Westworld: 10 Key Offbeat Westerns To Watch Next
2. Wild Wild West
The fondly-remembered Gunsmoke-meets-Bond TV series was rather a strange brew, even for the trippy Sixties. On one level it merged two straightforward action genres, yet still had an eccentric streak that made it stand out amongst small screen offerings of the time. When it came to the Hollywood reboot, those bizarre elements were given free rein, with unexpectedly bad results.
Will Smith and Kevin Kline (his second appearance on the list) played government agents, the dashing Jim West and wily inventor Artemus Gordon. Their mission was to stop the insane Doctor Loveless (Kenneth Branagh) and his giant mechanical spider, a plot device suggested by producer Jon Peters, who was obsessed with the concept of enormous arachnids generally.
It rustled up some profit for director Barry Sonnenfeld and co, but was a disaster with critics. Reportedly chunks of the film were reshot leading to a peculiar tone. The intriguing steampunk vibe became submerged beneath a welter of misjudged humour and sexual perversity. Derogatory references to West's colour and jibes about Loveless's disabled status didn't help its prospects.