10. Open Range
The most modern entry on this list, Kevin Costner's 2003 Open Range is a superb film that neatly recalls the classical Western's of old; never feeling revisionist or subversive, the film sticks to its roots and flourishes in the process. Kevin Costner directs the movie and stars as Charley Waite, front man of a cattle herding crew whose "free grazing" causes tension between his crew and the local town, run by the corrupt law official Denton Baxter. Michael Gambon plays the part of Baxter, with a superbly insidious Irish accent, and Robert Duvall takes up the role of Charlie's right hand man, Boss Spearman, with characteristic subtlety and nuance. One of the key strengths of Open Range is in its pacing. At no point does it sell out for bawdy, clumsy moments of action to maintain audience attention. Instead, it builds quietly and confidently to its devastatingly explosive conclusion which sees Spearman and Waite take on the corrupt lawmen of the town to exact justice. It's all very familiar stuff that isn't doing anything new, but that is in many ways its strength. Open Range feels a bit like a cinematic UFO; out of touch with the time of its production, it hovers over the early "noughties" as proof that the classical Western style is by no means dead but endures in the form of this calm, patient and scintillating piece of nostalgic brilliance.