Lots of people have trouble defining the Neo-Western (if only they were blessed by my previous post, huh?). If my aforementioned and described definition wasn’t clear enough, we can make it a whole lot more clear by taking a look at an instance where the term wasn’t used correctly whatsoever.
Collider
While it does offer some interesting insight and also sheds light on some wonderful films, Collider’s “8 Must-See Neo Westerns: The Old West is New Again” does what many people tend to do when the rare discussion of Neo Westerns arises: they conflate a “western” with a “neo western.” It’s an honest mistake, but it’s one that propels the discussion in a completely different direction.
Instead of focusing only on films such as 2016’s Hell or High Water (a film that the article actually references), Collider also discusses films such as 2013’s Django Unchained and 2016’s The Hateful Eight. These are both great films and absolutely worthy of discussion, but where Collider goes wrong is that they mistake the definition of “neo western” to mean “westerns that were made in modern times” instead of the actual definition, which is: “westerns that take place in modern times.”
A Neo Western just as easily could have been made in the year 1960 as it could have in the year 2019.
The Artiface
An article by The Artiface beautifully sheds more light on the above concept when they include a quote from Hell or High Water that says (language):
“Ought to let it just turn me to ashes, put me out of my misery. 21st century, I’m racing a fire to the river with a herd of cattle. And I wonder why my kids won’t do this shit for a living.”
As The Artiface points out in their article, this quote perfectly encapsulates the identity of the Neo Western, which is actually about a loss of identity and the death of a lifestyle (among other things).
The Artiface continues to get the definition correct when they go on to list three great Neo Westerns: Hell or High Water (2016), No Country for Old Men (2007), and Sicario (2015). You might’ve noticed that I’ve referenced 2016’s Hell or High Water on this site multiple times already; I’ve done this not just because it’s one of my personal favorite films, but also because it’s a perfect representation of what a Neo Western is, as are writer Taylor Sheridan’s other films (Wind River and Sicario).
To shed some more light on how significant Sheridan’s work has been for the Neo Western genre, check out this video by Jack’s Movie Reviews:
The Neo-Western 