The American Wild West, cowboys, mustangs, pampas and savannahs, chases and murders - all this was once a favorite topic of scriptwriters and directors of all movie studios located in Hollywood, without exception. The genre, loved by millions of moviegoers, is called "American Westerns." This style has given rise to a galaxy of actors and actresses playing well-aimed shooters and incorruptible sheriffs.
Hollywood cowboys
Everyone has heard such names as Clint Eastwood, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Marlon Brando and others. Superbly played in the Fast and Dead Western of 1995, Hollywood superstar Sharon Stone. And not only she knows how to masterfully ride a horse. The inimitable Audrey Hepburn is also easy to manage with horses and with the Colt brand revolver. Good American westerns are the pinnacle of directorial art and acting. Plots are simple with a predictable ending, but sometimes moviegoers do not know how it will end until the last frame.
It all starts with a script
Westerns of the USA are a delicate matter, since the success of the film depends on the degree of reliability. The genre cannot be exaggerated: a cowboy cannot lay down eight villains at once with one shot from the hard drive. Cinema viewers either believe in what is happening on the screen or not. Therefore, US Westerns are created according to the best examples of dramatic art: actors are invited after long interviews, and when the director is sure that the images of the characters will correspond to his plan, the shooting begins.
Much depends on the role of the actors, as the manner of everyone is different. For example, Humphrey Bogart is slow, and John Wayne is dynamic and explosive. Of course, the latter is more suitable for shooting episodes, since it is he who will be able to instantly grab the revolver from the holster on his belt and lay the enemy. Wayne also has no equal in the fight. Thus, US Westerns are created taking into account many criteria, conditions and circumstances. This is the only way to achieve a good result that will suit the screenwriter, director, cast, the entire crew, and most importantly - the viewer.
"Once Upon a Time in the Wild West"
In 1968, the action movie directed by Sergio Leone appeared on the big screen. The Italian maestro created a classic American action movie. It was a western called Once Upon a Time in the Wild West. The main roles in the film were played by Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, as well as the Italian actress Claudia Cardinale.
The plot focuses on a farming family who refused to relocate at the request of the representatives of the transport company, who planned to lay a railway on the site. The head of the family, McBain did not agree to the offer of the businessman Morton, and he hired a killer. Frank, the best shooter in the entire Wild West, is cracking down on a farmer and his children. To put the police on a false track, he leaves at the scene of the crime several evidence pointing to the local gangster Cheyenne. However, he adheres to a specific code of honor, and the sheriff knows this.
At this time, a strange subject (Charles Bronson) arrives in the city, who plays the harmonica all the time. He is pretty with Cheyenne, and the bandit wants to get to know him better. However, the visitor has his own interest: he arrived to reckon with Frankie, who once killed his brother. The story is long and confusing, but it is nearing completion. Cheyenne is also about to get even with Frankie for setting him up. He is preparing to attack, but Harmonica does not allow him to kill Frankie, since he himself has views on him.
"Fast and dead"
Gene Hackman, Sharon Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe - this is the star cast of actors who participated in the filming of the western film, directed by Sam Raimi in 1994. The director created a close-knit team of professionals who brought the film project to a decent result. “Fast and Dead,” was the name of the movie, which was written in the script of Simon Moore.
An inveterate criminal, tyrant and good marksman John Herod seizes power in a small town by force and deceit and becomes mayor. The first thing he did in his new position was to announce the tournament among the best shooters. At stake was an amount of $ 120 thousand. He has suspicions that one of the invited shooters is going to kill him.
The competition is organized according to the classical Olympic system - “one against one”: first, standing steady after a series of shots wins, then the one who survives. There are sixteen participants: Herod’s son, nicknamed “Toddler”, “Speckled Horse” Indian, Ellen - a female sniper, “Ace” by the name of Hanlon, Sergeant Cantrell Klay, “Scar” and “Kelly” - local bandits, pedophile Dred, shooting champion Gatson and others. In addition, Herod forces the priest Cort, with whom he has long-standing accounts, to take part. John wants to kill him under the guise.
Killing the participants in turn, Herod intends to be left alone with Kort, however, events unfold in the most unexpected way.
Cheyenne Warrior
Cheyenne tribe is attacking civilians. War was declared due to the barbaric extermination of bison by white hunters. Dozens of people die, a pregnant white woman Rebecca Carver miraculously survives. Her husband is killed by immigrants in order to settle accounts with him, but they arrange the whole thing as if he had died at the hands of the Cheyenne Indians.
However, one of the natives nicknamed Hawk, also a survivor, tells the woman about the treachery of her fellow tribesmen. Friendships arise between Rebecca and the Indian.
Journeyman - Western 2001
"The Wanderer" is a film directed by James Crowley, telling of two half-brothers who were once separated by robbers. The elder was kidnapped by bandits in the hope of a ransom, and the youngest got into the house of a Mexican priest. It would seem that the brothers are no longer destined to see each other.
Many years passed, and then one day in the vast expanses of the prairies, a great hunt for a lone robber began. His search is conducted by two groups of well-armed people. Some must find the criminal and destroy him, while others pursue the opposite goal. Their task is to find the bandit, take him to a safe place and save him from the judicial envoys. The question is who will find the robber first.
The film was shot in the classic western genre and continues the traditions of such masterpieces as "McKenna's Gold", "Stagecoach", "A Fistful of Dollars".
Yul Brynner and his comrades
One of the best American Westerns, The Magnificent Seven, was directed by John Sturges in 1960 based on the novel Seven Samurai by Japanese writer Akiro Kurosawa. Included in the register of cultural, historical and aesthetically significant objects of the United States.
The action takes place at the end of the nineteenth century on the border of America and Mexico. Residents of a Mexican village are waiting for the raid of a gangster gang Calvera. They have nothing to buy off from the robbers, all that was possible, the peasants have already given.
Then they decide to hire advocates and turn to Chris (Yul Brynner), who agrees to help the unfortunate people. Residents of the village perked up, collected the last money and handed it to their savior. Chris begins to look for volunteers to help him. Harry Luck joins him, who for some reason decided that they would go in search of treasures hidden by the Mexicans. Vin, who recently lost all his money at roulette, asked for the second. Another participant in the campaign was Bernard Reilly, interrupted by casual earnings. Then Chris was asked to join the team by a knives throwing master, a young man named Britt. And the last was the dandy of Lee, who was just looking for a place to hide from representatives of the law after the next murder.
Six shooters, led by Chris, went to Mexico to protect the civilian population of a small village. Along the way, they were joined by someone Chico - a young man with no particular occupation.
Conclusion
Westerns of the USA are removed today, however, these are films of a completely different quality, in which the spirit of a real cowboy action movie is lost forever. Horses gave way to cars, the good old seven-shot “Colt” was replaced by automatic “Berettas”. And most importantly, no one is protecting anyone.