gang amid betrayal and chaos.

1. "How the West Was Won"
   "Fort Apache"
2. "High Plains Drifter"
   "Lonely Are the Brave"

Since there are multiple segments taking place over several generations in "How the West Was Won," three directors were used to create the film. Those directors were John Ford, Henry Hathaway and George Marshall.

1. "Little Big Man"
   "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon"
2. "The Naked Spur"
   "Silverado"

One of the most recognized parts of "Silverado" was its sound and score, which were both nominated at the 58th Academy Awards. However, the film "Out of Africa" won the awards in both categories.

1. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"
   "A Fistful of Dollars"
2. "For a Few Dollars More"
   "Buddy Goes West"

"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" was the third film in Sergio Leone's "Dollars" trilogy. These films helped establish an entirely new Western genre, known as the Spaghetti Westerns because Italians directed them.

1. "Shane"
   "The Outlaw Josey Wales"
2. "Django Unchained"
   "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid"

According to Quentin Tarantino, the scene with the dogs was supposed to be much longer and include even more violence. However, Tarantino didn't want to traumatize the audience completely, so the scenes were shortened.

1. "The Horse Whisperer"
   "The Keeping Room"
2. "Maverick"
   "Lone Star"

Considered a Neo-Western, "Lone Star" is set in the present day instead of in the Old West, like most movies in the Western genre. However, the film still follows traditional Western themes, such as taking place in the American West and the struggle for justice.

1. "The Magnificent Seven"
   "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
2. "The Horse Whisperer"
   "Wild Wild West"

In "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," there's a scene where Scruggs is playing poker, and he holds a decent hand consisting of Aces and Eights. However, according to superstition, this is the "Dead Man's Hand" because it's believed to be the hand Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was killed.

1. "High Plains Drifter"
   "Pale Rider"
2. "Seven Men from Now"
   "The Big Country"

Clint Eastwood found trouble of his own when filming "Pale Rider," as he suffered a dislocated shoulder during an accident on set. The injury was the result of his horse throwing him off after falling through a thin layer of ice.

1. "Giant"
   "Blazing Saddles"
2. "McCabe & Mrs. Miller"
   "Near Dark"

He was a rising star at the time, and James Dean was one of the three leading actors in "Giant," which would end up being his last leading role. Dean was killed in a car crash a year before the film was released.

1. "The Keeping Room"
   "Blackthorn"
2. "Dead Man"
   "Hostiles"

"Hostiles" is a revisionist Western that was directed by Scott Cooper and stars Christian Bale, but it's not the first time these two teamed up on a film. They had previously worked on "Out of the Furnace," though "Hostiles" received more praise than their former movie.

1. "The Killer Inside Me"
   "For a Few Dollars More"
2. "The Kid"
   "A Million Ways to Die in the West"

Since Sergio Leone switched producers between his first and second film in the "Dollars" trilogy, he had to rename his main character as well. However, the original producers believed they owned the rights to the character either way, but an Italian court decided that the character's persona was public domain.

1. "Blackthorn"
   "The Rover"
2. "The Hateful Eight"
   "The Lone Ranger"

Occasionally, Westerns rely heavily on plot and ignore the characters that drive the story, but that certainly isn't the case for "The Hateful Eight." The plot revolves around a bounty hunter delivering a fugitive to justice, but the cast of characters add complexity around every turn.

1. "The Keeping Room"
   "Dead Man"
2. "Maverick"
   "Appaloosa"

Ed Harris was a seasoned actor but had only directed one movie when he stepped onto the set of "Appaloosa." His second film didn't disappoint, as it vividly captures a love triangle that rivals any in the Western genre.

1. "The Killer Inside Me"
   "The Salvation"
2. "The Lone Ranger"
   "The Dark Tower"

Directed by Kristian Levring, a Danish director, "The Salvation" twist the Western genre slightly by telling the story of Danish immigrants coming to the United States during the 19th century. To add to its Danish roots, the film also stars Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen.

1. "Bone Tomahawk"
   "Appaloosa"
2. "Red Hill"
   "In a Valley of Violence"

Most films, especially period pieces, take months of filming to complete, but that wasn't the case for "Bone Tomahawk." Working with a tight budget, shooting on the film was finished in only 21 days.

1. "Blackthorn"
   "The Claim"
2. "Legends of the Fall"
   "The Quick and the Dead"

It's widely accepted that Butch Cassidy was killed in 1908 in a shootout in Bolivia, but there is speculation that he survived the ordeal. "Blackthorn" tells the story of Cassidy surviving the shootout and retreating to a village where he lived for the next 20 years.