The Acid Western is a sub-genre of films that emerged after the heyday of the Western genre when films by directors like John Ford and Howard Hawks saw their greatest popularity. In the 1960s and 70s the culture in America was changing and so was the culture in Hollywood. Directors began to take on issues of autonomy, consciousness, equality, freedom and violence from a counter-cultural angle. The Acid Western emerged from this cinema climate.
The term itself was coined by Jonathan Rosenbaum in his review of Jim Jarmusch's film Dead Man. In the conclusion to the review Rosenbaum writes:
In more ways than one Dead Man can be seen as the fulfillment of a cherished counterculture dream, the acid western. This ideal has haunted such films as Jim McBride's Glen and Randa, Dennis Hopper's The Last Movie, Monte Hellman's The Shooting and Two-Lane Blacktop, Robert Downey's Greaser's Palace, and Alex Cox's Walker, not to mention such novels as Rudolph Wurlitzer's Nog and Flats. (Rosenbaum - Acid Western)
I have compiled a list of my favorite Acid Westerns with a short description. This list originally appeared on IMDb.
"A parable based on the life of Christ. This ain't your father's Bible story, full of references about... (91 mins.)"
Perhaps the seminal Acid Western and Robert Downey Sr.'s greatest work (Although Putney Swope is nothing short of genius)
Watch the full film...
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2. El Topo
"A mysterious black-clad gunfighter wanders a mystical Western landscape encountering multiple bizarre characters. (125 mins.)"
Jodorowsky's first commercial success. Attracted the eye of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, which helped the next film (the Holy Mountain) to be financed by Alan Klien (the Beatles' manager). A blend of old West tropes, Mexican bandito culture and ancient samurai tradition.
Watch the trailer...
3. The Last Movie
"A film shoot in Peru goes badly wrong when an actor is killed in a stunt, and the unit wrangler, Kansas... (108 mins.)"A self-conscious facsimile of a Western, which makes it a mindfuck through and through. Layers of reality reveal layers of meaning. Clearly a film maker's film. Filmed on location in South America as the behind the scenes of some fictitious Western film shot with a camera made from twigs: complete with drugs, sex and general slack. Legend has it film went way over budget and Dennis Hopper got in big trouble over it.
Watch Dennis Hopper working on the Last Movie...
4. Dead Man
"On the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange North American man named Nobody who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world. (121 mins.)"The film for which film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum coined the term. All the elements are there (and this case the whole IS equal to the sum of its parts): young Jonny Depp as lead, young Jim Jarmusch as director, old Neil Young as soundtrack, appearances by Crispin Glover, John Hurt, Iggy Pop. Probably the perfect combination of elements to create a brilliant film. Jarmusch knew what he was doing.
Watch the trailer...
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5. The Shooting
"A mysterious woman persuades two cowboys to help her in a revenge scheme. (82 mins.)"Considered the first Acid Western. The Shooting is an arid odyssey that gets more languid as it goes along. Throughout the whole film there is a heavy smog of mystery that holds you to it. There are more questions than answers in this film and by the end little is revealed.
Watch the full film...
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6. Walker
"An unconventional retelling of the life of William Walker, a 19th century American mercenary leader who became the president of Nicaragua. (94 mins.)"
A commentary on manifest destiny, imperialism, the vagueness of the democratic promise and the contradictions of competition and capitalism. Somewhat of a negative acid-Western as it betrays individualism as a contradictory and hedonistic Xanadu.
Watch the trailer...
The term itself was coined by Jonathan Rosenbaum in his review of Jim Jarmusch's film Dead Man. In the conclusion to the review Rosenbaum writes:
In more ways than one Dead Man can be seen as the fulfillment of a cherished counterculture dream, the acid western. This ideal has haunted such films as Jim McBride's Glen and Randa, Dennis Hopper's The Last Movie, Monte Hellman's The Shooting and Two-Lane Blacktop, Robert Downey's Greaser's Palace, and Alex Cox's Walker, not to mention such novels as Rudolph Wurlitzer's Nog and Flats. (Rosenbaum - Acid Western)
I have compiled a list of my favorite Acid Westerns with a short description. This list originally appeared on IMDb.
"A parable based on the life of Christ. This ain't your father's Bible story, full of references about... (91 mins.)"
Perhaps the seminal Acid Western and Robert Downey Sr.'s greatest work (Although Putney Swope is nothing short of genius)
Watch the full film...
2. El Topo
"A mysterious black-clad gunfighter wanders a mystical Western landscape encountering multiple bizarre characters. (125 mins.)"
Jodorowsky's first commercial success. Attracted the eye of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, which helped the next film (the Holy Mountain) to be financed by Alan Klien (the Beatles' manager). A blend of old West tropes, Mexican bandito culture and ancient samurai tradition.
Watch the trailer...
3. The Last Movie
"A film shoot in Peru goes badly wrong when an actor is killed in a stunt, and the unit wrangler, Kansas... (108 mins.)"A self-conscious facsimile of a Western, which makes it a mindfuck through and through. Layers of reality reveal layers of meaning. Clearly a film maker's film. Filmed on location in South America as the behind the scenes of some fictitious Western film shot with a camera made from twigs: complete with drugs, sex and general slack. Legend has it film went way over budget and Dennis Hopper got in big trouble over it.
Watch Dennis Hopper working on the Last Movie...
4. Dead Man
"On the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange North American man named Nobody who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world. (121 mins.)"The film for which film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum coined the term. All the elements are there (and this case the whole IS equal to the sum of its parts): young Jonny Depp as lead, young Jim Jarmusch as director, old Neil Young as soundtrack, appearances by Crispin Glover, John Hurt, Iggy Pop. Probably the perfect combination of elements to create a brilliant film. Jarmusch knew what he was doing.
Watch the trailer...
5. The Shooting
"A mysterious woman persuades two cowboys to help her in a revenge scheme. (82 mins.)"Considered the first Acid Western. The Shooting is an arid odyssey that gets more languid as it goes along. Throughout the whole film there is a heavy smog of mystery that holds you to it. There are more questions than answers in this film and by the end little is revealed.
Watch the full film...
6. Walker
"An unconventional retelling of the life of William Walker, a 19th century American mercenary leader who became the president of Nicaragua. (94 mins.)"
A commentary on manifest destiny, imperialism, the vagueness of the democratic promise and the contradictions of competition and capitalism. Somewhat of a negative acid-Western as it betrays individualism as a contradictory and hedonistic Xanadu.
Watch the trailer...
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