Django Unchained is getting a sequel movie, but there are several caveats to immediately address. No, it's not Quentin Tarantino's final movie, at least not at the moment. But the acclaimed director is involved in the upcoming movie in one way, as moviegoers will see the Django team up with the iconic masked hero, Zorro. Yes, this is a legitimate thing that's in development.

A new report from Deadline says that award-winning writer Brian Helgeland is working on Django/Zorro, which was rumored to be in the works going back many years now. Tarantino isn't lined up to direct, but he's given his blessing, and I'm thrilled all the same after reading up on the details of this project that I didn't have on my bingo card for 2026.

Django/Zorro Is Originally Based On A Crossover Comic Written By Quentin Tarantino

This crossover didn't come out of thin air, as Django/Zorro first came from a comic series co-written by Quentin Tarantino and Matt Wagner. The story was set years after the satisfying revenge film, and picked up with Django still traveling the West and working as a bounty hunter.

During his travels, he crosses paths with an older Diego de la Vega, otherwise known as Zorro. Together, they team up to help save some indigenous peoples from servitude. I grazed over the plot, but that's only because I think readers owe it to themselves to check out this acclaimed story.

Brian Helgeland is another exciting piece of this announcement as well, as he's penned or co-penned screenplays for plenty of acclaimed and fan-favorite movies such as Payback, Mystic River, L.A. Confidential, A Knight's Tale, Man on Fire and others. (Where's my Elm Street 4: Dream Master fans at?)

Assuming Jaime Foxx Is Back As Django, Who Will Play Zorro?

One interesting note about this project is that it doesn't seem to be connected to the script that Jerrod Carmichael worked on with Quentin Tarantino. It's also noteworthy that the story will deviate from the acclaimed story, with Deadline noting that a younger Zorro will be introduced rather than the older version of Vega from the story.

It's an interesting twist that has me wondering if Sony's plan is to use Django to soft-reboot the Zorro franchise for a new generation. With two decades having passed since Antonio Banderas' The Legend of Zorro and The Mask of Zorro, it seems it's time for Hollywood to pass the torch to another young actor.

As for Django, I would be shocked if Jamie Foxx didn't reprise his iconic role. Especially if the goal is to introduce a new, younger actor as Zorro, then Foxx would be the star power that brings people out to see Django/Zorro. The actor struggled with health issues a couple of years ago, but appears healthier and has had a healthy string of appearances in movies as of late.

We're going to have to wait for more details on Django/Zorro, but I'm excited to hear this movie finally sounds like it's going to happen. Of course, it still has a long way to go, so we'll wait for more details and keep our fingers crossed we eventually see it go into production.

Everyone loves to root for the outlaw in some of the best Westerns of all time, right? One of the great things about the genre is that usually the lines are clear, there are good guys and bad guys. White hats and black hats. Often, the guys wearing the black hats are not only the more interesting characters, but they are actually the ones fighting for good, or revenge, or whatever the supposed "good guy" is doing to harm. This is a list dedicated to those guys, the guys who are so bad they are good.

And don't worry, I've included a handful of movies that are Western-adjacent that make sense for this list too.

Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid

While it's not one of my favorite movies (despite loving Robert Redford and Paul Newman), there isn't a better example of rooting for the outlaws than the classic Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid from 1969. It was an era where much of society was fighting the establishment, so it makes perfect sense that the outlaws would be the heroes at the time.

Young Guns

One of the most notorious, and weirdly beloved outlaws in the Old West was Billy the Kid (Emilio Estevez in Young Guns)and his gang, which included gunslingers like Doc Scurlock (played by Kiefer Sutherland), José Chávez y Chávez (Lou Diamond Phillips), Dick Brewer (Charlie Sheen), and more. It's a defining Western of its era.

The Outlaw Josey Wales

You knew this one had to be on the list. In fact, there are a whole bunch of Clint Eastwood movies that belong here, but this one actually has "outlaw" in the name, so you know exactly what you're getting into with The Outlaw Josey Wales, a classic Spaghetti Western.

Unforgiven

Decades after Clint Eastwood first made his name in Westerns, he directed and starred in maybe his best one ever with Unforgiven. With co-stars like Morgan Freeman and the late Gene Hackman, this Best Picture-winning film is a true masterpiece.

The Sting

The Sting isn't technically a Western, but it sure feels like one in every way. Two "outlaws," played by Robert Redford and Paul Newman, go up against a villain in a series of gambling events in this classic crime caper. It might have been set in a time just after the end of the "Old West," but the vibe remains for sure.

Desperado

Robert Rodriguez's modern Western Desperado hit the indie film world with a giant explosion when it was released in 1995. It might be set in the '90s, but it's still a gunslinger looking for revenge for the murder of his lover. It doesn't get more classic than that.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Technically, Clint Eastwood plays "The Good" in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, but he's a pretty hard-bitten bounty hunter who you just know has done some sketchy stuff in his past. He may not be the actually outlaw, but he's not a true "white hat" either (though he does wear one, of course).

Eddington

One of the most interesting Westerns in recent years has to be Ari Aster's Eddington. It's a little tricky to pick a true "outlaw" in this one, as Joaquin Phoenix is a lawman, which would traditionally be a white hat (as he wears in the movie). On the other hand, he murders some people in dramatic way, pushing him to the dark side. Still, at the end of the movie, you can't help but sympathize with his plight.

Django Unchained

While traditionally Westerns have had very clear sides, the more modern iterations of the genre, like Django Unchained, blur the lines in the best way. Is Django (Jamie Foxx) good or bad? Well, clearly he's both.

The Dirty Dozen

The best War movies and great Westerns often have similar DNA, and nowhere is this more obvious than in the classic The Dirty Dozen. Sure, it's set during World War II, thousands of miles from the Old West, but in every other way it feels like a Western.

Hell Or High Water

While many modern Westerns blur the lines between good and bad, Hell or High Water, from director David Mackenzie and written by Taylor Sheridan, is clear. The outlaws, played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster, are on the run from a Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) after robbing a bank. It might be set in the 2010s, but it has a timeless Western quality.

Star Wars

Star Wars is part Sci-Fi classic, Part space, and yep, part Space Western. A ragtag group of outlaws fighting the establishment is the definition of a classic Western. There is no need to really explain a movie everyone has seen multiple times.

Ned Kelly

A young Heath Ledger leads a fantastic cast, including Orlando Bloom and Naomi Watts, in this 2003 Australian film about a legendary Australian outlaw, Ned Kelly, fighting back against prejudice in 19th Century Australia. It isn't set in the American West, but it definitely belongs on this list. It's also one of Ledger's movies that many haven't seen, but it shows just how great an actor he was at such a young age.

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

There is no more notorious outlaw in the Old West than Jesse James. In The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, James is played by Brad Pitt, and the story of the end of his life is a spectacular example of a 21st-century Western.

The Magnificent Seven

Director John Sturges is the king of Hollywood Westerns, and The Magnificent Seven might just be his most beloved film. The outlaws are a who's who of huge Hollywood names in 1960, including Steve McQueen, Yul Brynner, James Coburn, and Charles Bronson. It's a stone-cold classic.

No Country For Old Men

Picking an outlaw in No Country for Old Men, like many modern Westerns, can be tricky. Obviously Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is an easy choice, and you can make the argument that Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is the "good guy," but no one in the movie is totally innocent, and we're all rooting for Llewelyn, who has stolen a lot of money.

The Hateful Eight

Okay, let's get real here, pretty much every character in The Hateful Eight is repugnant. I guess we're supposed to be rooting for Jennifer Jason Leigh's character, and she's technically the outlaw here, so it'll work for this list.

The Quick And The Dead

Sam Raimi's The Quick And The Dead, starring Sharon Ston,e might be a nineties movie, but it definitely has the vibe of a classic Western. It's also unique in the genre as the protagonist, the outlaw we're rooting for, is a woman.

The Warriors

This is another stretch, sure, but in many ways, the cult classic The Warriors has all the elements of a great Western. A gang of outlaws gets on the wrong side of other outlaws and has to make a run for the border (or, in this case, Coney Island). What isn't a "Western" about that? It's one of the best cult classics of all time and a quintessential '70s flick.

A Fistful of Dollars

There are a ton of classic Westerns starring Clint Eastwood that belong on this list, and A Fistful of Dollars is definitely one of them. This was the Spaghetti Western that really made the genre great, and is the first in the "Dollars" trilogy, along with For A Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

El Mariachi

Before he remade it as Desperado, Robert Rodriguez made his name with the low-budget indie El Mariachi. It follows the same story, but El Mariachi is much more raw in every way. It's not as flashy, but that works in its favor. Westerns weren't something that Indie filmmakers were making in the '90s, so that makes this one extra special.

The Wild Bunch

Director Sam Peckinpah was known for his use of violence in his movies and was a real pioneer of 1970s cinema. One of his best, and most popular movies, has to be The Wild Bunch about a gang of outlaws at the tail end of the "Old West" trying to find their way in the early 20th Century. Like much of Peckinpah's work, it's a very different take on a classic genre.

Bonnie And Clyde

There are a lot of parallels between the Great Depression era and the Old West. Outlaws were folk heroes, and everyone rooted for them to take down the establishment. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker are the quintessential example of that, and the 1967 movie based on their crimes, starring Warren Beatty as Barrow and Faye Dunaway as Parker, is a classic modern take on an old Western vibe.

Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves

Long before there was a wild west, there was Sherwood Forest, where Robin Hood and his band of merry men fought the law, and most of the time, won. Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves is maybe the best version of this ancient tale that closely resembles a Western.

Maverick

1994's Maverick, starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner, is an adaptation of a '50s TV show of the same name starring Garner. The movie is set on a riverboat during a poker tournament, and while there aren't any cattle rustlers, it's still a wonderful example of a Western where you root for the outlaw. Or outlaws in this case.

American Outlaws

Colin Farrell stars as Jesse James in American Outlaws, a Western from 2003 that hardly anyone remembers, but if you love movies about outlaws in the Old West, it's a movie you'd probably enjoy. It's not the best movie you'll ever see, but it is a really fun Western

Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid

Sam Peckinpah made some really fun Westerns in the early '70s, and recruiting Bob Dylan to not only have a role in the movie, but also provide some music (including his classic "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"), was a stroke of genius in Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid. The title pretty much gives the movie away, as it's about the legendary lawman Pat Garrett's (James Coburn) hunt for the outlaw Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson). Of course, you're gonna root for Billy!

Silverado

Kevin Costner has starred in some great Westerns over the years, and his first, Silverado, is still one of his best. Costner plays a young gunslinger who gets involved with a gang of outlaws in this classic. The cast alone is worth the watch, including Kevin Kline, Rosanna Arquette, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover, Brian DennehyScott Glenn, Jeff Goldblum, and, in a surprisingly great performance, John Cleese.

The Long Riders

There are quite a few movies about Jesse James, but The Long Riders is unique because of the casting. The James brothers are played by real-life brothers Stacey and James Keach. The Younger brothers are played by David, Keith, and Robert Carradine. The Millers are played by Dennis and Randy Quaid, and the Fords are played by Nicholas and Christopher Guest. It's super fun.

Young Guns II

We couldn't leave Young Guns II off this list. Sure, it's not as legendary as the first movie in the series, but in a lot of ways, it's more fun. The cast is epic, and they are all clearly having fun making this sequel.

Smokey And The Bandit

There is nothing more classic in a Western than the outlaw wearing a cowboy hat trying to outfox and outrun the law while falling in love with a runaway bride. So, you tell me, is Smokey and the Bandit a Western? I say the answer is a resounding yes, even if the bandit has traded his horse for a Trans Am.

High Plains Drifter

After making his name in the Spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s, Clint Eastwood made one of his first American Westerns as a director with High Plains Drifter in 1973. It's the second film he directed, and it led to a fantastic career as both star and director.

Life is full of choices, and there’s always pressure to choose the right option - no matter how small the matter. In the examples we're about to discuss, it only took one bad call to lead to unnecessary drama, and in some cases, death. While not all of them are tragic, beware of some old wounds that may be opened up in the process.

Mayor Larry Vaughn Keeps Amity’s Beaches Open - Jaws

Ok, let’s just get this out of the way: Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) should have never won re-election. Amity Beach’s big wheel politician should have been legislative dust after keeping the beaches open in Jaws. Yes, beach towns depend on revenues from summer tourists - but if there’s no surviving tourists that want to shop, is it really a win?

Dr. Mann’s Hasty Docking With The Endurance - Interstellar

Scientific minds are supposed to be among the smartest and most rational in the world, especially if you’ve been chosen to colonize a potential new home for Humanity. That fact just makes the manner of death that befalls Interstellar’s Dr. Mann (Matt Damon) all the more fitting. Perhaps one should check that the airlock seals are properly aligned before launching into a speech about “all mankind.”

Rose Leaves Jack To Freeze - Titanic

Ok, so Kate Winslet’s 2024 Titanic revelation that it wasn’t a door Rose DeWitt Bukater was clinging to for life kind of changes the equation of whether or not she could have saved Jack Dawson. That being said, it still doesn’t change the fact that people are going to argue there was still room on “the door” for old Jack.

Peter Quill Socks Thanos On The Brink Of Victory - Avengers: Infinity War

Every time someone watches the Marvel movies in order, this moment, in particular, is the definition of an "own goal." As Avengers: Infinity War almost saw the reason for a second half nullified by taking the Infinity Gauntlet away from Thanos, a moment of emotion from the ever-impulsive Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) allowed the Mad Titan to keep his magic glove, and get away.

Marty McFly Buys Gray’s Sports Almanac - Back To The Future: Part II

Oh Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox). Even when you’re greedy, you’re just trying to protect the future. While our lessons in how Back to the Future’s time travel works have taught us time and again that fooling with the past is dangerous, Marty’s decision to buy Gray’s Sports Almanac was one of the greatest mistakes in pop culture history. Who really wants to live in Biff Tannen’s alternate 1985?

Someone Read The Latin - The Evil Dead Movies

This is the movie most people think of when you hear the phrase, “Don’t read the Latin.” The Evil Dead series has seen Ash (Bruce Campbell) and many others learn that lesson the hard way, as a Deadite plague tends to result after this grievous error. What did they think was going to happen when reading from a book bound by human flesh?

Iosef Tarasov’s Gang Kill John Wick’s Dog - John Wick

Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen) made two huge mistakes in the John Wick movies. The first was thinking that he could convince retired hitman John Wick to sell his 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429. The second, and more costly mistake, was to kill John’s dog, Daisy. The criminal underworld still hasn’t recovered from the actions of that night, so yeah: we’re thinking that’s a bad decision.

Walter Donovan Chooses Poorly - Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade

Who did you honestly put your money on when it came to winning Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’s game for the Holy Grail? A professor of archeology who has a similarly learned father, or an industrialist aiding the Nazis? If you bet on Walter Donavan (Julian Glover) winning the day, I think you know how the Grail Knight would comment on this particular choice.

Howard Ratner Can't Stop Winning - Uncut Gems

One has to wonder if A24 set up microphones during preview screenings of Uncut Gems if only to measure the decibel level of audience yelling. The moment when Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) makes what would be his final bet had to have been one where people shouted at the screen in terror - which would have only been outdone by shock at the picture’s fatalistic ending.

General Ripper Starts A Nuclear War - Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

If any of us normal people think something’s wrong with our bodies, we usually consult a specialist. But Dr. Strangelove’s General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) isn’t quite normal, as he decided to initiate “nuclear combat toe-to-toe with the Russkies,” using only a paranoid hunch as his basis. If only the internet had been invented, so WebMD could have debunked his theories.

Icarus II Goes To Visit Icarus 1 - Sunshine

You can almost always count on a bad day in space if you’re the second expedition to venture out on a mission, and you suddenly discover the wreckage of the first. Sunshine’s Icarus II crew is put through the wringer after making the decision to visit the Icarus I. On the literal bright side, at least Capa (Cillian Murphy) saved the day, despite being the deciding vote that caused a chain reaction of deadly events.

Vincent Kapoor Tells Mark Watney His Messages Are On Live TV - The Martian

Never tell a rabble-rouser they’re on live TV, they’re just going to use the moment to misbehave. The Martian’s Vincent Kapoor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) did just that as NASA’s Director of Mars Missions, and it led to astronaut Mark Watney being so creative with his swearing his colleagues had to look it up. Which led to a double whammy of regret, as learning what those phrases meant was quite a shock.

Don Kisses His Wife - 28 Weeks Later

Ok 28 Weeks Later fans, which is the bigger mistake made by our good friend Don (Robert Carlyle): abandoning his wife Alice in the wake of an Infected attack, or kissing her without reservation as she’s in medical quarantine? That second choice seems to be the greater error, as while their reunion did patch up their marriage, the act of kissing and making up turned Don into a very special victim of the Rage Virus.

Dr. Alice Krippin Cures Cancer With Measles - I Am Legend

To be clear: curing cancer is not the poor decision that kicked off I Am Legend’s horrific apocalypse. Not to mention, the idea of Dr. Alice Krippin (Emma Thompson) to use genetically modified measles was a pretty clever twist to this medical marvel. But something suggests that there were not nearly enough human trials, as it only took three years to decimate humanity with the Krippin Virus.

Preston Reveals His Wife’s Secret - Tales From The Darkside: The Movie

Here’s a loophole you could argue until the gargoyles come home: if you confess to your wife a near-lethal encounter with such a creature of stone, but she turns out to be the cryptid in question, is it really breaking your vow not to tell the world? It sadly doesn’t matter as the Tales from the Darkside: The Movie segment “Lover’s Vow” sees James Remar’s struggling artist losing his life - as in this case, it technically counts.

Evelyn Reads From The Book Of The Dead - The Mummy (1999)

“No harm ever came from reading a book.” One of The Mummy’s funniest lines is also a statement that Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) should have known not to make. Then again, could it really be that bad of a decision if it led to a rollicking adventure that ended up with her falling for the dreamy Rick O’Connell? Oh, let us think…YES!

Dr. King Schultz Won’t Shake Hands - Django Unchained

Yes, Calvin Candie is a despicable slave owner, and one could hope he’s burning in Hell. But at the same time, Django Unchained’s big bad was in a position where a simple handshake would have allowed Django (Jamie Foxx) and his rediscovered wife to escape happily. Unfortunately, mentor/moral compass Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) couldn’t bring himself to do so…at least, not without taking his foe out with a hidden pistol.

Tony Stark Creates Ultron - Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Could we please put some more safeguards on genius billionaire philanthropist playboys using artificial intelligence to save the world? Avengers: Age of Ultron almost ushered in the promise of that dangerous title, as vindictive creation Ultron (James Spader) snipped his strings and almost destroyed humanity. Worse: his antics indirectly led to the Sokovia Accords, a set of laws so restrictive, yet so useless that all they could really do was set up a couple of Marvel sequels.

Batman Severely Underestimates Bane - The Dark Knight Rises

Bane (Tom Hardy) is a physically imposing villain so buff, that your dimension’s version of Superman might think twice before beefing with him. Perhaps the Batman of The Dark Knight Rises should have called the Kryptonian boy scout before tangling with the man in the mask, as he could have saved himself a lot of trouble, and all of the medical expenses incurred from a broken back.

Logan Nelson Misreads John Kramer’s X-Rays - Jigsaw

Do you want Jigsaw? Because this is how you get Jigsaw! Careless medical examiner Logan Nelson (Matt Passmore) turned out to be the person who wronged John Kramer in the Saw franchise, which led to his place as one of the first victims turned apprentice to the criminal mastermind. As soon as Mr. Nelson made that mistake, one of the many movie retcon that confused us was born.

Daniel Hillard Creates Mrs. Doubtfire - Mrs. Doubtfire

Some people will create Scottish alter egos to avoid therapy. While Mrs. Doubtfire is still a bittersweet bundle of laughs, and though Robin Williams’ Daniel Hillard did create a fantastic children’s show host, Euphegenia’s creation should have never come from the need to see his kids. It’s kind of a case of the best intentions leading straight into legal hell, isn’t it?

Peter Parker Tries To Erase His Friend’s Memories - Spider-Man: No Way Home

If you’re a genius like Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Peter Parker (Tom Holland), you should probably know better than to bork up your request to a Sorcerer Supreme to erase that knowledge from everyone’s minds. This kid really is Tony Stark’s protege, isn’t he?

David Drayton Gets Impatient In The Apocalypse - The Mist

If David Drayton (Thomas Jane) had waited just five more minutes in The Mist, we may have seen a wildly different ending where everyone lives and learns a powerful lesson about the dangers of mob mentality. Alas, Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s iconic novella did teach us that lesson, but with much deadlier consequences.

Kay Takes Compound Z - Alien: Romulus

We’re not a bunch of medical experts here at CinemaBlend, and we’ll readily admit that. But 9 out of 10 writers would agree that if we were given the choice to take the sketchy and untested Compound Z, we’d pass it up. That didn’t stop Kay (Isabella Merced) in Alien: Romulus, and the results were as messy as you'd think.

Madeline Ashton Forgets To Ask About Potential Side Effects - Death Becomes Her

The first thing that Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) could think to ask after being propositioned with eternal youth is “How much is it?” But what she should have asked is “What are the side effects,” as Death Becomes Her sees the “fading actress” panicking after she drinks the mysterious glowing pink liquid that makes it possible. Oops.

Fuller And Lewis Get Flirty With Rusty Nail - Joy Ride

You never know who’s on the other end of a CB radio. While it’s an antiquated form of communication, it didn’t stop brothers Fuller (Steve Zahn) and Lewis (Paul Walker) from having some fun with a random trucker with the handle of “Rusty Nail” in Joy Ride. What began as a flirty prank turned into a game of death…so don’t forget to screen your calls, and watch who you lead on.

The Daltons Turn Back For Hoppy - Speak No Evil

Kids. At some point, they have to grow up, and we’d like to think that the events of the horror remake Speak No Evil helped young Agnes Dalton (Alix West Lefler) get wise pretty quickly. Her family was free and clear from the murderers trying to adopt her for their own, but since she convinced them to turn back for her stuffed rabbit Hoppy, salvation was delayed throughout a long, awkward night.

Paul Hackett Goes On A Date - After Hours

Who says Martin Scorsese doesn’t have a sense of humor? 1985’s After Hours saw the legendary director land one of the best dark comedies of history, thanks to the film putting poor office worker Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) through the night from hell. And it’s all thanks to a blind date, which leads to a tragic death, which only spirals further into a nightmarish farce across New York City.

Harry And Lloyd Get Involved In A Kidnapping - Dumb And Dumber

No one would mistake Harry (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd (Jim Carrey) for being the most brilliant minds of any time. However, Lloyd’s love-sick quest to chase the woman he loves leads Dumb and Dumber’s dynamic duo into a dance with death. Stumbling into the kidnapping of a wealthy businessman, it never becomes a concern until Lloyd realizes the girl of his dreams happens to be that man’s wife.

Marty Bryce Goes Out For Pizza - Sneakers

Chance led to young Marty Bishop (Gary Hershberger) going out to pick up pizza for himself and his dear friend Cosmo (Jo Marr). If only Cos didn’t use his magic trick to force his friend to leave for dinner, he might have had a chance to save his friend from prison, and an eventual grudge.

General Brewster Activates Skynet - Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines

Artificial intelligence is dangerous, kids. But you have to give Skynet credit, as it used a computer virus to trick Lieutenant General Robert Brewster (David Andrews) into giving it full control of the United States’ weapons apparatus. And that is why Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines ends with the most shocking ending of the series, as Judgement Day is allowed to happen because the U.S. government wouldn’t spring for a Norton subscription.

Eli Sunday Begs For Help From Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood

Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) and Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) are a pair of foes for the ages. So when There Will Be Blood sees the young preacher begging his oil tycoon rival for financial help, the result is a monologue we could still quote by heart - and a fatal encounter with a bowling pin.

Since the 1980s Samuel L. Jackson has been providing some of the most memorable moments on screen. With hundreds of credits to his name, he is one of the most recognizable actors of all time. This list is dedicated to some of his best moments in some of his most famous movies. For the sake of the children, we've left off some of his more memorable moments using the colorful language he is good at. But no matter, these moments are all fantastic as well!

Jurassic Park

As the computer tech in Jurassic Park, way too much falls on Samuel L. Jackson's shoulders to save the park and possibly the world. Still, the chain-smoking character does all he can. That includes rebooting the whole system, which means everyone needs to "hold on your butts."

Django Unchained

Jackson's character in Django Unchained is, well, unhinged. The scene where he has Django strung up and explains what kind of slave he intends to make of Django is one of the most insane scenes in a movie full of craziness. It's scary... and fantastic.

Avengers: Infinity War

Throughout the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jackson's character Nick Fury has provided many amazing moments. One of the best is at the end of Avengers: Infinity War after Thanos snaps his fingers. Just as Fury is turning to dust along with half of the universe, he starts to utter the words that have made Samuel L. Jackson famous that involve a mother... only he disappears before he can get the words out.

Coming To America

Well, there isn't much you can quote from his short scene as a potential stick-up man in Coming To America and still keep this list rated PG, so we'll just have to hope that you know exactly what we're talking about here. If you know, you know. And if you don't, we might be forced to thrash you.

A Time to Kill

In a career filled with intense scenes, the one when Jackson's character is on the witness stand during his murder trial in A Time To Kill may be the most intense. When he can't help but burst out why he felt he had to murder the men accused of assaulting his daughter and where he hopes they are burning is just an incredible bit of acting.

Die Hard With A Vengeance

There are a lot of cool scenes in Die Hard With A Vengeance but one that shows exactly what kind of person Jackson's character is when he must answer a phone from the puppet master while facing down a cop who doesn't know what is going on. He HAS TO ANSWER THAT PHONE.

Thor

The post-credit scene in the first Thor movie is great. It's classic Nick Fury, one step ahead of every. Well, everyone but Loki. Still, his cool, calm, and collected demeanor is on full display here.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Throughout the prequel Star Wars movies, Mace Windu could have been a lot cooler. It's just one of the many things to criticize about those films. One thing you can criticize is how cool his death is and how close he came to changing the entire future when he takes on Palpatine in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Had he not been betrayed by Anikin at the moment, there might not have been a need for the rebels, as the Empire would have been dead on arrival. So close, yet so far.

Shaft

Shaft isn't Samuel L. Jackson's best movie, but there are still only a handful of actors who could have ever pulled the role of the private...detective... that won't cop out when there is danger about. He's awesome in the role and while there are plenty of pretty great action scenes, it's the moments like the one in the coffee shop when he confronts the gang members and shows zero intimidation. It sums up all that is John Shaft.

Pulp Fiction

There really isn't a question here - not only is the Ezekiel 25:17 speech his coolest moment in Pulp Fiction, but it's one of the coolest moments in any movie, ever. He's got some other amazing moments in the movie, like his negotiation with the two robbers in the diner at the end, but come on, nothing touches that opening scene in the movie.

Captain America: Winter Soldier

Nick Fury is mostly the guy behind the guys in the MCU. He's the guy motivating and planning for the superheroes and rarely a superhero himself. That isn't the case in Captain America: Winter Soldier when he is attacked in his truck and audiences get to see why he is who he is and why he is trusted to run the whole shebang.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

In Kingsman: The Secret Service, Samuel L. Jackson plays a most unconventional villain. The weirdest moment of the movie has to be when he orders all the McDonalds to eat. It's weird, and yet somehow works in a hilarious way, only adding to his unconventional take on the role. Odd? yes? Memorable? Without question.

Snakes On A Plane

It's clear what scene we're talking about here. It's that scene where he's just had enough. He's sick of all the uh...annoying snakes on the... uh, plane. Snakes on a Plane shouldn't have been the hit that it was and that line, and his delivery of that line, is 100% made it a hit. Truly memorable.

The Great White Hype

Some people don't appreciate The Great White Hype. Many haven't even heard of it, but it's one of the more underrated comedies of the '90s and in it Jackson plays a boxing promoter loosely based on Don King. His negotiation with the #1 contender for a title shot is one of the funniest scenes in the movie, with Jamie Foxx matching Jackson line for line, but Jackson's character coming out on top, of course.

Menace II Society

The poker game in Menace II Society is scary. Though Samuel L. Jackson only has a supporting role as the gangster father of Caine, everything a viewer needs to know about him is shown in that one scene when he gets angry at another player for owing him money and shoots him dead right there at the table. In front of his young son.

Do The Right Thing

Samuel L. Jackson is the epitome of cool in Do The Right Thing as the DJ of the local station. The opening monologue sets up the movie beautifully and it's a voice you can listen to all day, just like the characters in the movie do.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Nick Fury is not only known for being tough as nails, he also provides a lot of comic relief in the MCU. Take, for example, his exchange with Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Fury can't believe he's ended up in Parker's bedroom arguing with a teenager. We feel you, Nick.

The Banker

The best scene in The Banker isn't the golf course scene, but getting to see Samuel L. Jackson in 1960s golfing attire makes it the most memorable. It's just so great you want to spend the whole movie there, watching him in that getup.

Argylle

2024's Argylle was met with mostly mixed reviews and while some loved it, others found it just too meta and annoying. Like his role in another Matthew Vaughn film, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Jackson is really only seen a few times on screen and each time is memorable, like when has his eyes scratched out in what has to be a nod to the MCU, right?

Iron Man

At the time, no one could have known just how big the MCU would become, but Nick Fury seemed to know all along when, in the post-credit scene in Iron Man, Fury shows up at Tony Starks home and proposes the "Avenger Initiative." It's among the most memorable scenes in the whole franchise and we didn't even know it at the time.

The Hateful Eight

Director Quentin Tarantino clearly loves writing characters for Samuel L. Jackson as every time he's in one of Tarantino's movies, it leaves a lingering impression. Like the scene in The Hateful Eight when Jackson's character tells Bruce Dern's character that he knew the day Dern's character's son died, it was the day he met him. It's a line you'll never forget.

xXx

xXx is a way better movie than a lot of critics give it credit for. Sure it's completely ridiculous and "over-the-top" doesn't even begin to describe how off-the-wall it is. But it's got some amazing action sequences, like the one in the diner when Jackson's character recruits the titular "XXX" played by Vin Diesel.

The Avengers

Nick Fury has a lot of inspiring moments in the MCU and at the top of the list of his best is the speech he gives to the assembled Avengers after Phil Coulson is killed. There is no doubt you want to run through a wall for both Nick and Phil after that speech in The Avengers.

Patriot Games

Sometimes people forget that Samuel L. Jackson is even in Patriot Games, despite being in a scene that everyone remembers. After Jack Ryan returns to teaching after thwarting the attack on the Royals in London, he is presented the "Order of the Purple Target" by his fellow teachers at the Naval Academy, namely one played by Jackson.

Jackie Brown

Samuel L. Jackson's character in Jackie Brown has a wild look and an even crazier disposition. That attitude comes through most clearly in the scene Jackson shares with Chris Tucker where he convinces Tucker's character to get into the trunk of his car so he can murder him. Talk about unforgettable...

Captain Marvel

At the end of Captain Marvel, after we all learn how Nick Fury lost his eye, we learn something else - how he named The Avengers Initiative. It turns out, it comes from Carol Danvers' call sign etched on the side of her plane that he has a photo of. It's a pinnacle moment in the series, and we learn about how important Captain Marvel was from the very beginning.

Hard Eight

Samuel L. Jackson really makes the most out of a somewhat small, but very pivotal role in Paul Thomas Anderson's debut film Hard Eight. Though his character meets an unceremonious end, it's not until after he has an amazing scene with Sydney (Philip Baker Hall) after confronting him about some old business.

Black Snake Moan

Jackson's role in Black Snake Moan is... hard to take. The whole movie is pretty hard to watch and even if you understand his character's motivations, his actions don't really justify the means to the end. Still, that scene in the beginning when his character is rocking out on stage is at once very cool, but also a little bit scary as Jackson really shows the audience both sides of the character.

Sphere

Sphere really could have been a great movie. The film was adapted from the Michael Crichton novel of the same name, but it all felt a bit rushed like it was produced and filmed too quickly to cash in on the hype of Jurassic Park. Still, it has some cool scenes like when Jackson's character confronts the realization that they all may die down in the deep.

Long Kiss Goodnight

Long Kiss Goodnight is a decent action flick with some great comedic moments between the two co-stars, Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson plays a detective hired by Davis' character to find out about her past, which she doesn't remember prior to being found washed ashore eight years early. It turns out that Davis' character is a former CIA assassin and like Jason Bourne has retained her training, if not her memory. In one scene she scolds Jackson to "take lessons" on fighting someone and he responds that he "took lessons!"

Rules of Engagement

There is something about Samuel L. Jackson on the stand in a court of law that really brings the best out of the actor. Just like in A Time To Kill, he's at his best in Rules of Engagement when he is being interrogated and it's a completely unforgettable scene, admitting he did what he was accused of doing but having good reason for it.

True Romance

Even if a movie is only written by Quentin Tarantino but not directed by him, like True Romance, it's like the words were only supposed to be delivered by Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson really only has one line in the movie and each word is dirtier than the last as he explains what he likes to do with the women he hooks up with. It's one of the most iconic moments in the movie, even if it's only a minute or so long.

Quentin Tarantino has garnered a reputation for a lot of standout elements in his work. Foul language and violence are always part of the equation, as are eclectic soundtracks and sharp, pop culture-centric dialogue. He’s also amazing at inventing characters – and not just lead protagonists and key supporting players, but characters who only appear in a limited number of scenes and/or find a home in the background. It’s to celebrate those particular and special creations that we have put together this feature.

From Reservoir Dogs to Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, who are the best Quentin Tarantino side characters? We’ve highlighted 32 of them for you below.

Lawrence Tierney As Joe Cabot In Reservoir Dogs

There’s a scene in Reservoir Dogs where Tim Roth’s Freddy Newandyke describes Lawrence Tierney’s Joe Cabot a la The Thing from The Fantastic Four, and it’s perfectly apt. Though Cabot only appears in a trio of scenes (the beginning, the end, and a mid-movie flashback), his projected energy is so imposing, massive and memorable that he might as well be made out of orange rock.

Steven Wright As K-Billy DJ In Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Tarantino helped change movie soundtracks forever with his jukebox approach to music in Reservoir Dogs, and the cherry on top is Steven Wright’s voice-only performance as the unnamed DJ for K-Billy’s Super Sounds Of The ‘70s. His unmistakable monotone is a strange flavor introducing tracks like “Little Green Bag” and “Stuck In The Middle With You,” but the casting choice is perfection.

Harvey Keitel As Winston Wolfe In Pulp Fiction

“That's thirty minutes away. I'll be there in ten.” In a crisis, you always want to be working with a person who knows how to both move fast and keep their cool, and that’s Pulp Fiction’s Winston Wolfe in a nutshell. The practically magical fixer character makes clean business out of dirty work, and his swagger is captivating.

Christopher Walken As Captain Koons In Pulp Fiction

Considering how incredible Christopher Walken’s career has been, it’s actually a bit wild that one of his greatest performances is what could practically be called a cameo in Pulp Fiction where he spends a single scene talking directly to the camera. Captain Koons’ commitment to delivering the Coolidge family watch showcases him instantly as an honorable man, but the way in which he tells young Butch the story of the timepiece makes him unforgettable.

Frank Whaley As Brett In Pulp Fiction

What were Brett and his friends planning on doing with the contents of Marcellus Wallace’s mysterious briefcase? We have no idea, but that ambition is a great layer of the character to chew on while also appreciating the guy’s futile attempt to stay cool while being interrogated by Samuel L. Jackson’s Jules Winnfield.

Eric Stoltz As Lance As Brett In Pulp Fiction

Eric Stoltz’s Lance may be a total skeeze, but he proves to be a perfect character to have in the mix when Uma Thurman’s Mia Wallace is experiencing a drug overdose. He’s the perfect blend of knowledgeable and incompetent to keep things interesting in the big panic sequence with John Travolta’s Vincent Vega.

Dennis Hopper As Clifford Worley In True Romance

In most movies, there is epic conflict when a cop discovers that his son has committed a crime, but I love that Dennis Hopper’s Clifford Worley in True Romance breaks from that trope and simply opts to help his boy (Christian Slater’s Clarence) and his new blushing bride (Patricia Arquette’s Alabama).

Brad Pitt As Floyd In True Romance

The fact that Dick Ritchie’s stoner roommate is played by future A-lister Brad Pitt in True Romance is fun to recognize, but Floyd is independently a great side character: so totally zonked that he doesn’t know he is putting his friend’s lives in danger.

Christopher Walken As Vincenzo Coccotti In True Romance

Dennis Hopper’s Clifford Worley is tough as nails and really loves his son, and that warmth is perfectly contrasted with the coldness of Christopher Walken’s Vincenzo Coccotti, who comes into True Romance for a single scene and raises the stakes of the movie through the roof with his icy demeanor and threatening presence.

Val Kilmer As Elvis In True Romance

It’s pretty wild that True Romance cast Val Kilmer to play a completely off-screen, imagined version of Elvis Presley, but it’s one of the bits of brilliance in the film, as it’s the King’s words that ultimately motivate Clarence toward the life of which he dreams.

Gary Oldman As Drexl Spivey In True Romance

In the context of the story in True Romance, Drexl Spivey is a terrible person and a bona fide stain on society, but boy, does he make an immortal impression during his limited scenes. It’s Gary Oldman at his character actor best.

Chris Tucker As Beaumont Livingston In Jackie Brown

Samuel L. Jackson’s Ordell Robbie in Jackie Brown is a wannabe kingpin who is unwilling to have anybody mess up his ambitions by talking to the police… and Chris Tucker’s Beaumont Livingston makes for a phenomenal conflict character in this respect. His motormouth clearly demonstrates him as a threat – and fortunately for Ordell, he can’t recognize the danger that the antagonist represents.

Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr. As Winston In Jackie Brown

Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.’s Winston is principally a presence in Jackie Brown, but damn, what a presence. He is the hulking partner of Robert Forster’s Max Cherry and adds muscle to the bail bondsman operation.

Sonny Chiba As Hattori Hanzō In Kill Bill Vol. 1

Kill Bill Vol. 1 features two sides of Sonny Chiba’s Hattori Hanzō during his brief role, and they are both amazing. One side is the restaurateur who has reached his limit with his disrespectful employee (Kenji Ohba), and the other is the exceptionally gifted swordsmith who elegantly crafts the weapon that The Bride employs in her roaring rampage of revenge.

Chiaki Kuriyama As Gogo Yubari In Kill Bill Vol. 1

Chiaki Kuriyama’s Gogo Yubari is a shocking and awesome study in contrast: her youth and schoolgirl uniform suggest innocence, but she is quite possibly the most craven character in all of Kill Bill and makes terrifying use of a custom flail.

Michael Parks As Ranger Earl Mcgraw In Kill Bill Vol. 1

Not only does Ranger Earl Mcgraw have a special veteran lawman swagger that makes him pop in the opening scene of Kill Bill Vol. 1, but the Michael Parks character also happens to be key connective tissue in the larger canon universe created by Quentin Tarantino – also appearing in the Tarantino-scripted From Dusk Til Dawn and both titles in the double-feature Grindhouse.

Daryl Hannah As Elle Driver In Kill Bill Vol. 1

Daryl Hannah’s Elle Driver graduates to a full-on supporting character in Kill Bill Vol. 2, but she is kept as a colorful side character in Kill Bill Vol. 1, and she is instantly cemented as one of Quentin Tarantino’s greatest stylistic touches. The eyepatch is a killer look by itself, but her nurse disguise is top-notch, and her proper introduction to the film via a Brian De Palma-esque split-screen sequence is unforgettable.

Gordon Liu As Pai Mei In Kill Bill Vol. 2

Quentin Tarantino properly unleashes Gordon Liu as the dangerous Johnny Mo in the bloody House of Blue Leaves sequence in Kill Bill Vol. 1, but it’s in Kill Bill Vol. 2 that the actor gets to truly shine playing Pai Mei: the whispy-haired, exceptionally strict kung fu master who teaches Um Thurman’s Beatrix Kiddo all of her most deadly skills.

Michael Parks As Esteban Vihaio In Kill Bill Vol. 2

Kill Bill Vol. 2 is a film with a much different, slower energy than its predecessor, but it’s because of characters like Michael Parks’ Esteban Vihaio that it works, as his scene provides unexpected depth for the world Tarantino has created and a terrific backstory for the movie’s titular antagonist (David Carradine).

Mary Elizabeth Winstead As Lee Montgomery In Death Proof

Is Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Lee Montgomery meant to be pitied or seen as spared? She has a great introduction into Death Proof as a bit of a ditz (good for a few laughs), but when she is left behind as Zoë Bell, Abernathy Ross (Rosario Dawson), and Kim Mathis (Tracie Thoms) go out for their fateful ride, it’s unclear if she dodged a bullet or is left to experience her own special terror with Jonathan Loughran’s super creepy Jasper.

Michael Fassbender As Lieutenant Archie Hicox In Inglourious Basterds

I’m perhaps a bit biased here as a person who professionally writes about film, but it’s a spectacular thing to see a movie expert become enlisted as a military hero – and nothing is harmed by the fact that Michael Fassbender imbues Lieutenant Archie Hicox from Inglourious Basterds with classic cool that oozes off the screen.

Jacky Ido As Marcel In Inglourious Basterds

Jacky Ido’s Marcel is an underrated hero in Inglourious Basterds. Because there are so many moving pieces and perspectives in the epic war film’s grand finale, one can forget that Marcel has a key role in the revenge plot orchestrated by Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent), and his deep love for her is one of the most beautiful parts of the movie.

August Diehl As Sturmbannführer Dieter Hellstrom In Inglourious Basterds

We all love to hate Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds, but August Diehl’s Sturmbannführer Dieter Hellstrom is able to inspire similar feelings in much more limited screen time. The fear he instills when he interrupts the clandestine meeting between Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) and Archie Hicox is deliciously awful (thankfully, Til Schwiger’s Hugo Stiglitz delivers him the end he wholly deserves).

Mike Myers As General Ed Fenech In Inglourious Basterds

It’s a touch silly to have Mike “Austin Powers” Myers cast to play a British general in charge of recruiting talent for a top secret mission, but it’s a credit to Quentin Tarantino’s vision that it plays so well. Myers’ Ed Fenech brings a “classic British war movie” energy to what is a very exposition-heavy scene in Inglourious Basterds, making interesting what otherwise might be dry material.

Walton Goggins As Billy Crash In Django Unchained

There are a lot of sick and twisted characters in Django Unchained who end up meeting properly terrible fates, but Walton Goggins’ Billy Crash is a standout. Not only is he a hateful and violent monster, but the audience wants to see him punished for the audacity of his powerful swagger.

Zoë Bell As Six Horse Judy In The Hateful Eight

As an ensemble piece mostly set in a single location, The Hateful Eight isn’t a movie abundant with what I would define as side characters, but Zoë Bell’s Six Horse Judy does fit the bill. She ultimately meets a tragic end, but her verve is superb while she is alive in the film’s flashback sequence, as is her great confidence in her horse-wrangling skills.

Margaret Qualley As "Pussycat" In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Between Poor Things, Drive-Away Dolls, Kinds Of Kindness and The Substance in the last few years alone, Margaret Qualley has firmly established herself as one of the best young actresses currently working, but years before all of that, she successfully entranced audiences with her single-scene turn as Pussycat in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood – getting a ride from Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth to Charles Manson’s encampment on Spahn Ranch.

Al Pacino As Marvin Schwarz In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

“What a picture!” That line from Once Upon A Time In Hollywood has become a meme, but part of the reason why it pops is because Al Pacino’s Marvin Schwarz is such a terrific character: an old-school Hollywood casting agent with a passionate love of cinema.

Kurt Russell As Randy Miller/The Narrator In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

After starring as the deadly Stuntman Mike in Death Proof, Kurt Russell plays a stuntman with a totally different kind of energy in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and it’s a delight. Randy Miller is infused with Russell’s veteran charm and charisma, and his voice carries over to be a terrific guide through the period epic when he is featured in the movie as the narrator.

Julia Butters As Trudi Frazer In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino’s movies don’t generally feature many child characters, but that’s just part of what makes Julia Butters’ Trudi Frazer stand out in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Primarily featured opposite Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton, she not only demonstrates remarkable professionalism for such a young person, but totally blows Rick’s mind with her respect for his acting skills.

Damian Lewis As Steve McQueen In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

It’s no secret that Quentin Tarantino has a great love of Steve McQueen movies, and the writer/director brings the legendary actor to life with a single great scene in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood where he smoothly provides the audience with everything we need to know about Margot Robbie’s Sharon Tate.

Austin Butler As "Tex" In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Before he became Elvis Presley or Feyd-Rautha, Austin Butler made an awesome impression as Tex in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. His intense devotion to Charles Manson’s cause makes it all the better when he gets taken down during what ends up being a botched murder attempt.

I’m a huge fan of horse operas, and I’ve watched many of the best westerns of all time.

However, one thing that has always kind of bugged me about the genre is that a number of classic westerns either A: Don’t feature any Black characters whatsoever, or B: feature Black characters, but in a minute role, or in a demeaning fashion (I’m looking at you, 1931 Cimarron).

That’s why when I see Black characters featured prominently in westerns, I get super excited. So, here are just a few such examples. Yah!

Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) - Unforgiven

The story of a disfigured sex worker, and the bounty her friends put on the men who did it to her, Unforgiven is often seen as a meditative western, starring none other than Clint Eastwood. It’s one of my all-time favorites, and I often go back and forth on whether I think The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, or Unforgiven is the better western.

Eastwood, who also directed the Oscar-winning film, is the star of the picture, and he plays William Munny, a former outlaw who has a failing farm and needs the money. He enlists the help of his friend, Ned Logan, played by Morgan Freeman, as well as a rather green cowboy who goes by the name of “the Schofield Kid”.

Well, unlike Munny, who still has the heart of a killer, Ned doesn’t, and he’s conflicted about coming back into the field. In one pivotal moment, he shows he can no longer kill a man, as he truly did leave that life behind. And, I just love how three dimensional his character is. Ned is a man who wants to help – both the sex workers, as well as his old riding buddy – but he really struggles because he feels like he can’t anymore.

Unfortunately, Logan comes up against the villainous Little Bill (who is definitely a cop who doesn’t follow the rules), and his story is a tragic one. But, it’s also memorable in a genre that doesn’t always have memorable performances for Black actors.

Cuffee (Danielle Deadwyler) - The Harder They Fall

In this predominantly Black western directed by Jeymes Samuel, a cowboy named Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) seeks vengeance against a terrifying outlaw named Rufus Buck (Idris Elba). As a plus, basically all of the principle characters are based off of real people, so this story doubles as historical fiction.

With a cast as stacked as this one, I literally could have picked any of the characters, but I’m choosing Cuffee, played by Danielle Deadwyler, since she’s the most fascinating to me.

Based on the real Cathay Williams, who was the first (and ostensibly only) woman to serve in the U.S. Army during the American Frontier Wars (she posed as a man), Cuffee is interesting because she is probably the best shooter out of the bunch of sharpshooters. Hers is a tale of being both underestimated, but also feared, for her proficiency with a firearm.

My favorite moment is when she squares up against Cherokee Bill (Lakeith Stanfield), since it has all the hallmarks of a battle for the quickest hand. Honestly, I wish there were more excellent roles for Black women in westerns. We don’t get nearly enough of them. Speaking of which…

Moses “Mo” Washington (Letitia Wright) - Surrounded

In a post-Civil War America, Mo Washington (Letitia Wright) is a free woman looking for gold. But, due to unforeseen circumstances, Washington has to stay with an outlaw (Jamie Bell) as others go out for help after her stagecoach was attacked.

Wright, who I first learned about through Black Panther, is an indomitable force in this movie. You know she’s tough since she plays a former Buffalo Soldier, but her toughness is put to the test when dealing with Jamie Bell’s character, who offers a pretty ostentatious performance.

But, Mo plays it cool. As a Black woman, there are many who don’t take her seriously. That is until she whips out her pistols and makes them take her seriously.

Much like Cuffee in the last entry, Mo understands that she’s underestimated, which is why it’s all the more satisfying when she puts ignorant men in their place.

Buck (Sidney Poitier) - Buck And The Preacher

In this exciting western, which was also Poitier’s directorial debut, he plays a former soldier named Buck who helps get other Black people across the country through indigenous territory. Buck has struck a sort of agreement with the indigenous people, which comes in handy later when white bounty hunters try to get Buck to stop his work. It all culminates in an exciting conclusion.

Buck and the Preacher is a really fun film, and I regret that I didn’t mention it in my list of Sidney Poitier’s best movies after he passed. Also starring Harry Belafonte as the “Preacher” (I put it in quotes since he’s not really a preacher), and Ruby Dee as Buck’s wife, the film is action-packed and humorous in all the best ways.

One thing I love about Buck is that he sticks to his guns and doesn’t run from his duties to help other African Americans. I also like that he always seems two steps ahead, and that he has formed a sort of kinship with the indigenous people, as they both find a common adversary who they can rally against.

There may be more recognizable Sidney Poitier movies, but when it comes to westerns featuring Black characters, Buck and the Preacher is certainly one of the best.

Daniel Holt (Jeffrey Wright) - Ride With The Devil

Ang Lee's Ride With the Devil is a western like no other.

Telling the story of the warring factions between the Jayhawks and the Bushwackers back in Civil War times, Ride With the Devil tells a complicated tale of white men killing each other.

So why, pray tell, is it on this list, then? Well, because of Jeffrey Wright's character, Daniel Holt, a former slave who is fighting on the Confederate side since his freedom was bought by his Southern friend.

This is definitely one of Jeffrey Wright's best roles because he plays such a complex character. And this is because he's not conflicted about which side he's chosen. He'd rather fight beside his friend than fight for his potential future, which is a unique perspective, to be sure.

Django Freeman (Jamie Foxx) - Django Unchained

In this revisionist western from Quentin Tarantino, a former slave (Jamie Foxx) is enlisted by a bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) to hunt down some suspects, only to eventually become a bounty hunter himself; unchained, as it were.

I like to watch Django Unchained during Black History Month, because it's just so satisfying to watch as a Black man.

Django goes from being shackled to shooting a plantation owner dead in his own mansion. What's not to love?

Django is a particularly fascinating character, though, since he flourishes so wonderfully. My favorite part is when he's decked out in that fancy blue outfit, and he kills a racist jerk with gusto. I mean, seriously. How cool can you possibly get?

Major Marquis Warren, "The Bounty Hunter" (Samuel L. Jackson) - The Hateful Eight

In yet another western by Tarantino (which was supposedly a sequel to Django Unchained before Tarantino scrapped the idea), a collective of people with different motives are stuck in a cabin together during a snowy winter day. Violence ensues.

Some might say that Tarantino did Jackson dirty in Django by making him an Uncle Tom-esque character, but if so, he did right by him in The Hateful Eight, where Jackson is arguably the coolest character in the movie.

Playing a bounty hunter this time around, Jackson manages to get one up on pretty much everybody he encounters. This makes an argument for Major Marquis Warren being one of the greatest characters in Jackson's lengthy career.

Not everybody adores The Hateful Eight when considering Tarantino's filmography, it's actually my second favorite movie of his (right after Pulp Fiction, of course), and Jackson's character is definitely the reason why.

For more news on any future westerns, be sure to swing by here often!

Before shared cinematic universes became commonplace in Hollywood with the establishment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe (and now the DCU), for instance, Quentin Tarantino was already putting together his own. The filmmaker has openly discussed that most of the characters in his films all exist within the same reality and he has dropped the same subtle hints throughout his movies that connect the titles (and even some films outside of his filmography) together. To better explain how the so-called “Tarantinoverse” works, let’s review all of the Easter Eggs from Quentin Tarantino’s movies that we could find.

Vic And Vincent Vega Are Brothers (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction)

Perhaps the most famous Tarantinoverse detail confirmed by the filmmaker himself is that Vincent Vega, played by John Travolta in 1994’s Pulp Fiction, is the sibling of Reservoir Dogs’ Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), whose real name is Vic Vega. Tarantino even had plans to make a prequel spin-off film called The Vega Brothers that never came to fruition. 

The Bride Uses Mr. Blonde’s Razor (Kill Bill Vol. 2)

One of the scariest unseen movie moments occurs in 1992’s Reservoir Dogs when Mr. Blonde slices an ear off of Officer Marvin Nash (Kirk Waltz) with a straight razor. Michael Madsen mentions in the 2019 documentary, QT8: The First Eight, that The Bride (Uma Thurman) uses the same razor to cut the ropes around her wrists after she is buried alive in 2004’s Kill Bill Vol. 2.

The Scagnetti Family (Reservoir Dogs, Natural Born Killers) 

In Reservoir Dogs, Mr. Blonde identifies his parole officer as Seymour Scagnetti — a character we never see. However, we have met his brother, Det. Jack Scagnetti, who is played by the late Tom Sizemore in 1994’s Natural Born Killers, which Tarantino wrote the screenplay for. 

Alabama From True Romance And Mr. White Were Partners (Reservoir Dogs, True Romance)

Tarantino penned the script for director Tony Scott’s 1992 favorite, True Romance, in which Patricia Arquette plays Alabama Whitman. That same year, she was also mentioned in Reservoir Dogs by Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), who recalls that she used to be his partner in crime.

Mr. Blonde’s Soda Comes From Big Kahuna Burger (Reservoir Dogs)

One of the most prevalent and recognizable recurring details in Tarantino’s filmography is the mention of a Hawaiian fast food joint called Big Kahuna Burger, and its first introduction to the Tarantinoverse is a very subtle one. In Reservoir Dogs, Mr. Blonde’s hand blocks the logo on his drink cup, but we know it comes from the same restaurant because it matches the design of Brett’s (Frank Whaley) drink in Pulp Fiction.

Jules Eats Brett’s Big Kahuna Burger (Pulp Fiction)

The first time Big Kahuna Burger is called out by name in the Tarantinoverse is in Pulp Fiction when Vincent and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) pay a visit to Brett’s apartment as he is enjoying his “nutritious” breakfast. As an intimidation tactic — and because, being in a relationship with a vegetarian, he might not have had one in a while — Jules asks if he can have a bite and determines that the Big Kahuna is, indeed, one “tasty burger.”

A Big Kahuna Burger Drink Cup Sits At The Bar (Four Rooms)

Tarantino both stars in and directs a segment from the 1995 anthology thriller Four Rooms called, “The Man from Hollywood.” At one point in the short, you can see a beverage cup from the Big Kahuna Burger sitting at the bar of the Hotel Mon Signor.

Seth Gets Big Kahuna Burger Takeout (From Dusk Till Dawn)

In the 1996 vampire movie favorite, From Dusk Till Dawn — which Tarantino wrote and Robert Rodriguez directed — Seth Gecko (George Clooney) returns to the motel where his brother, Richard (Tarantino), is waiting with some grub. His meal of choice: Big Kahuna Burger, which is also featured prominently in the series adaptation of the film, which premiered in 2014.

Jungle Julia’s Billboard Is Near Big Kahuna Burger (Death Proof)

Tarantino would collaborate with Rodriguez in 2007 for their own B-movie double feature they called Grindhouse. In one scene from Tarantino’s segment, Death Proof, Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) asks radio personality Jungle Julia (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) about a billboard advertisement for her show, which he describes as “near the Big Kahuna Burger.”

Big Kahuna Burger Bus Advertisement (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood)

Big Kahuna Burger has apparently been around since at least the 1960s, as evident by a quick reference in Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which boasts plenty of other cool behind-the-scenes facts. At one point in the 2019 alternative history drama, an ad for the restaurant on a passing bus can be found.

Big Kahuna Burger Takeout Seen When Max Meets Sharkboy (The Adventures Of Sharkboy And Lavagirl) 

Proof that Robert Rodriguez’s family-friendly superhero movie, 2005’s The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, is part of the Tarantinoverse lies in its Big Kahuna Burger sighting. When Max (Cayden Boyd) recalls the moment he first met Sharkboy (Taylor Lautner) — in his dreams, at least — you can see a very familiar drinking cup and food bag sitting next to him on the fishing dock.

Captain Koons Is A Descendant Of "Crazy" Craig Koons (Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained)

The last name Koons can be attributed to a couple of different characters in the Tarantinoverse who are separated by more than a century. Christopher Walken’s character in Pulp Fiction, Vietnam War veteran Captain Koons, is related to “Crazy” Craig Koons, who is identified as a member of the Smitty Bacall Gang in 2012’s Django Unchained.

Mr. Blonde And Rick Dalton Have The Same Car (Reservoir Dogs, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood)

If the 1966 Cadillac DeVille owned by Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), but driven throughout Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), looks familiar, it is not by coincidence. In Reservoir Dogs, Mr. Blonde drives the same model and, in fact, it could very likely be the exact same vehicle.

Jimmie Dimmick Is Related To Mr. White (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction)

We learn in Reservoir Dogs that Mr. White’s real name is Larry Dimmick, which confirms that he is in some way related to Tarantino’s character from Pulp Fiction, Jimmie Dimmick. He must not be a very close relative or else Jimmie might have mentioned something about Winston Wolf (played by Keitel) looking like someone he knows when he shows up at his house.

Eddie Mentions A Nurse Named Bonnie (Reservoir Dogs)

In Reservoir Dogs, with Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) badly hurt from a gunshot to the stomach, Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn) mentions that he could call on a nurse he knows named Bonnie to help him. She never shows up to witness the horrifying events that have transpired, but she may have come close to seeing some other instances of “gangster” stuff on another occasion.

Jimmie Dimmick’s Wife Is A Nurse Named Bonnie (Pulp Fiction)

It is very possible that the same Bonnie whom Eddie mentions in Reservoir Dogs is the wife of Jimmie Dimmick, whom he describes as a nurse named Bonnie in Pulp Fiction.

Pete Hicox Is Archie Hicox’s Ancestor (Inglourious Basterds, The Hateful Eight)

Tim Roth reunited with Tarantino for the first time since Four Rooms for The Hateful Eight to play Oswaldo Mobray, who is later revealed to be named English Pete Hicox. The English actor mentions in QT8: The First Eight that his character in the 2015 Western is the great-great-grandfather of Lt. Archie Hicox, who is played by Michael Fassbender in 2009’s Inglourious Basterds.

The G.O. Juice Billboard (Kill Bill Vol. 1)

The Tarantinovere also has its own brand of soft drink that eagle-eyed fans may have spotted on occasion. The first known sighting is in 2003’s Kill Bill Vol. 1 when, as The Bride’s plane is landing is Okinawa, Japan, a billboard advertising the beverage can be seen.

Abernathy Drinks G.O. Juice (Death Proof)

The recurring energy drink G.O. Juice would make its first physical appearance in the Tarantino film Death Proof. Rosario Dawson’s character, a make-up artist named Abernathy Ross, can be seen sipping from a can while on break from her film shoot.

Donny Donowitz Is Lee Donowitz's Ancestor (True Romance, Inglourious Basterds)

Saul Rubinek stars in True Romance as successful movie producer Lee Donowitz, whom Tarantino would confirm in an interview is the son of Eli Roth’s Inglourious Basterds character, Donny “The Bear Jew” Donowitz. Perhaps Lee’s war film, Comin’ Home Home in a Body Bag, is a tribute to his father, who did not survive Operation Kino.

Kill Bill Shares Its Premise With Mia’s Fox Force Five Pilot (Pulp Fiction)

In Pulp Fiction, Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) discusses with Vincent that she did a TV pilot about a group of female assassins called Fox Force Five, which sounds quite a bit like the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad from Kill Bill. Considering that Pulp exists in Tarantino’s “realer than real universe” and Kill Bill exists in his “movie universe” — which makes up films that the denizens of his “realer than real universe” go see — it is possible that the failed Fox Force Five series was reworked into the two-part revenge saga.

The Nash Family (Reservoir Dogs, Natural Born Killers, Django Unchained)

Marvin Nash — the cop Mr. Blonde tortures in Reservoir Dogs — shares his last name with multiple characters in the Tarantinoverse. He is somehow related to another cop named Gerald — a victim of the Knoxes in Natural Born Killers — who is a descendent of a Smitty Bacall Gang member who is also named Gerald Nash.

Earl McGraw Shows Up At Benny's (From Dusk Till Dawn)

The most prolific recurring character in the Tarantinoverse is a cop named Earl McGraw, as played by Michael Parks. While the Texas Ranger was first introduced making a stop at a convenience store in From Dusk Till Dawn, his death in that scene suggests the 1996 thriller takes place after the later Tarantino films where he pops up, or outside of the "realer than real universe."

Earl And Edgar McGraw Investigate The Two Pine's Chapel Massacre (Kill Bill Vol. 1)

The reoccurring character Earl McGraw would return, alongside his son and colleague, Edgar (Parks’ real-life son, James Parks), in Kill Bill Vol. 1 to examine the aftermath of the horrifying events that took place at what is believed to be The Bride’s wedding. Parks would also appear in Kill Bill Vol. 2, but in the entirely different role of Esteban Vihaio.

Dakota McGraw-Block Comes To Earl For Shelter (Planet Terror)

Earl McGraw also has an estranged daughter in the form of Marley Shelton’s character, Dakota Block, from Planet Terror -- also one of Robert Rodriguez's best movies. The two awkwardly reunite in the apocalyptic first half of Grindhouse when Dakota reluctantly takes refuge from the infected at Earl’s home.

Earl And Edgar McGraw See Dakota At The Hospital (Death Proof)

Ranger McGraw and “Son #1” would show up together in Death Proof, which we learn is also a prequel to Planet Terror when they meet with Dakota at the hospital where she works as an anesthesiologist. They ask her to update them on the status of Stuntman Mike, whom they suspect intentionally murdered the victims of a head-on collision that was ruled as an accident.

Donny Donowitz's "Antonio Margheriti" Pseudonym (Inglourious Basterds)

Antonio Margheriti was an actual Italian filmmaker famous for making B-movies like one of Tarantino’s favorites, 1980’s Cannibal Apocalypse. As a tribute to him, Tarantino had Donny assume his name as part of the Basterds’ infiltration of Le Gamaar Cinema in Inglourious Basterds.

Antonio Margheriti Directed Operazione Dyn-o-mite! (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood)

Tarantino would also pay tribute to Antonio Margheriti in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He made him the director of Rick Dalton’s spy movie, Operazione Dyn-o-mite!

Paula Schultz May Be King’s Wife (Kill Bill Vol. 2, Django Unchained)

In Kill Bill Vol. 2, Budd (Michael Madsen) buries The Bride alive in a grave that one belonged to a woman named Paula Schultz. One interesting fan theory suggests that she was the wife of the widowed Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) in Django Unchained.

Buddy Holly Could Be Mr. Pink (Pulp Fiction)

Mia and Vincent’s server at Jack Rabbit Slims — who calls himself Buddy, in reference to his resemblance to rock ’n roll pioneer Buddy Holly — is played by Steve Buscemi, who previously starred in Reservoir Dogs as Mr. Pink. It is not confirmed, but some have suggested that the waiter and Mr. Pink are the same person, which could be backed up by the criminal’s mentioning that he used to work minimum wage.

Michael Keaton As Ray Nicolette (Jackie Brown)

The one Tarantino movie that actually exists outside of his shared universes is 1997’s Jackie Brown, which shares ties with another Elmore Leonard adaptation from 1998: Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight. This is supported by Michael Keaton’s appearances in both films as ATF agent Ray Nicolette.

Red Apples (Multiple Films)

Perhaps the most recognizable fictitious brand in the Tarantinoverse is Red Apple, which is seen enjoyed by the likes of Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs, multiple Pulp Fiction characters, and Señor Bob (Demián Bichir) in The Hateful Eight. They can also be seen advertised at an airport in Kill Bill Vol. 1 and promoted by Rick Dalton in the mid-credits sequence from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Maybe I’m a masochist, but I’ve seen a lot of movies about slavery.

Harriet, Emancipation (pre-Bad Boys: Ride or Die Will Smith), Beloved, and of course, the Academy Award-winning 12 Years a Slave are all movies that I’ve sat through, and, if I’m being completely honest, suffered through. 

However, do you want to know my all-time favorite movie on the topic of slavery? It’s 2012’s Django Unchained, which we once ranked as one of the greatest westerns of all time. Sure, it may be considered one of Tarantino’s lesser films in his legendary filmography, but I have to tell you. As a Black man who has seen his fair share of movies where Black people get beaten to a bloody pulp, Django Unchained is definitely my favorite. Here’s why.  

Most Slave Movies, While Important, Depress Me 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m well aware of the importance of slave dramas. Similar to stories about the Holocaust, or movies about the horrors that Indigenous people had/have to go through, slave dramas showcase the lowest depths of depravity from humankind. 

And yet, knowing this, I still choose to watch them. Of course, I’m viewing them from a historical perspective, and I’m not watching them for entertainment purposes. I mean, how could I enjoy them when they’re the kind of films that, when they’re over, I dab my eyes, and then go to the bathroom, solemnly.

Not so with Django Unchained, though. With this movie, I was practically punching the air, and mouthing, “Good,” whenever Django would shoot a slave owner, or blow up a plantation mansion. 

Because, try as I might, I just can’t “see the good” in everybody. For instance, you know that famous scene in Gone With the Wind where Scarlett O’Hara goes to the site of the Battle of Atlanta and witnesses all those injuries? Well, I know that scene is supposed to evoke sympathy from the audience, but, as a Black man, I have no sympathy whatsoever. Because I view the Confederacy very differently than white people from the south likely view it. For me, the Confederacy represents the fight to uphold slavery. 

And, it’s for that purpose that Django Unchained is so cathartic for me. Because sometimes, I don’t want a movie that explores race or social justice. Sometimes, all I want is satisfying escapism, and this is the purest example for me.  

I'll Never Forget The Audience I Originally Saw The Movie With 

I remember when I saw Black Panther in theaters on opening weekend. There were definitely people of every race who came out to see it, as Black Panther was a cultural phenomenon. 

But, there were overwhelmingly more Black people in the audience than any other race, as I saw whole families, from young children (maybe even too young, since I saw some babies in the audience), to the elderly. It was a touchstone moment for me, as just like when it came to voting for Obama, we Black people came out in droves for that movie. 

That said, as much as I liked the film, it was a pretty safe movie. I mean, how could it not be, as it’s from the MCU? So, while there was all that talk of colonialism, and the idea that maybe Kilmonger was right (which cements him as one of the greatest Black villains of all time), there really wasn’t anything “dangerous” about the movie. 

However, Django felt a bit different when I saw it, and I’ll never forget the audience that I saw it with. It was actually Christmas Day 2012, and I wanted to get away from my family, as they were slumbering after their Christmas lunch. So, I went to the movies, and I wasn’t alone, because there were hella Black people in the audience. 

Since this was a Tarantino movie, there were also plenty of white people. But, much like with Black Panther, it was an overwhelmingly Black crowd. The thing is, there were several moments when I could tell that some of the white people in attendance were very uncomfortable, and this is where I could feel some empathy for them, since I know what it feels like to be uncomfortable in a crowd. 

That said, the whole audience, both Black and white, were cheering when Schultz (played by the Academy Award-winning Christoph Waltz) killed Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, as well as when Django blew up Candyland, and rode off with Broomhilda. It was a great experience, and one that I will never forget. 

I Also Love How This Story Turns The White Savior Trope On Its Head 

It’s a fact that Black people never would have escaped the horrors of slavery without the brave white abolitionists who saw the evils of the trade, and wanted to get rid of it. So, in a lot of ways, the Schultz character could have been seen as a white savior, since he’s the one who gets Django his freedom. 

However, it’s not like Schultz is freeing Django out of the goodness of his heart. Instead, Schultz needs Django’s help in locating a bounty, and he is freeing him (and even giving him $75 to boot) for his help in locating the Brittle Brothers. 

And, I absolutely love this! Tarantino is such a good storyteller, and I’m sure he knew that if Schulz rescued Django just for the sake of rescuing him, then it would be seen as a white savior story, which definitely wasn’t what Tarantino was aiming for. 

What we end up with instead is a story about a Black man working with a white man for the benefit of the both of them. Schultz gets key information, and also a partner, and Django learns to better himself under Schultz’s tutelage and guidance. As somebody who is a firm believer in the benefits of diversity, this story really resonates with me. It sucked that Schultz had to die, but it made for a great revenge story, since Django wasn’t Schultz’s property. He was his partner, which I adore. 

And It Actually Has A Happy Ending! 

Lastly, the one thing I really detest about slave dramas is that almost all of them have depressing endings. This makes sense, since most stories involving slavery did end horribly. At best, we’ll get a separated family that is finally brought back together again, but that’s usually not the case, and we end up with something dark and horrific. 

But, yet again, that’s not the case here, as not only does Django exact his revenge against those who’ve wronged him, but he also gets his wife back. This is in line with Tarantino’s other historical dramas, like Inglorious Basterds, where both Hitler and Goebbels die in a satisfying way, and like Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood, in which Sharon Tate doesn’t get brutally murdered. 

Yes, some might see these revisionist histories as being a little tasteless. Hitler didn’t satisfyingly die in a movie theater in real life. Sharon Tate, unfortunately, didn’t get to live, and Django would most definitely eventually have been caught, and hanged from a tree to be made an example of. 

However, I love that we don’t get that ending. We get a happy ending, which makes this one of the most satisfying conclusions to any movie that I’ve ever seen. Because this could have ended badly for him, and it didn’t. I remember smiling by the end of it all, which really is quite something. Because I can’t think of a single other slave drama where I’ve left the theater smiling. 

What do you think? Did you also love Django Unchained as much as I did?   

Have you ever looked back at some of the most famous movie quotes and wondered how the screenwriter could have come up with that? Well, believe it or not, some of those memorable lines (and even some iconic moments in their entirety) were not part of the script and were invented on set and even on the spot while the camera rolled, either out of incident or by some instance of spontaneous creativity. The following are some of the most legendary examples of improvised moments from the movies.

"I'm Walkin' Here!" (Midnight Cowboy)

There is some debate regarding if the most oft-quoted moment from the X-rated Best Picture Oscar winner, 1969’s Midnight Cowboy, was really off the top of Ratso actor Dustin Hoffman’s head. However, the Academy Award winner claimed to The National Post that, on the first take, a cab pulled out right in front of him, to which he responded with genuine frustration, “I’m walkin’ here!” while managing to stay in character.

"Here's Johnny!" (The Shining)

Despite being one of the most iconic moments from one of the best horror movies of all time, Jack Torrance screaming “Here’s Johnny!” after axing his way through a bathroom door feels slightly out of place in 1980’s The Shining. That is because, according to The Independent, Jack Nicholson ad-libbed the line, which Stanley Kubrick initially did not realize was a reference to Ed McMahon’s catchphrase from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

"Alright Alright Alright" (Dazed And Confused)

A phrase that will forever be associated with Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey is also on the funniest lines from 1994’s Dazed and Confused: “Alright alright alright.” He explained to Kelly Ripa and guest host Christian Slater on Live! that the first words he ever spoke on film were a spur-of-the-moment way of expressing “confirmation” for the three most important things in David Wooderson’s life: his car, rock ’n roll, and illicit substances.  

Edward Closes The Jewelry Box On Vivian (Pretty Woman)

The signature moment from 1990’s Pretty Woman when Edward (Richard Gere) snaps a jewelry box lid on Vivian’s (Julia Roberts) hand was nothing more than a prank on the then 22-year-old actor in an effort to “wake her up a little. Director Garry Marshall revealed this to ET, who agree that it is the moment America “fell in love” with the future Academy Award winner and makes it thankful the blooper made the final cut.

Aragorn's Furious Cry (The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers)

In 2002’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) sounds like he is in genuine pain when he, after witnessing a pile of dead orcs, kicks a helmet and lets out a bloodcurdling yelp. That is because, as Peter Jackson revealed on a making-of featurette, when the actor’s foot hit the solid metal helmet on the fifth take, he broke two of his toes, resulting in the impassioned scream.

Ryan's Last Memory Of His Brothers (Saving Private Ryan)

In Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) learns that the titular soldier he and his crew have been tasked with rescuing is not the most noble gentleman when he recalls the last time he saw his brothers alive. According to Peter Bart’s book, The Gross, Matt Damon came up with the darkly comic story involving a young woman knocked unconscious and a barn nearly burnt to the ground the day it was shot.  

"Are You Talkin' To Me?" (Taxi Driver)

Not only was Robert De Niro’s legendary “Are you talkin’ to me?” speech from 1975’s Taxi Driver not in Paul Schrader’s script, but the entire scene almost did not happen because the film was behind schedule. Director Martin Scorsese told Stephen Colbert on Late Show that, in the moment, he had convinced his producers to let him keep shooting the ad-lib to its completed form.

"I Don't Want To Go!" (Avengers: Infinity War)

Tom Holland revealed in a video for GQ that a technique he uses to cry on command is repeating a tonally appropriate phrase in his head until the tears well up. The phrase he chose for the scene before Peter Parker turns to dust in Avengers: Infinity War was, "I don't want to go!" which he, instead, decided to say out loud to Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, perfecting the devastating moment from the 2018 Marvel flick.

Andy's Chest Wax (The 40-Year-Old Virgin)

One of the most unsettling behind-the-scenes facts of all time is that Steve Carell requested that Andy’s famous chest waxing scene in 2005’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin be real and shot in one take, as he recalled in a BBC Radio 1 interview. While many of the things that he says were previously written — including “Kelly Clarkson!” which came courtesy of Seth Rogen — each of Carell’s painful reactions are genuine

The Most Annoying Sound In The World (Dumb and Dumber)

Many of Jim Carrey’s best quotes came right off the top of his head, including one of the funniest moments from 1994’s Dumb and Dumber. Jeff Daniels confirmed in a video for GQ that he was surprised when his co-star blurted out “the most annoying sound in the world” in the middle of a take. 

Lecter Mocks Starling's Accent (The Silence Of The Lambs)

When discussing ad-libs from 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, most people reference Hannibal Lecter's iconic hiss, but that allegedly improvised choice is not the only moment of that kind from Clarice Starling's first meeting with the psychopath. Jodie Foster revealed in her MasterClass episode that Anthony Hopkins came up with the idea to mock her character's accent off the cuff, which initially frustrated the actor, but ultimately added a fascinating layer of manipulation to the role.

Most Of Sgt. Harman's Dialogue (Full Metal Jacket)

While R. Lee Ermey did not exactly come up with his lines as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman on camera, much of his dialogue from Full Metal Jacket was created off the top of his head beforehand. The former Marine revealed in an interview with The History Channel that he would improvise lines reminiscent of his days in the service in front of a tape recorder and the "juiciest" lines were added to the Oscar-nominated script.

Peter Hugs Tony (Spider-Man: Homecoming)

What makes Tony Stark and Peter Parker some of the funniest MCU characters is the brilliant way Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr. manage to play off each other in the moment, such as one memorable moment from 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. Holland told Kevin McCarthy from Fox 5 in Washington DC that he thought it would be funny if the teen otherwise known as Spider-Man hugged the man otherwise known as Iron Man as he was opening a car door for him, and he turned out to be right.

Buddy's Excitement About Santa (Elf)

Elf might not have become one of the funniest Christmas movies ever if not for Will Ferrell’s commitment to the role of Buddy and his off-the-cuff comedic talent. According to a video by Rotten Tomatoes, the North Pole-raised human’s irritatingly loud reaction to learning “Santa” is visiting Gimbel’s came out of the former SNL star’s belief that his response would have to be the most “jubilant” possible.

"He Stole My Line" (Good Will Hunting)

Will’s (Matt Damon) final message to Sean (Robin Williams) in 1997’s Good Will Hunting, which mentions having to “see about a girl,” is a callback to a story his therapist told him earlier, which he points out by saying, “He stole my line.” Damon revealed in a video for Vanity Fair that the late comedian’s final quote in the movie was not in his and Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winning screenplay, but he knew the moment he heard it that nothing could have ended the film better.

“Leave The Gun. Take The Cannoli” (The Godfather)

A look back on many of the most iconic lines from Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather by THR reveals that one quotable moment was not originally written the way it was said in the final product. Richard Castellano, as Peter Clemenza, was only supposed to say, “Leave the gun,” but Ardell Sheridan (his real-life and onscreen wife) recommended he add, “Take the cannoli,” in reference to an earlier scene when her character asks him to bring dessert.

"I Love Lamp" (Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy)

When Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) points out that Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) is "just saying things [he's] looking at," that was, indeed, exactly what Carell was doing. According to Page Six, he did not have any lines for the scene in 2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, so director Adam McKay instructed him to just say whatever came to mind.

"You Can't Handle The Truth!" (A Few Good Men)

Do you think you can handle the truth about the most celebrated line from 1992 A Few Good Men? According to Judith Humphrey’s book, Impromptu: Leading in the Moment, Col. Nathan Jessup’s (Jack Nicholson) final stinger in his courtroom face-off with Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) was originally written by Aaron Sorkin as “You already have the truth,” but the Academy Award winner changed it on the spot.

The Pecan Pie Scene (When Harry Met Sally...)

In the 1989 romantic-comedy movie classic, When Harry Met Sally…, Harry’s random decision to have him and Sally speak in a strange accent and converse about having pecan pie was really as spontaneous as it feels. As Billy Crystal shared on The View (via Business Insider), he provided no warning about the bit to Meg Ryan, whose look to the side at one point was to director Rob Reiner, who silently instructed her to go along with it. 

Joker Applauds Gordon's Promotion (The Dark Knight)

Despite what rumors have suggested, Heath Ledger’s playful reaction to the delayed hospital explosion in 2008’s The Dark Knight was not improvised. However, Christopher Nolan told BBC Radio 1 that the late Oscar winner did come up with a lot of memorable moments on set, including when Joker sarcastically claps after Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) is appointed Commissioner.

The Laugh-Filled Police Line-Up Scene (The Usual Suspects)

Have you ever wondered why 1995’s The Usual Suspects cast starts to randomly break into laughter while grouped together in a police station line-up? Kevin Pollack revealed on a DVD extra that, which you do not hear in the final cut, Benicio del Toro started breaking wind and did so enough times to send his co-stars reeling.

"My Mom And Dad Are Gonna Be So Mad At Me!" (Scream)

As he revealed in a joint EW interview with him and Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard ad-libbed several of Stu Macher’s lines from the climax of Scream. This includes his especially iconic response to learning that Sidney (Neve Campbell) called the police and him and Billy (Ulrich).

“You Hit Me In The Ear!" (Fight Club)

Apparently, the first time the Narrator throws a punch at Tyler Durden in 1999’s Fight Club was really as painful as it looks, as Edward Norton told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. Director David Fincher instructed him to hit Brad Pitt for real and he ended up hitting his co-star in the ear, leading to Pitt's genuine reaction.

Luther Taunts The Warriors (The Warriors)

For the final scene of the 1979 thriller, The Warriors, director Walter Hill wanted to add more to the scene and asked David Patrick Kelly, as Luther, to help add something to spice things up. The actor recalled to Book and Film Globe how he decided to put three glass bottles on his fingers, clink them, together, and come up with his iconic chant, “Warriors, come out to play!” on the fly.

“You Serious? I Just Told You That A Moment Ago" (Zoolander)

In a hilarious moment from Zoolander, the dim-witted title character (played by star and director Ben Stiller) has to ask disgraced hand model, J.P. Prewitt (David Duchovny) why male models are used in assassination plots twice. In an oral history about the 2001 comedy by Vanity Fair, Duchovny recalls improvising his character’s somewhat irritated response to Derek Zoolander’s repeated question.

"... Cinderella Story..." (Caddyshack)

One of the funniest quotes from Caddyshack is an extensive monologue by Bill Murray as greenskeeper Carl Speckler, narrating his own pro golf fantasy. According to Golf.com, no dialogue was actually written for the now iconic scene that was ad-libbed by the former SNL star on camera.

"I'm The King Of The World!" (Titanic)

Easily the most oft-quoted moment from Titanic is when Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) shouts “I’m the king of the world” — a line that was “made up on the spot.” Director James Cameron revealed in an interview with BBC Radio 1 that, after trying several other lines, he fed the now iconic quote to the future Oscar-winning actor through a walkie-talkie, instructing him to really sell it.

Mr. Blonde's Dance (Reservoir Dogs)

One of the things that makes the torture scene from 1992’s Reservoir Dogs so unsettling is the way Vic “Mr. Blonde” Vega (Michael Madsen) taunts Officer Marvin Nash (Kirk Baltz) with a dance to “Stuck in the Middle with You.” According to THR, Madsen invented his playful moves to the Stealers Wheel song in the moment.

“Molly, You In Danger, Girl" (Ghost)

In a funny scene from the 1990 romantic horror thriller, Ghost, Sam (Patrick Swayze) asks medium Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) to tell his lover, Molly (Demi Moore), what he says word-for-word, including “Molly, you’re in danger.” According to Variety, it was Goldberg’s idea for her to instead say, “Molly, you in danger, girl.”

Most Of The Dinner Scene (Mrs. Doubtfire)

Chris Columbus revealed to Yahoo! that the majority of what Robin Williams said during the climactic restaurant scene in Mrs. Doubtfire was off the cuff. The director even admitted that he would put multiple cameras on the actor just to keep up with his rapid-fire process.

"Move The Leg" (Captain America: Civil War)

As co-director Anthony Russo revealed on the commentary track for 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland forgot his blocking during a scene when Peter Parker and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) discuss his double-life as Spider-Man. This prompted the Iron Man actor to instruct Holland to give him room to sit on the bed but stay in character while doing it.

Calvin Candie's Bleeding Hand (Django Unchained)

One of the most infamous behind-the-scenes facts about Django Unchained is that Leonardo DiCaprio, as Calvin Candie, actually cut his hand during his racist monologue at the dinner table. However, Broomhilda actor Kerry Washington clarified on The Drew Barrymore Show that the blood he smears on her face was not his own, but faux blood that they decided to incorporate into the scene after the fact.

It just goes to show you that some of the most magical moments in moviemaking are not the ones you plan in advance.

To be perfectly clear, we do not condone violence (or even something as harmless as a prank) as a solution to any conflict… in reality, that is. However, in the realm of fiction, few things are as satisfying as seeing a character get even with their worst enemy, especially if the inciting incident was something truly unforgivable. See if you agree by reliving some of the best revenge movies and TV shows that incorporate the theme in the coldest, but ultimately justifiable, ways possible.

John Wick (John Wick)

In 2014’s first installment of the John Wick movies, all Keanu Reeves’ eponymous former assassin wanted was a life free of violence, until a Russian mobster's punk son killed his dog and stole his car very shortly after the death of his wife. Getting back into the deadly world he was desperate to leave behind was worth it just to make sure Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen) and his crew paid for their wicked deed.

The Bride (Kill Bill)

The title role of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies (David Carradine) and the remaining members of his DiVAS unload a massacre at Beatrix "The Bride" Kiddo's wedding rehearsal, nearly killing her and her unborn child. The retired killer awakens from a four-year coma believing that her child is dead, develops an insatiable desire to punish her former colleagues, and gets her hands on a brand-new samurai sword to go on a “roaring rampage of revenge.”

Jen (Revenge)

In the aptly titled Revenge, Jen (Matilda Lutz) suffers a senseless act by one of her married boyfriend's perverse business partners, and her boyfriend's solution is to push her off a cliff, where she becomes impaled by a tree at the bottom. Inexplicably, she survives and proceeds to ruin the trio's hunting trip by waging a brutal war on them in the middle of the desert in writer and director Coralie Fargeat's enthralling thriller.

Red Miller (Mandy)

Lumberjack Red Miller (Nicolas Cage) watches the love of his life, the titular Mandy (Andrea Riseborough), get burned alive by a sadistic cult led by a spiteful, Charles Manson-inspired musician (Linus Roache). Red retaliates by brutally taking them out one by one (even being forced to take on an otherworldly biker gang) in Panos Cosmatos' visually stunning and truly heartbreaking fantasy.

Wade Wilson (Deadpool)

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) finds himself extremely dissatisfied by the experimental procedure that, despite curing his cancer by giving him regenerative healing abilities, left him with a "haunting" appearance that forces him to leave his fiancée and don a costume covering every inch of his body. The Canadian mercenary makes it a personal mission to punish Francis "Ajax" Freeman (Ed Skrein) for his cruel experiments on him in 2016's cinematic adaptation of Marvel's hilarious Deadpool comics.

Paul Kersey (Death Wish)

In director Michael Winner’s adaptation of Brian Garfield’s novel, Death Wish, Charles Bronson plays Paul Kersey — an architect whose wife is killed and his daughter is left traumatized by abuse after a brutal home invasion. As a result, he takes it upon himself to find the perpetrators and continue to be judge, jury, and executioner on the streets of Manhattan.

Arya Stark (Game Of Thrones)

Following the infamous events of the Red Wedding, Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) vows to avenge the deaths of her family members, orchestrated by Walder Frey (David Bradley). In the Season 6 premiere of Game of Thrones, she finally gets what she desires by not only killing Frey, but his entire family.

Eric Draven (The Crow)

In Brandon Lee's final film, The Crow, the actor plays Eric Draven — a rock star who is senselessly murdered by a vicious street gang, along with his fiancée, Shelley, on the night before their wedding. One year later, he is resurrected with a mission to punish his killers in one of the best comic book movies not based on a Marvel or DC title.

Hugh Glass (The Revenant)

Bear attack survivor Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is left for dead by fellow fur trader John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), who also murders his son in front of him after he tries to prevent Fitzgerald from murdering Glass. The harrowing journey the badly injured man endures through unforgiven wintry terrain in writer and director Alejandro González Iñárritu's The Revenant makes finding and punishing Fitzgerald all the more satisfying.

Mattie Ross (True Grit)

Two of the greatest Western movies of all time (one made in 1969 and the other in 2010) are based on Charles Portis’ novel 1968 novel, True Grit. It tells the story of an intelligent teenage girl (originally played by Kim Darby and later by Hailee Steinfeld in an Oscar-nominated performance) who goes to far lengths to avenge her father's murder, including enlisting the help of a famed U.S. Marshall (first played by John Wayne in an Oscar-winning performance and later by Jeff Bridges).

Dwight (Blue Ruin)

The story of Jeremy Saulnier's Blue Ruin is a unique one for the revenge category and the key factor is the central protagonist: a homeless man named Dwight (Macon Blair. He proves to be hopelessly inexperienced, unequipped, and unprepared for his bid to avenge the senseless murder of his parents years earlier after learning their killer was released from prison.

Omar Little (The Wire)

“Vengeance” might as well have been the middle name of Omar Little (the late Michael K. Williams) for how much the theme defined his arc on creator David Simon’s The Wire. In Season 1, the good-hearted stick-up man took down Anton “Stinkum” Artis (Brandon Price) after he murdered his boyfriend, Brandon Wright (Michael Kevin Darnall) and in Season 3, he and Brother Mouzone (Michael Potts) killed Russell “Stringer” Bell (Idris Elba) for setting them both up for death previously.

Cassie Thomas (Promising Young Woman)

Emerald Fennell earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for her feature-length debut as a writer and director, 2020’s Promising Young Woman, which tells the story of  Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan), who becomes consumed by a desire to avenge the horrific abuse that drove her best friend to take her own life. Even though it would cost her her own life (as she predicted), Cassie does manage to bring her friend's abuser, and other people associated with the crime, to justice and even gets the last laugh with a series of text messages programmed to automatically send at the time of his arrest… during his own wedding.

Django Freeman (Django Unchained)

In one of the best Quentin Tarantino movies, 2012’s Django Unchained, the titular hero (Jamie Foxx) is freed by bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), who offers him the chance to punish the men who treated him horribly when he was enslaved. His new partner also helps him reunite with and rescue his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from ruthless plantation owner, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Frank Castle (The Punisher)

One of the darkest characters in Marvel Comics history is Frank Castle, who became better known as The Punisher for his reputation to show no mercy for the worst criminals imaginable following the savage murder of his own family. The war veteran-turned-vigilante has been adapted for screen multiple times, but one of the most acclaimed portrayals is by Jon Bernthal, who debuted in the role on the Daredevil TV series before earning his own spin-off.

Carl Lee Hailey (A Time To Kill)

Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson) believed he was right to kill Billy Ray Cobb (Nicky Katt) and James Willard (Doug Hutchinson) after he was told the two white men could very likely walk free for what they did to his young, Black daughter, Tonya (Rae’Ven Larrymore Kelly). Honestly, we cannot help but agree with him, which is part of what makes Joel Schumacher's 1996 adaptation of John Grisham’s A Time to Kill so compelling. 

Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad)

Out of every character in the Breaking Bad cast, Jesse Pinkman (Emmy winner Aaron Paul) is the one most deserving of redemption… and revenge. In the series finale of creator Vince Gilligan’s revolutionary drama, he deservingly gets to be the one to rid the world of the most coldly sadistic of his captors, Todd (Jesse Plemons).

Sansa Stark (Game Of Thrones)

On Game of Thrones, Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) undergoes a devastating arc, following her tumultuous relationship with her sadistic, abusive husband, Bolton Ramsay (Iwan Rheon). She later retaliates by feeding her former spouse to his own dogs.

Shosanna Dreyfus (Inglourious Basterds)

In the breathtaking opening scene of Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 World War II-era drama, Inglourious Basterds, Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) becomes the only survivor of a massacre on her French Jewish family orchestrated by the ruthless Col. Hans Landa of the SS (Christoph Waltz). While she does not end up bringing Landa to justice herself, she does wipe out most of the Nazi regime by burning her own movie theater to the ground during the premiere of a propaganda film.

Josey Wales (The Outlaw Josey Wales)

Clint Eastwood both directs and stars in the title role of 1976’s The Outlaw Josey Wales in which a mild-mannered Missouri farmer and family man is transformed into a fearsome, notorious cold-blooded killer. By the end of the Civil War-era Western thriller, Wales kills the leader of the crew who made him into the person he is in the first place by savagely and senselessly murdering his wife and son. 

Bella Baxter (Poor Things)

Director Yorgos Lanthimos’ adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel, Poor Things, chronicles the reanimated Bella Baxter’s (Academy Award winner Emma Stone) discovery of the joys and pains of life, despite the people who wish to coddle her — including the husband of her former self, Alfie Blessington (Christopher Abbott). She punishes the controlling misogynist by also, technically, saving his life by replacing his brain with that of a goat.

Gordon "Gordo" Moseley (The Gift)

While admittedly, quite sinister in his actions (to say the least), it is easy to understand why Gordo (Joel Edgerton) harvested such wicked feelings for Simon (Jason Bateman) in 2015's The Gift. In high school, Simon fabricated a story about him being taken advantage of by a male teacher, leading to incessant bullying, him changing schools, and his homophobic father, subsequently suspecting his son to be gay, attempting to kill him.

Dr. Richard Kimble (The Fugitive)

Both the 1960s series, The Fugitive, and its acclaimed 1993 cinematic adaptation follow the wrongly convicted Richard Kimble (originally played by David Janssen and by Harrison Ford in the film) searching for the one-armed man who actually murdered his wife. The TV show ended with Kimble’s search finally being over and the movie with him learning the conspiracy behind his wife’s death, both with the reluctant help of U.S. Marshal Gerard.

Bud Fox (Wall Street)

In Oliver Stone’s Wall Street, Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) becomes consumed by the wealth he initially acquires after being taken under the wing of his hero, Gordon Gekko (Academy Award winner Michael Douglas). However, when he learns his mentor is planning a deal that would ruin his own father's (Martin Sheen) company, Bud opts to turn against the ruthless Gordon, which ultimately puts them both behind bars.

Sam Wheat (Ghost)

In 1990’s Ghost, the lingering spirit of Manhattan banker Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) discovers that his murder was orchestrated by his two-faced friend and colleague, Carl Bruner (Tony Goldwyn). With help from a medium (Whoopi Goldberg) who can hear him and his newly learned abilities as a ghost, he is able to send Carl and the man hired to kill him, Willie Lopez (Rick Aviles), to a darker corner of the afterlife.

Grey Trace (Upgrade)

After a group of attackers render Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green) a quadriplegic and murder his wife, the mechanic accepts a tech innovator's offer to be implanted with a device that, not only allows him to control his limbs, but is programmed with an AI named STEM that makes him a brutal fighting machine. Grey and STEM team up to punish his attackers, but — SPOILER ALERT — it turns out that STEM orchestrated the entire thing, wanting to take over a human host and, thus, making 2018’s Upgrade a cautionary revenge tale.

Claire Carroll (The Nightingale)

In writer and director Jennifer Kent's The Nightingale, Claire Carroll (Aisling Franciosi) is taken advantage of by Lt. Hawkins (Sam Claflin), who also kills her husband and her infant child. With the help of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), the burdened Irish woman takes it upon herself to bring the sadistic army lieutenant to justice.

Cecile (Cruel Intentions)

In Cruel Intentions, the 1999 teen drama reimagining of the French 18th Century novel, Dangerous Liaisons, wealthy step-siblings Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe) use the innocent and naive Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon) and Cecile Caldwell (Selma Blair) as pawns for a wicked wager in romantic and reputational manipulation. Annette and Sebastian find true love with each other which ends in tragedy, while Kathryn’s reputation is the one that gets destroyed after Cecile makes her manipulative ways public with copies of Sebastian’s journal.  

Kim Soo-hyun (I Saw The Devil)

You could argue that Kim Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun) goes a little too far when exacting his revenge on Jang Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik) in the 2010 Korean horror favorite, I Saw the Devil. However, there is no debate that Kyung-chul went way too far when he beat Soo-hyun’s wife to death and dismembered her.

The Nerds (Revenge Of The Nerds)

Every socially alienated college student who was ever persecuted for their intelligence or the way they dress received some much-needed wish fulfillment vicariously through the main characters in Revenge of the Nerds. The 1984 sees Lewis Skolnik (Robert Carradine) and others turn the tables on their cruel bullies and acquire the popularity and respect they crave.

Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek: First Contact)

In one of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) is transformed into a race of cybernetic organisms called Borgs. He eventually punishes the cruel alien race for what they did to him and other crimes in the 1996 feature film, Star Trek: First Contact.

Jason Shepherd (Big Fat Liar)

In 2002’s Big Fat Liar, compulsively dishonest teen Jason Shepherd (Frankie Muniz) accidentally leaves his writing assignment in the limo of movie producer, Marty Wolf (Academy Award nominee Paul Giamatti), who passes it off as his own idea for a movie that gets greenlit soon after. Desperate to earn his parents’ trust, he and his best friend, Kaylee (Amanda Bynes), travel all the way to Los Angeles and — with help from more of Wolf’s enemies — set out to expose and ruin the scumbag once and for all.

They say that revenge is a dish best served cold, but what these characters achieve makes us feel warm inside.

Sometimes, it can be fun to take a deeper look at the movies you love and see if you can find any details that may or may not be hiding in plain sight. You must be careful, though, because this sort of speculation could forever change how you perceive the most beloved characters from cinema in bizarre, funny, or even unsettling ways. 

Now, we are not saying we are fully convinced by any of the following wild movie character fan theories we found online, but we also can’t deny they are fun to read. Therefore, the only cautionary warning we feel is truly necessary to give you before you read on is to be wary of spoilers.

Han Solo Is Force Sensitive (Star Wars Movies)

Could Han Solo’s unparalleled piloting skills, precise blaster aim, and survival during his Carbonite slumber in the Star Wars movies be the result of him actually being one with the very Force he once doubted was real? Reddit user sumojoe actually posited this idea about Harrison Ford’s scruffy nerfherder years before it could be further backed up by the reveal in Star Wars: The Force Awakens that he and Leia (Carrie Fisher) had a Force-sensitive son (Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren).

Jack Is A Time Traveler (Titanic)

Before 1997’s Titanic, James Cameron’s biggest hits were time travel movies — namely The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day — but could his Best Picture Oscar-winning historical fiction blockbuster also be part of the same genre? Redditor MarkHarris1989 believes that historical inaccuracies to his backstory and his “anachronistic attitude and haircut” suggest Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) could actually be a man out of time who may have even been sent back from the future to save Rose (Kate Winslet).

The Toys Are Possessed By A Delusional Entity (Toy Story)

It is still a mystery why Woody, Buzz, and the others come alive when humans are not around in Toy Story movies, but a theory by Inevitable_Cut_4670 (which has since been removed from the r/FanTheories subreddit) attempts to provide an explanation that casts a dark shadow over the Pixar classic. The user imagines that Andy’s toys became possessed by an otherworldly spirit that split itself between the different characters before developing a different personality for each and, ultimately, forgetting what it was initially.

Wonka's Tour Was A Planned Sacrifice (Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory)

What happens to the four other children invited into the eponymous facility from 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has been subject to much eye-opening speculation, but what if the truth is even more horrifying? One now-deleted FanTheories subreddit post suggests that the Roald Dahl adaptation exists in the same universe as the horror-comedy favorite, The Cabin in the Woods, and the youngsters’ strange fates were all part of a sacrificial ritual the famous chocolatier (Gene Wilder) orchestrated to appease the Gods.

Tom Hardy's Max Is The Road Warrior's Feral Child (Mad Max: Fury Road)

For the fourth Mad Max movie, Tom Hardy succeeded to the role of the post-apocalyptic drifter from Mel Gibson, but the folks at Nerdist are not so sure that is the case. They theorize that the male protagonist of 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road is actually “The Feral Child” (originally played by Emil Minty in the second installment, 1981’s The Road Warrior) as a grown-up who has adopted the hero’s persona. This would explain why a lot of Hardy’s dialogue consists of grunts.

Ferris And Cameron Are The Same Person (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)

Have you ever considered the possibility that John Hughes’ 1986 high school movie classic, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, is actually a precursor to David Fincher’s adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, Fight Club? A popular fan theory (via CBR) that echoes the twist from the 1999 cult favorite suggests Matthew Broderick’s mischievous title character is just an alternate persona the neurotic Cameron Fry (Alan Ruck) subconsciously developed to carry out his wildest fantasies.

Sandy Is Dead The Whole Time (Grease)

One of the more bizarre “they were dead the whole time” theory and one of the most bizarre examples comes from the unlikeliest of places: 1978’s Grease. A post on Imgur suggests that Danny Zuko (John Travolta) never actually saved Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) from drowning and the upbeat musical numbers we see are a symptom of her brain losing oxygen. To top it off, the famous flying car at the end is supposedly carrying her into the afterlife.

Kincade Is Sean Connery's Bond (Skyfall)

Similar to the famous theory that all James Bond actors are each portraying a different man using the same code name, a post in the James Bond subreddit questions if Kincade from 2012’s Skyfall is really Sean Connery’s iteration of 007. The theory is actually backed up by the fact that, according to The Huffington Post, Sam Mendes considered casting Connery in the role before it went to Albert Finney.

Chris' Horror Is All In Rod's Head (Get Out)

It was once suggested on Reddit that the horrifying things Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) endures at the Armitage Estate in 2017’s Get Out are actually an elaborate fantasy imagined by his best friend, Rod (Lil Rel Howery). In a video for Vanity Fair, writer and director Jordan Peele addressed and debunked this theory, but did praise its creativity.

Owen Grady Is The Kid Grant Freaks Out With His Raptor Speech (Jurassic Park)

Even before 2015’s Jurassic World came out, Redditor faceur318 had a feeling that the kid whom Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) tells to “have a little respect for raptors” in the 1993 original, Jurassic Park, would grow up to become Owen Grady. The actor who plays the raptor trainer, Chris Pratt, told Huffington Post that he does not believe it himself, but director Colin Trevorrow wouldn’t deny it.

Donkey Used To Be Human (Shrek)

One of the most convincing movie theories we have ever heard suggests Donkey (Eddie Murphy) from Shrek was once human until he visited Pleasure Island and was turned into his namesake animal — a fate many children also suffered in the classic fairytale, Pinocchio. A video by The Film Theorists provides astonishing evidence of this traumatizing idea, which tyoung000 also posted to the FanTheories subreddit with an added detail that Donkey is really Pinocchio’s talkative friend, Lampwick.

Possessing Karras Was Always Pazuzu's Intention (The Exorcist)

Redditor mysticaldensity believes that in 1973’s The Exorcist, Father Damien Karras’ (Jason Miller) bid to save Regan MacNeill (Linda Blair) by having Pazuzu possess him instead (before taking his own life) was part of the demon’s plan all along. According to the theory’s pretty solid evidence, the entity saw Karras — who had been wrestling with his faith following his mother’s death — as a perfect target with which to infiltrate the church, but would still need the priest’s permission to inhabit him, which is why it used an innocent 12-year-old as a vessel to taunt him with.

Patrick Bateman Is Really Bruce Wayne (American Psycho, The Dark Knight Trilogy)

If you ever found similarities between Christian Bale’s performances as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and Bruce Wayne in the Dark Knight Trilogy, Redditor DragonfruitDisable believes that is not by coincidence and, in fact, the two are one in the same. The theory states Alfred Pennyworth put the famous young orphan through school under a different alias, which he continued to go when he started to have elaborate, homicidal fantasies. This bout of insanity would lead him down a path of self-discovery, which brings us to the start of Bateman Beg… or Batman Begins, we mean.

Django Actually Killed Sandy's Son (Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight)

It is no secret that most of Quentin Tarantino’s movies exist in the same universe, which QuantumBandit404 likely used as inspiration for a Reddit theory that states that, in The Hateful Eight, Marquis Warren’s (Samuel L. Jackson) lied about killing the son of Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern), who was really a bounty for Django Freeman. It’s an intriguing concept, especially considering Warren’s deceptive skills, but what makes it more interesting is, according to DP/30 Podcast (via ScreenCrush), Tarantino originally wrote the role as an older version of Jamie Foxx’s titular bounty hunter from Django Unchained.

Nemo Is Imaginary (Finding Nemo)

Finding Nemo is already one of the saddest Pixar movies, but an op-ed by Søren Hough on Movie Fail makes it even more tragic if you believe what his theory suggests. He believes that Marlin (Albert Brooks) was the only true survivor of the 2003 family film’s tragic opening sequence and invented his son, Nemo (Alexander Gould), as an imaginary coping mechanism for his grief.

T-800 Was Preprogrammed Not To Kill (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, John Connor (Edward Furlong) urges his mechanical protector (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to not commit murder, but did he ever really have to? Based on the fact that the T-800 never kills anyone in the opening scene (despite causing bloodshed rather quickly in the first film), Redditor Potential_Gap3957 speculates that Connor’s adult self already programmed him with this command before sending him to 1995, but also asked him to stage a killing in front of young John as a way to build up his leadership skills.

Michael Myers Is A Vampire (Halloween)

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers attempted to explain the iconic horror movie villain’s supposed immortality as part of a curse given to him at birth by a deadly cult, but there is another theory that we think is far more amusing. According to ScreenRant, Michael is really a vampire — not the typical bloodsucking kind, but one that feeds on murderous acts — and his psychiatrist from the reboot trilogy, Dr. Ranbir Sartain (Haluk Bilginer), is his familiar, which might explain why he wanted to be like the slasher.

Pearl Is Maxine's Grandmother (X, Pearl)

Is it possible that the resemblance between young Maxine and the elderly Pearl (both played by Mia Goth in Ti West’s X) is more than just an example of the acclaimed A24 horror movie’s nuanced commentary on aging? On Reddit, Thabrianking speculates that Maxine’s televangelist father is Pearl’s son, who turned to religion after witnessing his mother’s homicidal tendencies, which were a main plot point in the prequel, Pearl.

Ned Ryerson Is The Devil (Groundhog Day)

There has never been a definitive explanation for how Phil (Bill Murray) relives February 2nd over and over in 1993’s Groundhog Day, but a Redditor named SuperConductiveRabbi believes it is the work of Ned Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky), who may even be the Devil himself. Evidence: the time loop begins after Phil insultingly refuses to buy insurance from Ned and stops when he gives in to the offer (symbolism for selling one’s soul) and finally treats him with respect.

Jar Jar Binks Was In Cahoots With The Sith (The Star Wars Movies)

While very few people would call Jar Jar Binks their favorite Star Wars character, some have warned that the seemingly harmless, motormouth Gungan was not to be underestimated. Before The Force Awakens was released, Lumpawarroo predicted that he would play a major role in the film, which would also reveal that he was not only a Sith Lord the entire time, but the true identity of Supreme Leader Snoke. The Sequel Trilogy may have debunked that last detail, but is still fun to imagine the rest being true.

Walter Never Served In Vietnam (The Big Lebowski)

In 1998’s The Big Lebowski, Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) finds any opportunity he can to bring up his tour of Vietnam, which is not typical behavior of a military veteran, as pointed out on a FanTheories subreddit post that suggests the avid bowler was never even in the service. Goodman himself once admitted in an interview with Today, for the 20th anniversary of the classic Coen Brother comedy, that he agrees with this theory.

Juror #8 Is A Reformed Criminal Who Coerced The Others Into Changing The Verdict (12 Angry Men)

Sidney Lumet’s 1957 courtroom drama, 12 Angry Men, is hailed as a powerful story of justice prevailing over a broken system, thanks to Juror #8 (Henry Fonda) pointing out flaws in the others’ initial “guilty” verdict, but is that truly the case? According to a theory by Redditor Agile-Confusion-626, Juror #8 actually did believe the poor, young defendant was guilty of murdering his father, but as someone who once fell prey to the criminal lifestyle in his own youth, wanted to give him a chance to redeem himself outside of prison. Thus, he conned the other jurors into changing their minds.

Dom And The Crew Are Super Soldiers (Fast And Furious Movies)

With how implausibly over-the-top the Fast and the Furious movies came to be over time, the best explanation is that Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew were made into super soldiers at some point. According to YeppImNaked on Reddit, not only is that exactly what happened, but the team actually exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and they were dosed with the same serum that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America by their true employers, S.H.I.E.L.D.

Ripley Is Genetically Suitable To Host A Queen Xenomorph (Alien Movies)

It seems that no matter what she does, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) cannot escape running into some horrifying situation involving the vicious creature from the Alien movies known as the Xenomorph, and that might actually be by design. As a theory by Redditor clutzyninja suggests, not just any human can be impregnated with a Queen Xenomorph and Ripley can, which is why she is considered a special asset to Weyland-Yutani.

Kevin's Dad Is In The Mob (Home Alone)

In Home Alone, the Wet Bandits consider the McCallister household to be the “Silver Tuna” of the Chicago suburb they target during the holidays, which begs the question, how exactly was Kevin’s (Macaulay Culkin) father, Peter (John Heard), able to afford such a lovely, expensive home with five children and a non-working wife (Catherine O’Hara)? Redditor cubanesis believes he may have mob connections, which would explain why he so quickly comes to the defense with Harry (Joe Pesci), disguised as a cop, asking to speak with him at the beginning.

The Predator Is In Exile (Predator)

On Reddit, Mister_E69 points out that, in 1987’s Predator, the titular extraterrestrial hunter’s technology is severely outdated to that of the Predator we see in 2022’s Prey, which takes place centuries earlier. For that reason, it could be possible that the creature from the original film has been exiled from his planet and forced to use a less reliable cloaking feature, blades of a stunted length, and glitch infrared vision. 

Cobb's Real Totem Is His Wedding Ring (Inception)

The ending of Inception has puzzled fans for years, but the answer to whether or not Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is awake at the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s trippy masterpiece may lie in what one Redditor belies is his real totem: his wedding ring. We never see the thought-extractor wearing it when he is awake and, since it is not on his finger in the final scene, perhaps we can conclude that the long-awaited reunion with his children is real.

Tree Is Stuck In Purgatory (Happy Death Day)

The concept of time-loops being a form of purgatory serves as the basis for BingeWatcher_Fanatic’s theory that, in Christopher Landon’s Happy Death Day, Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) is actually dead and continuously reliving Monday the 18th as a way to repent for her sins. Even though this contradicts pretty much the entire plot of the sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, it offers an intriguing, deeper meaning to the fun slasher flick.

Jenny Is The Girl From The Tommy Tutone Song (Forrest Gump)

Apparently, Tom Hanks’ titular protagonist is not the only one from Forrest Gump who made an impression on American culture, if we are to believe paulvs88’s theory. The Reddit user speculates that Tommy Tutone’s 1981 one-hit-wonder “867-5309/Jenny” is, indeed, about Robin Wright’s character of the same name.

Ron Used Magic So Hermione Would Fall For Him (Harry Potter Movies)

Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Grainger (Emma Watson) initially seemed like a pretty unlikely match, which makes their romance in the Harry Potter movies so endearing. However, it is not so heartwarming if you believe EmperorDeathBunny’s theory on Reddit suggesting that he used the Imperius Curse — which is basically a manipulation spell — to enchant into falling in love with him.

Luca Is Atlantean (Luca)

The 2021 Pixar film, Luca, stars Jacob Tremblay as the voice of the titular sea monster who gets a taste of life on the surface with another creature of his kind (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) by disguising themselves as humans. As a fun way to expand on the lore, Redditor Drecon1984 posited a theory that the sea monsters are actually descendants from the lost city of Atlantis.

Wendy Imagined The Horror At The Overlook (The Shining)

There is an insane amount of conspiracy theories inspired by The Shining, but regarding the ones that actually focus on characters from the 1980 Stephen King adaptation, we like one we found on MovieWeb. It suggests that, instead of Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), it is really his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), who is losing her mind while staying at The Overlook, where none of the bizarre and tragic things that take place are real, but exist her in imagination.

Movie fans have some wild imaginations, don’t they?

Few film genres capture both the beauty and brutality of the human experience more so than the Western. For as long as people have been making movies, acclaimed directors like John Ford, Sergio Leone, and Quintin Tarantino have taken moviegoers from all corners of the Earth and transported them to the Old West.

“But what is the best Western?” is a question that has come up countless times over the years, and the topic was recently brought up at CinemaBlend where we love discussing everything from the greatest war films ever made to the top 100 ‘90s movies, and just about everything else. Several of us sat around a digital cookfire and went through the history of the genre and picked out what we believe are the best Westerns of all time.

From classics like Once Upon a Time in the West and the “Man with No Name” trilogy to more contemporary neo-Westerns like No Country for Old Men and Hell or High Water, we’ve come up with quite a list. Saddle up and hold on tight because this is going to be a ride you won’t forget…

30. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

The Coen Brothers’ most underrated movie (and we’re sticking to that), The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is as unconventional as you can get. Unlike their remake of True Grit, which is also on this list, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is an anthology western featuring six unique tales that offer a wide range of tones. 

You have your somewhat hokey and fun vignettes, like the titular segment, and “Near Algodones,” but then you have your dour and dreary ones like “The Mortal Remains” and the deadly serious, “Meal Ticket.” In the end, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a Western like no other, which makes sense, coming from the Coen Brothers. 

29. Dances With Wolves (1990)

Kevin Costner isn’t exactly Clint Eastwood, but his dalliances with the Western genre, on screens both big and small, have earned him a seat at the table of Hollywood frontier legends. Dances With Wolves is the star’s directorial debut and a true labor of love, one in which he starred, directed, and produced in order to tell the story of a Civil War Lieutenant who discovers a new purpose when he encounters the Sioux tribe. When Costner told Westerns, he aimed for the sweeping grandeur of the American plains, making Dances With Wolves as gorgeous and virtual spectacular as it was moving and traditional.

28. 3:10 To Yuma (2007)

James Mangold makes excellent pictures. Too many of them get labeled as “Dad Cinema,” but that just means his movies – from Ford v. Ferrari to Cop Land – tend to speak to a masculine demographic, though one that also contains a brain and a beating heart. You find both ingredients hard at work in Mangold’s 2007 action drama, 3:10 to Yuman, during which a soldier turned rancher (played by Christian Bale) must track and detain a known felon (played by Russell Crowe) in order to pay off some stifling debt. Mangold’s movies are meat-and-potatoes offerings, with little flair but hearty helpings of character development, moral intrigue, and terrific central performances. You know what you get, and what you get is great.  

27. Brokeback Mountain (2006)

Possibly Ang Lee’s best movie, Brokeback Mountain definitely isn’t your “typical” Western, in that there aren’t any shootouts, nor does it take place in the past. Instead, this Academy Award-nominated masterpiece is about two cowboys (played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger) who fall in love, despite their knowledge that many people (including their wives) would view their relationship with disgust. 

But that’s what makes Brokeback Mountain so effective. It plays with the tropes of a Western being “masculine,” as what even is masculinity? These men work hard jobs, but they’re also in love with each other, which makes the ultimate outcome all the more difficult to swallow. All these years later, and we still can’t quit this film. 

26. Bone Tomahawk (2015) 

If you want a mean-spirited, gritty movie, then look no further than Bone Tomahawk. Categorized as a horror western, Bone Tomahawk certainly is a western. But it’s also scary! Directed by S. Craig Zahler, and starring Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Lili Simmons, and many others, Bone Tomahawk doesn’t romanticize the American West. 

Instead, it portrays an indigenous tribe of cannibals, and a sheriff’s hunt to rescue people who were captured (and hopefully not already eaten) by them. Bone Tomahawk is not for the faint of heart. It doesn’t shy away from gruesome imagery, and there is always an impending sense of dread throughout. We’ve seen many Westerns, but none are like this one.

25. Wyatt Earp (1994)

Not to be confused with Tombstone, which came out just six months earlier, Wyatt Earp tells the epic and sprawling story of the titular lawman (played by Kevin Costner) as he makes a name for himself in the Old West and eventually becomes the sheriff of Dodge City and Tombstone. Gun battles, incredible mustaches, and another reenactment of the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral make Lawrence Kasdan’s 1994 biographical drama a fun yet often forgotten Western experience. Sure, it’s not as much fun or fondly remembered as Kurt Russell’s Tombstone, but this three-hour love letter to the West is a gem.

24. The Wild Bunch (1969)

Set in the dying days of the Old West, where cowboys and gunslingers are becoming a thing of the past, Pike Bishop (William Holden) and his band of outlaws prepare to pull off one final heist and ride off into the proverbial sunset. But upon finding out that the robbery is all one big setup by his old partner, the aging cowboy attempts to flee for the wild and untamed lands of Mexico.

Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch is one of the best movies that focuses on the final chapter of the Old West and features some incredible characters who are trying to come to terms with a changing, more modern world and their place in it. This classic is wild, it’s violent, and it’s enchanting.

23. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)

There are Spaghetti Westerns and then there is Once Upon a Time in the West, Sergio Leone’s masterful 1968 epic that is not just one of the best Westerns from an Italian director, but one of the genre’s touchstone moments. Set in the fictional town of Flagstone, the movie follows various killers, drifters, and strangers who all find themselves in the same place at the same time, resulting in cinematic gold.

From Tonino Delli Colli’s beautiful cinematography to Ennio Morricone’s legendary score to Henry Fonda playing against type and portraying the film’s villain, a vicious outlaw named Frank, the movie is perfect in every way.

22. The Searchers (1956)

John Wayne and director John Ford are two of the most iconic names in Western film history. Together they made 14 movies, and one of their undisputed masterpieces is The Searchers from 1956. The plot is a classic Western, a Civil War vet, Ethan Edwards (Wayne) and his nephew search for his niece (played by Natalie Wood) who is abducted by a Comanche tribe. 

Now, let’s be clear, there are a LOT of problems with this movie from a social perspective. The depiction of Native Americans is offensive, especially by Wayne’s character, and that cannot be ignored. However, the filmmaking by Ford is breathtaking and cemented Ford’s place in the pantheon of American directors, and maybe the finest Western filmmaker of all time. 

21. Tombstone (1993)

Tombstone may be based on a true story, but that doesn’t mean the story is accurate, but that doesn’t matter, that’s not why anyone watches this movie. Its story is actually kind of irrelevant, though it is great. No, Tombstone is about all the fantastic performances by a cadre of amazing actors at the peak of their talents delivering some of the most memorable lines in movie history. 

You don’t tussle with Kurt Russell, especially as Wyatt Earp. Val Kilmer, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Dana Delaney, Sam Elliott, Charlton Heston, Billy Bob Thorton, Micheal Rooker… the cast list goes on and on. You can’t find a better cast, and you’re a daisy if you do. 

20. Shane (1953)

George Stevens’ marvelous Western, Shane, stars Alan Ladd as a mysterious and skilled gunfighter who rides into a small town in Wyoming Territory and slowly changes the lives of everyone he meets. This is especially true for Joey Starrett (Brandon deWilde), the young son of a couple of settlers who takes a liking to the cowboy and tells him about the bad players who have been preying upon the town making life difficult for its inhabitants.

There’s a lot that makes Shane one of the best Westerns of all time, including the showdown with Jack Wilson (Jack Palance), a notorious gunslinger. It also doesn’t hurt that the movie features what could be the most emotional endings of all time with the young Joey crying for Shane to “come back.”

19. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

More than anything else, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ranks as one of the most gorgeous pictures you will ever see put to film. Legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins (The Shawshank Redemption, Skyfall) makes magnificent use of light and shadows to stage this breathtaking Western about outlaw Jesse James (Brad Pitt), his adoring patron Robert Ford (Casey Affleck), and the contention forming between the men that led to the former’s murder. Andrew Dominik’s feature is moody and visceral, but also complicated regarding its approach to history, legends, and how one can be distorted to influence the other. Still, Pitt and Affleck are tremendous, and Deakins deserved the Oscar (which he lost to Robert Elswit and There Will Be Blood).

18. High Noon (1952) 

Directed by Fred Zimmerman, and starring Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, and many others, High Noon is a classic amongst classics. It’s also the kind of Western that you might watch in a film class since it can be seen as an allegory for the McCarthyism that was going on at the time. The story of a marshall (played by Cooper) who has to make a difficult decision, High Noon still resonates today in a big way since it deals with themes of bravery and heroism. 

It also begs the question, should you fight for others, or should you fight for your own survival? In the end, there are many different ways to look at the situation, but it’s effective here because of the constant ticking clock. A lot of Westerns like to take their time, but not High Noon. It’s tense to the very end. 

17. The Quick And The Dead (1995)

If the climactic, practically obligatory gun duel is your favorite scene in any Western, The Quick and the Dead — which takes place during a gunfighting tournament — must be a heavenly blessing in your eyes. Sharon Stone stars as a mysterious sharpshooter who blows into the quaint village where the deadly competition is held, setting her sights on defeating its wealthy, ruthless leader, played by Academy Award winner Gene Hackman.

What makes this one of director Sam Raimi’s best movies is the way the Evil Dead franchise creator keeps every last stand-off sequence feeling fresh by incorporating his one-of-a-kind, nearly cartoonish visual style, but without ever downplaying the scenes' emotional impact. Also featuring great performances by future Oscar-winners Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio, The Quick and the Dead is a good, old-fashioned, wildly entertaining slice of high-stakes Western cinema.

16. True Grit (1969) 

Here’s the thing. Should John Wayne have beaten Jon Voight or Dustin Hoffman for Best Actor at the 1970 Academy Awards? No. Of course not. Either Voight or Hoffman should have won for Midnight Cowboy. But, when we’re talking about cowboys, then there probably isn’t one who is more iconic than the Duke. 

The story focuses on a teenage girl (played by Kim Darby) who hires a U.S. Marshall (played by John Wayne) to hunt down the man who killed her father, and what makes this movie special is the relationship between them, as you get a sense that Wayne’s character is protective over his new client, even though she can very well take care of herself. Add in a Texas Ranger (played by Glen Campbell) who is also on the hunt for the same man, and you have a Western that feels timeless. 

15. Back To The Future: Part III (1990)

When Robert Zemeckis ended Back to the Future Part II, he concluded on a cliffhanger that sent Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) back to the old West, forcing Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) to program their DeLorean to travel back decades to save his best friend. It was all an excuse to let Zemeckis, his team, and his crew stage a modern Western, one that playfully recycles the story beats of the first two Back to the Future films – the introduction of Biff, Marty meeting a female relative, a combustive third-act chase – but adds in hilarious Western tropes. What we didn’t expect, however, was a winning love story woven into the Part III screenplay between Doc and Clara (a delightful Mary Steenburgen), a schoolteacher with a taste for science-fiction. A sweet conclusion to a terrific time-traveling trilogy. 

14. The Magnificent Seven (1960)

When asked to picture your favorite scene in any Western, you might conjure the image of a tense stand-off pitting one gunslinger against a dastardly foe. Director John Sturges elevates that cliche to an even more exciting effect by pitting seven gunslingers against an army of dastardly foes in The Magnificent Seven.

Inspired by one of the best samurai movies, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, the film stars Yul Brynner as a gunfighter who enlists the help of six other men with similar talents (played by Steve McQueen, Horst Bucholz, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, and James Coburn) to defend a Mexican village from a group of tyrannical bandits led by the ruthless Calvera (Eli Wallach). It is a wonder in itself to see some of the most legendary action stars of their time fighting side-by-side, but the exhilarating magic they create onscreen is what makes this an essential tale of good vs. evil worth revisiting again and again.

13. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

On a Mount Rushmore of Western movie icons, there is undoubtedly a spot for Clint Eastwood, whose most famous contributions to the genre are his characters from Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy. However, allow us to present our case for why his most definitive Western role is the eponymous anti-hero of The Outlaw Josey Wales.

Eastwood also directs this spellbinding, Oscar-nominated adaptation of Forrest Carter’s book — also one of the best Civil War-era movies — about a farmer whose family is killed in cold blood, transforming him into a vengeful, cold-blooded killer himself with a sharp aim, a sharper tongue, and a menacing scowl. The Man with No Name (as the actor’s Dollars Trilogy characters are collectively called) is a calm, cool cat, but Josey Wales is one mean, unforgiving son of a gun, which is exactly the kind of role Eastwood plays best. 

12. A Fistful of Dollars (1967) 

The first movie in Sergio Leone’s “The Man With No Name” trilogy, A Fistful of Dollars is really just the Akira Kurosawa movie, Yojimo, but set in the West. And it’s awesome! The movie that made Clint Eastwood a movie star, this Spaghetti Western is about an anti-hero named Joe (so, he DOES have a name!) who pits two different groups against each other in order to take the gold at the heart of the conflict for himself. What makes this movie work though is just how cool it is. 

Clint Eastwood’s trademark stare is here in all of its glory, and he carries the film from being what could have just been a standard western, into a classic. Sure, it may be the weakest in the trilogy, but as a launchpad to two other great westerns (and Clint Eastwood’s career), it’s WAY up there on the scale. 

11. Logan (2017)

The best superhero movies are basically chapters in different genres, be it the 1970s political intrigue of Captain America: The Winter Soldier or the crime-gangster epic of The Dark Knight. So when director James Mangold accepted the challenge of telling a final Wolverine story for Hugh Jackman, he borrowed the formula of the Neo-Noir modern Western, making Logan essentially a Man with No Name modeled after Clint Eastwood in the Spaghetti Westerns of his Italian era. And it helped to make Logan one of the best comic book adaptations of the time, a gritty survivalist story about a grizzled mentor giving it all to protect a young charge (Dafne Keen), with stunning performances from both Jackman and Patrick Stewart in roles they’d worn comfortably for years. It’s a little sad this no longer serves as Jackman’s farewell to the part, but we’ll always have Logan as some form of sendoff.

10. For A Few Dollars More (1965)

The second in Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy starring Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name, For a Few Dollars More follows the legendary Spaghetti Western icon as he reluctantly teams up with another bounty hunter by the name of Col. Douglas Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef) to find and take out the murderous El Indio (Gian Mari Volonte) and end his reign of terror. From Eastwood’s iconic entrance to the epic duel at the end of the movie, this classic doesn’t let off the gas.

The gunfights, the shaky bond shared by the Man with No Name and Col. Mortimer, Sergio Leone’s attention to detail, and an all-time great score by the late Ennio Morricone make For a Few Dollars More not only one of the best Westerns of all time but also a crowning achievement of 20th-century cinema. No wonder the movie, like other titles in the trilogy, is so beloved nearly 60 years after it first hit the big screen.

9. Django Unchained (2012)

There is a case to be made that every Quentin Tarantino movie is a Western in some respect, but his first undisputed contribution to the genre — and still, arguably, his best — is Django Unchained. Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx stars in the title role as a slave who is offered freedom by German-born bounty hunter King Schultz (Inglourious Basterds’ Christoph Waltz in his second Oscar-winning role) in exchange for help identifying a pair of notorious criminals. When Schultz learns that Django has been separated from his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), he offers to help rescue her from cruel Mississippi plantation owner, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Like Tarantino’s previous efforts, Django Unchained not only aims to pay homage to the iconic Spaghetti Westerns of yesteryear with its rousing score, dazzling gunfights, and cold-blooded revenge plot, it also rips the classics to shreds with the filmmaker’s signature silver-tongued dialogue, cheeky dark humor, and choice to make a Black man the sharp-shooting hero of a story set in the pre-Civil War United States. That alone makes this deliriously entertaining thrill ride one of the most powerful and satisfying revenge stories of its time.

8. True Grit (2010)

Usually, we frown on remakes. Why try and mess with something that worked well the first time, as was the case with John Wayne’s 1969 classic True Grit? We had The Duke in an eye patch, being hired by an adolescent girl to track down a murderer in hostile territory. Now that’s a Western! But lo and behold, every once in a while, a remake improves on the original, and drastically. That’s what happens when you hire Joel and Ethan Coen to breathe new life into the classic tale. Their take on True Grit soars under the leadership of a brilliant Jeff Bridges, playing Rooster Cogburn, and pairing him with the masterful, young Hailee Steinfeld – an instant star. 

Everything about True Grit worked, from the way that brilliant cinematographer Roger Deakins captured the sprawling landscapes of the American West, to Carter Burwell’s triumphant, emotional score. I’m not sure why we ever doubted the Coen brothers. Mauve because of The Ladykillers. But we delight in revisiting this magnificent tale because of the beautiful chemistry shared by Bridges and Steinfeld, a pair in which we shall invest for decades to come.

7. Blazing Saddles (1974)

Let’s get this out of the way at the top: Blazing Saddles is purposefully and hugely un-PC. It doesn’t want to be, and it’s not, at all. It’s incredibly hard to walk a line between funny and offensive when one wants to make a move like this, but director and writer Mel Brooks and co-writer Richard Pryor are no ordinary mortals. It takes talent on that level to make a movie this racy, this beloved. It’s both of its time and timeless. 

People often ask if you could make a movie like Blazing Saddles today and the answer is yes, but you better have the skills of Pryor and Brooks. It also helps to have actors like Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder just chewing up the scenery (in a good way) as well. Comedic Westerns are rare, and they rarely work, but not only is Blazing Saddles one of the best comedies of all time, it delivers as a Western as well, with shootouts, cowboys, horse stunts, and everything else you want in one. 

6. The Hateful Eight (2015) 

Though The Hateful Eight isn’t Quentin Tarantino’s best movie that would be Pulp Fiction, of course, it is high on his list of films. What’s great about this movie, which stars the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce Dern, and a whole host of other talented actors, is that this is one of the greatest bottle movies of all time. And why this works is because it plays against conventions. 

Westerns typically take place in wide-open vistas. We’re really supposed to get a sense of the land, as it is often a character in its own right. And it’s a character in The Hateful Eight as well, but a deeply confining and claustrophobic one. We feel just as trapped as the characters, which works wonders when it comes to character development. Plus, the dialogue is phenomenal, but what else would you expect from a Quentin Tarantino movie?

5. Hell Or High Water (2016)

In 2016, a couple of years before Taylor Sherdinan introduced audiences to the world of Yellowstone, the prolific actor, writer, director, and producer nearly won an Academy Award for his tense and poignant neo-Western, Hell or High Water. In what is essentially an old-school Western set in modern times, the David Mackenzie-directed crime drama follows brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner Howard (Ben Foster) as they pull off a series of bank robberies in West Texas for a surprisingly righteous cause. Though they’re pulling off daring heists for a good reason, the fact remains that they’re breaking the law, which draws the attention of a soon-to-be-retired Texas Ranger by the name of Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges).

What follows is an intricate cat-and-mouse game where absolutes like right and wrong are thrown out the window and blow together like a tumbleweed where such lines are blurred and become one mess of humanity. As violent as it is heartfelt, this modern classic is a step above most Westerns as of late.

4. Unforgiven (1992)

Clint Eastwood made his bones in Westerns early in his career and over the years, he’s starred in some of the best. None are better than Unforgiven. Eastwood directed and starred in this stone-cold classic alongside Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, and Richard Harris. Eastwood plays Will Munny, a retired and reformed outlaw trying to live his life in peace on a farm in Kansas. Reluctantly, Munny agrees to join a young bounty hunter to make some money for his family and asks his old friend Ned (Freeman) to join in the hunt. 

What follows is a classic Western revenge ride after Sheriff "Little" Bill Daggett (Hackman), beats up Will and later kills Ned. There is nothing you want from a Western that Unforgiven doesn’t deliver on and that’s why it’s one of the few in the genre to win Best Picture at the Oscars in 1992, adding Best Supporting Actor for Hackman, and Best Director for Eastwood to its awards haul. 

3. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)

Paul Newman and Robert Redford. They aren’t the last movie stars to walk the planet. It just feels like some classic era of Old Hollywood went out the door when these two stopped making movies… and stopped collaborating on screen together. In their defense, it would be near impossible for the duo to keep raising the bar on movies such as The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Best to go out on top. 

That’s not how Butch and Sundance go out, as the final shots of George Roy Hill’s vintage Western suggest the legendary criminals went out with the guns blazing. But the entire movie proves to us why these outlaws were notorious – and why Newman and Redford were two of the most charismatic, magnetic screen presences the industry had ever seen. Essentially, Butch and Sundance is one long chase, with the title characters fleeing from a posse following a botched train robbery. The pursuit is relentless, and the adventures these men reluctantly find themselves on make for one unforgettable story. Hill’s movie doesn’t adhere to the mold of many other Westerns, but by breaking out and doing his own thing, the director struck a picture that stands the test of time.

2. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1967) 

Sergio Leone’s best Western, and quite frankly, one of the greatest Westerns of all time, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is such a good movie, that even people who claim not to like the genre usually like this film. That’s the power of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Starring Clint Eastwood as “the good,” Lee Van Cleef as “the Bad,” and Eli Wallach as “the ugly,” this epic starts with an unlikely partnership, only to crescendo into one of the most satisfying duels ever put to film. 

What are the characters fighting over? Well, money, of course, which makes sense since this is the third film in the “Dollars trilogy” (also known as The Man With No Name trilogy), which began with A Fistful of Dollars. The films don’t necessarily connect, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly can be viewed as a singular story, but as the final film in a trilogy, it definitely works. Also, you just gotta love those long shots and close-ups. Plus, that Ennio Morricone score is the chef’s kiss. This is a Western for the ages!

1. No Country For Old Men (2007)

When imagining the quintessential Western, the otherwise beloved Neo-Western thriller No Country for Old Men is probably not the first that comes to mind — given that its setting, tone, and narrative structure are a far cry from the genre’s more traditional elements. However, that is a key reason why the Best Picture Oscar winner has managed to impress us over the more familiar classics — let alone every other detail that makes it one of the greatest movies of the 2000s and one of the most perfectly constructed films ever made..

Joel and Ethan Coen’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel follows three men united (but kept physically separate) by volatile consequences — a magnificent Josh Brolin as retired hunter Llewellyn Moss, Javier Bardem’s Academy Award-winning role as the sadistic hitman chasing after him, Anton Chigurh, and Tommy Lee Jones as aging Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, who is looking for both of them in 1980s Texas. However, the one true protagonist is Bell — already grown disillusioned and downright terrified of the violence consuming his life and society even before blood hits the screen. Yet, amid the brutal, but beautifully constructed action sequences, it is the quiet moments in No Country — including its polarizing ending — that lend best to the powerful commentary on violence that secures the film’s supremacy in a historically violent genre.

How many times have you watched an incredible acting performance and looked up to see how many awards it won only to find out that the Oscar went to someone else that year? It’s shocking how many times this has happened over the years for some of the greatest actors and actresses of all time. Here are 32 times an incredible performance didn’t win an Academy Award for one reason or another.

Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction)

Though he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction, Samuel L. Jackson’s name wasn’t called at the 67th Academy Awards. This is nothing against Martin Landau’s performance from Ed Wood, but Jackson’s foul-mouthed and righteous hitman is an all-time great character that should have been recognized.

Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver)

Robert De Niro received an Oscar nomination for his career-defining portrayal of Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese’s 1977 psychological thriller, Taxi Driver, but the unhinged and memorable performance wasn’t enough to win Best Actor. It’s hard to be mad, as Peter Finch’s Academy Award-winning turn in Network is the stuff of legend.

Harrison Ford (Witness)

One of the best actors without an Oscar, Harrison Ford has only one Academy Award nomination to his name, the 1985 crime thriller, Witness. Though not Ford’s most iconic character, his take on Philadelphia detective John Book as he goes to great lengths to protect a young boy is nothing short of amazing.

Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption)

Morgan Freeman gave the performance of a lifetime as Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding in The Shawshank Redemption. If the movie would have come out any other time besides 1994, a year dominated by Forrest Gump, there’s a good chance the aging prisoner and accomplished smuggler would have earned Freeman an Oscar.

Bill Murray (Lost In Translation)

Bill Murray’s portrayal of cynical, washed-up actor Bob Harris in Lost in Translation will forever be one of the comedian’s most beloved roles. While Sean Penn’s performance in Mystic River is more than deserving of an Oscar, it’s a shame the iconic comedian didn’t get properly recognized for a once-in-a-decade showing.

Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple)

Whoopi Goldberg showed off a more dramatic side with her lauded portrayal of Celie Harris-Johnson in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation of The Color Purple. It’s absurd that the emotional, dynamic, and powerful performance didn’t win Goldberg a much-deserved Oscar, which went to Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful, instead.

Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List)

Schindler’s List features one of the best Ralph Fiennes performances with his portrayal of Nazi work camp commandant Amon Goeth in Steven Spielberg’s 1993-defining film. And while the movie won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Fiennes’ unforgettable turn was not among them. Instead, he lost out to Tommy Lee Jones from The Fugitive.

Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie)

If you’re looking for one of the best New York City movies, Tootsie has you covered. If you’re looking for a movie featuring an acting performance that should have won an Oscar but didn’t, Sydney Pollack’s 1982 comedy has you covered there as well. Seriously, how Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of Michael Dorsey wasn't awarded is something we just don’t get.

Denzel Washington (Malcolm X)

Denzel Washington eventually won a Best Actor Oscar for his unforgettable turn in Training Day, but the actor was robbed nearly a decade earlier after not winning the big prize for his take on the titular Civil Rights leader in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X.

Florence Pugh (Little Women)

Florence Pugh was already a rising star at the time of Little Women’s release, but her portrayal of Amy March in Greta Gerwig’s coming-of-age drama took her to new heights. Though she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars, Pugh lost out to Laura Dern from Marriage Story.

Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained)

Here’s something wild to think about – Jamie Foxx not only didn’t win an Oscar for his performance in Django Unchained, he wasn’t even nominated for Best Actor. Admittedly, it was a stacked list of actors – Daniel Day-Lewis, Bradley Cooper, Hugh Jackman, Joaquin Phoenix, and Denzel Washington – but not even being named is just something.

Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

The Wrestler felt like Mickey Rourke’s big redemption arc, more so than the character he portrayed in Darren Aronofsky’s great wrestling movie. Despite pushing himself to the breaking point from both a physical and emotional standpoint, Rourke lost out to Sean Penn’s take on Harvey Milk in Milk.

Michael Keaton (Birdman)

Michael Keaton gave the performance of a lifetime in the 2014 mind-bending drama film, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), one that seemed to channel the actor’s past in such a way it felt like an autobiography. However, stealing the show as Riggan Thomson, a.k.a., Birdman, wasn’t enough, as the prize went to The Theory of Everything’s Eddie Redmayne instead.

Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird)

Saoirse Ronan has been nominated for an Oscar on four separate occasions, but not a single win, which is something. One of the performances that deserved an Academy Award the most was that of Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson in Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird. The portrayal of a confused high school senior on the verge of entering the next stage in her life lost out to Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Tim Curry (Clue)

Tim Curry’s portrayal of Wadsworth in Clue, a butler or undercover FBI agent depending on which ending you watch, is a role that is beloved by fans of the classic murder mystery comedy. However, it wasn’t recognized at the Academy Awards or other ceremonies, which is the real crime.

Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Rosamund Pike’s take on Amy Elliott-Dunne earned the sole Academy Award nomination for David Fincher’s Gone Girl, a nod that was more than deserved. However, the incredibly nuanced and dynamic performance failed to win the Best Actress Oscar, which went to Still Alice’s Julianne Moore instead.

Jimmy Stewart (Rear Window)

Jimmy Stewart is one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors of all time and his portrayal of L. B. "Jeff" Jefferies in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window is one of the his top-tier performances. However, his take on an injured photographer who uncovers a murder mystery didn’t even get a nod at the Academy Awards.

Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind)

Kate Winslet gave one of her most powerful and unique performances in the 2004 sci-fi dramedy, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Her take on Clementine Kruczynski, a woman who had all memories of her ex-boyfriend wiped from her brain, was rich, beautiful, and iconic, but just wasn’t enough to win Best Actress.

Al Pacino (The Godfather)

Al Pacino put himself on the map with his portrayal of reluctant crime boss Michael Corleone in The Godfather. The gradual evolution of the character over the course of the film’s three-hour runtime should have been enough for an Oscar, but like co-stars James Caan and Robert Duvall, who were also nominated for Best Supporting Actor, he didn’t get the win.

Gloria Swanson (Sunset Boulevard)

Gloria Swanson’s "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." line from Sunset Boulevard is one of the most iconic quotes in all of Hollywood and part of an Oscar-worthy performance. While Swanson was nominated for her take on aging film star Norma Desmond, she didn’t take home the top prize.

Jack Nicholson (The Shining)

Though considered one of Jack Nicholson’s best roles, his portrayal of Jack Torrance in The Shining didn’t result in an Oscar win. In fact, Nicholson wasn’t even nominated for the unforgettable performance. 

John Cazale (The Godfather Part II)

John Cazale’s Fredo Corleone in The Godfather Part II is one of cinema’s great tragic figures as well as one of the late actor’s best characters. What’s even more of a travesty is the fact that the late actor didn’t even receive an Oscar nomination for his efforts. Tragically, Cazale would never receive an Academy Award nomination prior to his shocking death in 1978.

Angela Bassett (What's Love Got To Do With It?)

Angela Bassett received her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Go to Do with It?, but the miraculous turn as one of American music’s most famous and influential figures didn’t earn her a Best Actress win. 

Edward Norton (American History X)

Reformed neo-Nazi Derek Vinyard is one of Edward Norton’s most controversial and complex characters of his career, and the American History X performance earned him a Best Actor nod at the 71st Academy Awards. However, Roberto Benigni from Life Is Beautiful ran away with the top acting prize.

Ingrid Bergman (Casablanca)

Somehow, Ingrid Bergman, who was astonishing as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca, not only didn’t win Best Actress at the 16th Academy Awards, she wasn’t even nominated for her iconic portrayal of a woman caught between two men and two different lives in the 1943 black-and-white classic.

Paul Giamatti (Sideways)

In a perfect world, Paul Giamatti would have won the Oscar for Best Actor in Alexander Payne’s Sideways, but alas, that is not the reality in which we live. Miles Raymond is one of Giamiatti’s best characters and carried the movie about two friends on a wine trip they’ll never forget.

Henry Fonda (12 Angry Men)

An amazing courtroom drama, 12 Angry Men is still arguably one of the best movies of all time. While its star, Henry Fonda, received a Best Picture nomination as a producer, his dynamic and rich portrayal of a juror who insisted on getting things right didn’t earn him an acting nod, which is a real miscarriage of justice.

John Goodman (The Big Lebowski)

You can add John Goodman to the list of great actors who have never received an Oscar nomination, which just doesn’t make sense. It’s especially maddening when you consider his legendary portrayal of Walter Sobchak in The Big Lebowski, a character loosely based on John Milius, per Far Out Magazine.

Joaquin Phoenix (Walk The Line)

Joaquin Phoenix has since won an Oscar, but his portrayal of Johnny Cash in James Mangold’s 2005 biographical drama, Walk the Line, was more than deserving of the top acting prize at the Academy Awards. What’s interesting is the fact that Phoenix was beat by his future The Master co-star, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won for his take on Truman Capote in Bennett Miller’s Capote.

Ellen Burstyn (Requiem For A Dream)

A little more 25 years after winning an Academy Award for Best Actress thanks to her outstanding performance in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Ellen Burstyn had another shot at capturing an Oscar with her turn as Sara Goldfarb in Requiem for a Dream. Her take on a woman battling unchecked depression, anxiety, and a diet of weight loss pills gave audiences one of the most incredible and sympathetic characters of the early 21st century. Unfortunately, this also happened to be the same year Erin Brockovich was released. 

Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood)

There Will Be Blood is remembered more than a half-decade after its release because of the Academy Award-winning performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, but one of the three-time Oscar winner’s castmates was also deserving of recognition. Paul Dano’s Eli Sunday (he also played the smaller part of Eli’s twin brother, Paul) is one of the more fascinating characters of modern cinema, and he should have received an Oscar for his troubles. Dynamic is an understatement for this overzealous, petty, and temperamental preacher.

Robert Shaw (Jaws)

Steven Spielberg’s 1975 summer blockbuster, Jaws, won three Academy Awards – Best Filming Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, and Best Sound – but Robert Shaw, who acted his tail off as the boat captain, Quint, wasn’t recognized. This shameful act by the Academy, especially after watching the USS Indianapolis monologue, still stings nearly 50 years after the fact. That scene alone deserved a Best Supporting Actor nomination and win.

Many of these actors won an Academy Award either before or after these movies and performances we just covered, but it’s just wild to think about how some of these roles didn’t take home the big prize at the Oscars.

Blaxploitation is back, baby! But honestly, did it ever really go away? Well, maybe not, but there was an absolute explosion of blaxploitation films back in the 1970s. Some notable movies in that time period would be flicks like Super Fly (Not to be confused with the one in the animated feature Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem), Trouble Man, and the one that may have started it all, Melvin Van Peebles’ own Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.    

But, here’s the thing. While blaxploitation may not have gone away completely, there seems to be a resurgence of it over the past few years or so. So much so that it got us thinking about some of the awesome more modern flicks that may have callbacks to blaxploitation movies of the ‘70s. Now, some of these movies are more modern than others, but all of them feel like they may have gotten some inspiration or other from the blaxploitation movies of the ‘70s.  

Oh, and R.I.P. to Richard Roundtree. He was one bad mother–shut yah mouth! I’m just talking about Richard Roundtree! (Then we can dig it!)    

They Cloned Tyrone - Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde 

Directed by Juel Taylor, They Cloned Tyrone, which CinemaBlend’s own Nick Venable called “clever” in his positive review, is a blast and a half. Labeled as a sci-fi comedy mystery and starring John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx, They Cloned Tyrone is about getting to the truth of a government conspiracy involving cloning, but it also sprinkles in some hefty blaxploitation elements for good measure. 

And, being a forward-thinking blaxploitation film, it plays with tropes and archetypes, like the drug dealer, the pimp, and the prostitute, in ways that feel totally unique. Don’t partake in the fried chicken and grape drink!   

While watching the film, it made me think about the 1976 horror movie, Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde. Directed by William Crain, and starring Bernie Casey and Rosalind Cash (who is also in one of the better I Am Legend adaptations, The Omega Man), Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde reminds me a lot of They Cloned Tyrone through its sci-fi premise, and its campy tone. In this movie, a scientist (Casey) is trying to heal a colleague, but it backfires and it turns him into a white monster who goes on a killing spree.    

What gives me the They Cloned Tyrone-vibes is that the killing spree takes place in the neighborhood where he kills the pimps and prostitutes who roam the streets. It’s an interesting take on a familiar story, and one that I find fascinating when compared to a modern flick like They Cloned Tyrone, which sees racism in a somewhat cheekier tone.  

Jackie Brown - Coffy  

Honestly, could I have written a list about modern blaxploitation movies without including Quentin Tarantino? In one of Tarantino’s best movies, Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, and a whole slew of others (like Breaking Bad star, Robert Forster!) star in this crime film based on an Elmore Leonard novel. 

The story concerns a flight attendant (Grier) who gets picked up by the cops for smuggling in money for her boss (Jackson). The cops are looking to take down her boss, and want to use her as bait, but Jackie’s all like, nuh-huh. How about I take this money instead for myself?    

Obviously, Jackie Brown is a homage to movies like Foxy Brown, and Coffy, which also starred Pam Grier, and in a lot of ways, Pam Grier in Jackie Brown feels like an all-grown up version of Coffy or Foxy. I liken Coffy as the closer film to Jackie Brown though, as the rage Grier's character feels in that movie simmers more than it does in Foxy Brown. 

Eventually, it all boils over and Pam Grier’s character decides that she’s done playing nice, just like she does in Jackie Brown. In that way, Jackie Brown feels like a blaxploitation film in the ‘90s. I love it.  

Django Unchained - Shaft 

Okay, so while Django Unchained isn’t exactly a blaxploitation film (It’s more of a revisionist western), I do feel there are blaxploitation elements in it that make it stand out as such. The film is about a slave (played by Jamie Foxx) who bands with a bounty hunter (played by the Academy Award-winning, Christoph Waltz), to bag some outlaws, and then work together to rescue Django’s wife (played by Kerry Washington). 

Now, for me, Django’s character has John Shaft written all over him. John Shaft was the kind of man who wouldn’t take crap from nobody, and would shoot you if you deserved it. The action is much bloodier in Django, but I’m not alone in seeing the Shaft connection, as Tarantino himself considers Django Unchained to be a prequel to Shaft. So, uh, yeah. That’s worth mentioning.    

Barbershop - Car Wash 

Barbershop is another one of those “not-really-a-blaxploitation-film” sort of movies like Django, but I definitely feel elements of the subgenre coursing throughout its veins. Starring Ice Cube, Eve, and many others, Barbershop is basically about the daily lives of barbers, and the clients who come into their shop. 

Given that barbershops are often a cornerstone in urban neighborhoods, we get various conversations that feel more like actual interactions rather than dialogue. 

And, argue with me all you want, but even though Car Wash is not “technically” a blaxploitation film, I definitely feel it is blaxploitation-adjacent in that it featured a predominantly Black cast, racial issues of the day, and also a banging soundtrack to help drive its narrative. 

The realistic repartee also makes me think of Barbershop. In fact, it’s films like Barbershop and Car Wash that always make me feel like the blaxploitation subgenre was so much more than just jive talking and karate chops.  

Black Dynamite - Dolemite  

Speaking of jive talking and karate chops, I of course have to mention a film that was parodying (lovingly, of course) those very same elements in the wonderful Black Dynamite. Starring Michael Jai White (who despite what both him – and you, apparently – think, was awesome in Spawn), the film centers around a martial arts master (White) seeking revenge against “The Man” after they kill his brother. It’s ridiculous, and it’s hilarious.   

Kind of like the movie Dolemite, which was a clear inspiration for Black Dynamite. If you want to learn more about Rudy Ray Moore who was the real Dolemite, then do yourself a favor and watch Netflix’s excellent Dolemite Is My Name. You’ll see the parallels between Dolemite and Black Dynamite really quickly.    

BlacKkKlansman - Brotherhood Of Death 

Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman is an interesting case in that it’s not a blaxploitation film, but one could argue (and others have) that it calls back to the vibe and feeling of blaxploitation movies to make points about our present. The film is about a Black detective who works with a fellow (and white) officer to expose the KKK for who they truly are underneath their hoods.   

I’m going to hit you with an obscure one when I connect BlacKkKlansman to the oft-forgotten movie Brotherhood of Death, which is about three Black men who return from Vietnam only to have to come up against the KKK. 

The blaxploitation vibes I felt in BlacKkKlansman went deeper than just the afro and music, as it also flowed into the way the KKK members were portrayed, which was as goofballs with their thumbs up their asses. You get a lot of that in Brotherhood of Death as well. But with more traps and firepower, because why the hell not? Stick it to the Klan!  

Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus - Ganja & Hess 

Speaking of Spike Lee, his 2014 movie, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, is actually based off of a blaxploitation film called Ganja & Hess. Both movies are about vampires, of sorts, but Spike Lee being Spike Lee adds a great deal of subtext about desire and lust, in all their many forms. 

The original movie has a similar plot, but a really dreamy, atmospheric tone. It was directed by Bill Gunn, and is definitely a horror movie, but not in the same vein as something like, say, Blacula. 

There may be Blaxploitation scholars out there who would not specifically categorize Ganja & Hess as blaxploitation at all, but I feel like it builds off of those elements to create something wholly unique, just as Spike Lee did with Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. One might say the blood of blaxploitation is in both of their DNA. 

Candyman - Blacula  

Last but not least, I wanted to close on the supernatural gothic horror film Candyman, which is far removed from being a blaxploitation movie. 

And yet… I still can’t help but draw comparisons to Blacula, which starred the original tortured soul, Prince Mamuwalde. Blacula’s origin comes when Dracula refuses to help end the slave trade, and turns his back on him, which just leads me back to the idea that blaxploitation, while fun in many ways, also always had something to say in regards to oppression and the Black community. At least the everlasting blaxploitation films anyway. 

In many ways, we would likely not have a Candyman if not for “Dracula’s soul brother,” which just leads me to surmise that blaxploitation is alive and well and still weaves its way into the very fabric of Black cinema, even today.

But, what are your thoughts? Have you seen all of these films? For more news on all things cinema, be sure to swing around here often. 

Quentin Tarantino is a writer and director who clearly has no problems with violence going to extremes. Many of his movies include significant blood throughout their runtimes or include scenes that have become famous for their levels of intensity. Django Unchained certainly has its share of brutal violence, but apparently, the movie could have gone even harder, but Tarantino changed his mind about including a rape scene, apparently at the last minute.

The Daily Beast has excerpts from Kerry Washington’s new memoir Thicker Than Water in which the actress reveals that the original script for Django included what she calls a “terrifyingly brutal rape scene," one she had true reservations about being part of. But when it came time to actually shoot the scene, Tarantino instead wrapped the shoot for the day. It seems Washington still doesn’t know why the scene was cut, though she was very glad it was. She explained…

It doesn’t sound like Washington ever voiced her concerns to Tarantino directly, which makes it a very interesting question why the scene was cut. What's more, this decision was seemingly made on the day the scene was to be shot. 

Washington wonders if there was a conversation between Tarantino and Foxx about the scene. Maybe the two had been talking about whether it was really necessary. Or did the director decide himself that the movie just didn’t need it? Based on the level of violence that Django Unchained was comfortable with, which Will Smith has said is the reason he turned down the movie, the scene wouldn’t have felt out of place. And it may have been one of the most violent sequences in the movie.

It sounds like Django Unchained went through a lot of changes from page to screen. Samuel L. Jackson has talked about scenes of his that were cut as well. Zoe Bell has mentioned a fight scene her character was supposed to have that never happened. Perhaps the assault scene was simply one change among others. Or some of the other changes led to this scene not being needed.

Actors are certainly no strangers to being asked to do extreme things, but for Washington, who admits in the book to having been sexually violated by a friend as a child, it may have been that much tougher to go through a scene that would have put her through such an experience.

We can say with certainty that the assault scene wasn’t necessary. As our original Django Unchained review stated, it is still a great film, and there’s no feeling that any moment is missing from it. 

Kanye West has been getting a lot of in the media lately over his various controversies, with the rapper having particularly garnered a lot of backlash over his anti-Semitic remarks, as well as being at the center of a $250 million lawsuit after making false statements about George Floyd. Additionally, West said earlier this week that he came up with the idea for Django Unchained, and Quentin Tarantino, the filmmaker behind the 2012 movie, has responded to these claims.

While speaking with Piers Morgan, Kanye West alleged that he pitched a similar premise to what ended up being Django Unchained while he was brainstorming the music video for his 2005 song “Gold Digger,” which featured Jamie Foxx, the lead actor in the Tarantino-helmed movie (who was brought in after Will Smith turned the role down). During his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Tarantino made it clear that he conceived Django Unchained before he ever met West, who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021. As Tarantino explained:

So Kanye West did meet with Quentin Tarantino over a decade and a half ago to see if he was interested in directing a film adaptation of the “Gold Digger” track from his 2004 album The College Dropout. However, as Tarantino made quite clear, it’s not like these two met up, West pitched the Django Unchained-like idea to Tarantino, and then Tarantino decided to steal the idea for himself. While the writer/director didn’t finish the Django Unchained script until 2011, he had the idea bouncing around in his head for a long time, even before West came into his sphere.

Quentin Tarantino went on to tell Jimmy Kimmel about what Kanye West had specifically pitched him about his vision for the “movie” version of “Gold Digger” during their meeting, saying:

In the end, not only did Hype Williams, one of Kanye West’s frequent collaborators, direct the “Gold Digger” music video, but they ended up going a different route with it. Rather than using the slave narrative, the video instead showed West and Jamie Foxx belting out their vocals as various pin-up girls appeared, and musical artists Consequence and John Legend also cameoed. The music video came out in summer 2005 (followed by its YouTube debut in June 2009), and then on December 25, 2012, Django Unchained was released to the masses, with Jamie Foxx’s title character bounty hunting with Christoph Waltz’s Dr. King Schultz and seeking to reunite with his wife Hildi, played by Kerry Washington.

Django Unchained proved to be a critical and commercial success, with its accolades in the former category including winning two Academy Awards, and at one time there’d been plans to make a Django/Zorro crossover movie. Quentin Tarantino’s last movie was 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and while he still hasn’t announced what his tenth and final movie will be, he’s promised it won’t be about his own life. As for Kanye West, he recently returned to Instagram with jokes after he was escorted out of Skechers’ offices. 

Quentin Tarantino’s career as a writer and director is one of those instances where the projects that haven't gotten made are nearly as intriguing as what did make it onto the big screen. In recent years, Tarantino’s Star Trek “gangster movie” is the one that’s gotten the most attention, as it went from a potential upcoming movie to a script sitting on a shelf. That’s now changed, as comedian/writer Jerrod Carmichael has told some new stories about working on the once-teased Django Unchained/Zorro crossover that ultimately never came to be. 

Carmichael fleshed out the story of his time working with Quentin Tarantino on the potential sequel in a recent interview. Telling stories about hanging out at parties with the Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood writer/director, some wild tales came up. Divulging details of this time in his life, Jerrod Carmichael laid out the following to GQ: 

It’s pretty much assured at this point that if you work with Quentin, you’re going to get some amazing experiences whether or not your movie goes into production. Writer Mark L. Smith provided further proof to that point, as his work co-writing the Star Trek script we mentioned previously saw Tarantino acting out gangster scenes as a result. 

After Jerrod Carmichael's new round of hyping of Django/Zorro's script through such stories, fans are probably more curious than ever about what could have been.  Especially as the comedian has labeled this concept as a "$500 million film," and even The Mask of Zorro's Antonio Banderas was sold after being pitched by Tarantino himself.

At this point, it’s highly unlikely that Quentin Tarantino will make any sequel to his hit film Django Unchained. With his tenth and final film reportedly looming, the auteur’s retirement could result in one of three movies Tarantino still wants to make. None of the projects mentioned involve Django/Zorro, and even  Jerrod Carmichael’s enthusiasm seems to indicate that the ball is in Sony’s court for any potential movement. 

Still, it’s not like the writer/director of The Hateful Eight is against others filming his scripts. Quentin Tarantino even said as much when he said he wouldn’t direct his Star Trek pitch. Perhaps with a willing studio, the right director, and Jerrod Carmichael’s continued involvement, Django/Zorro might ride into theaters. In which case, let’s hope the Antonio Banderas variant of the legendary swordsman still teams up with Jamie Foxx’s vengeful bounty hunter!

The next project fans should expect from Quentin Tarantino is his cinematic history/memoir book Cinema Speculation, which is set to be released on November 1st. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for where to stream Jerrod Carmichael’s work, that information is readily available at your leisure. 

For decades, Samuel L. Jackson fans have been championing him to win an Oscar for his amazing work. Of course, Jackson finally received his well-deserved Honorary Oscar before this year’s ceremony, but many fans have argued that he should’ve won for his role as the foul-mouthed Jules Winnfield in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 masterpiece Pulp Fiction. In the Oscar winner’s opinion, there’s another Tarantino film he should’ve been nominated for - 2012’s Django Unchained. A decade after that movie's release, Jackson was honest about that Oscar snub for the Western film.

For moviegoers, the MCU star’s turn as the self-hating Stephen Warren was one of the highlights of the controversial film. Some viewers thought Jackson would receive only his second Oscar nomination in his storied career. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out. The Paws of Fury actor mentioned to The Los Angeles Times that his work with the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood director gave him plenty of opportunities to score multiple Oscar nominations or wins. With Django Unchained’s Stephen, Jackson felt like his best shot for a disturbing reason:

Looking at the Academy Awards’ history, the Hollywood star wasn’t wrong. Denzel Washington and Forest Whittaker didn’t win their well-deserved Oscars until they played downright despicable characters in Training Day and The Last King of Scotland, respectively. Some Oscar wins from Black actors and actresses haven’t been the most positive representation of Black culture, but in recent years, the tide has changed as performers are being nominated and winning for more well-rounded roles.

Chasing an Oscar was never Samuel L. Jackson’s focus, as he just wanted to make movies for viewers to “get out of themselves.” Of course, the infamous “Popular Film” Oscar was mentioned, and he felt the award should’ve been implemented as a way to acknowledge popularity and artistry could share the same space. But the awards ceremony was already a popularity contest, according to Jackson. He revisited losing the Best Supporting Actor Oscar to Hollywood legend Martin Landau led to that rude awakening.

Many film buffs and Oscar watchers have acknowledged that most Oscar wins are a culmination of a body of work rather than a single performance. Landau was four decades into his career when he won for playing the outlandish Bela Lugosi in the biopic Ed Wood. The same thing happened when Al Pacino won for Scent of a Woman over Washington’s acclaimed performance in Malcolm X.

Of course, now, Samuel L. Jackson has an Oscar to put on his mantle. Not that having one hasn’t hurt his career either as seen in the plethora of Marvel and non-Marvel projects the iconic actor has coming out over the next few years. In the meantime, viewers can hear him in Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank when it arrives in theaters on July 15.

Even the most innocent and forgiving souls can understand the feeling of wanting to punish those who have treated them wrong, which is why revenge movies like John Wick, star and director Dev Patel's Monkey Man, and other classic tales of characters getting the revenge they deserve are so appealing. Of course, the concept alone is so simple and so familiar that only a handful of films have managed to pull off a truly unique and captivating take on the matter, and we believe we have compiled the best revenge movies that are now available on streaming, for digital rental, or to purchase on physical media.

Django Unchained (2012)

In the pre-Civil War South, a Black man (Jamie Foxx) is freed and enlisted for help by a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) who teaches him the tricks of the trade.

Why it is one of the best revenge movies: Even before the plot to rescue Django’s wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), from Calvin Candie’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) plantation kicks in, watching Django Unchained’s title character punish those who tormented him during his enslavement already makes Quentin Tarantino’s Academy Award winner one of the best Western movies of all time.

Stream Django Unchained on Starz.
Rent or buy Django Unchained on Amazon.
Buy Django Unchained on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Promising Young Woman (2020)

A medical school dropout (Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan) conspires against the people involved with a personal tragedy that continues to haunt her. 

Why it is one of the best revenge movies: Emerald Fennell earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for feature-length directorial debut, Promising Young Woman – a clever, twisted vigilante story.

Stream Promising Young Woman on Peacock.
Rent or buy Promising Young Woman on Amazon.
Buy Promising Young Woman on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Gift (2015)

A man (Jason Bateman) sees his life begin to unravel after he and his wife (Rebecca Hall) run into a man from his past (Joel Edgerton).

Why it is one of the best revenge movies: Without giving too much away, The Gift – also Edgerton’s feature-length directorial debut – is not your typical revenge story, due the fact that it does not reveal itself to be one early on and keeps you guessing over who to root for throughout.

Stream The Gift on Netflix.
Rent or buy The Gift on Amazon.
Buy The Gift on Blu-ray on Amazon.

9 To 5 (1980)

Three office workers (Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton) decide to show their “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” of a manager (Dabney Coleman) who’s boss.

Why it is one of the best revenge movies: Anyone who ever had a boss who was a nightmare to work with will surely feel the gratification they longed for by seeing how the leading ladies in the hilarious 9 to 5 deal with their workplace frustrations.

Rent or buy 9 to 5 on Amazon.
Buy 9 to 5 on DVD on Amazon.

The Fugitive (1993)

A former surgeon (Academy Award nominee Harrison Ford) wrongly convicted of his wife’s murder goes on the run in search of the truth. 

Why it is one of the best revenge movies: Ford’s Dr. Richard Kimble goes to unimaginable lengths to clear his name and avenge his wife’s death in director Andrew Davis’ cinematic adaptation of the hit TV series, The Fugitive, for which Tommy Lee Jones received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Stream The Fugitive on Tubi.
Rent or buy The Fugitive on Amazon.
Buy The Fugitive on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Nightingale (2018)

An Irish woman (Aisling Franciosi) enlists the help of an Aboriginal tracker (Baykali Ganambarr) to find the sadistic colonel (Sam Claflin) who killed her husband and infant child.

Why it is one of the best revenge movies: After making her directorial debut with one of the best horror movies of its time, The Babadook, writer and director Jennifer Kent followed it up with The Nightingale – an equally (if not more) harrowing piece of historical fiction.

Rent or buy The Nightingale on Amazon.
Buy The Nightingale on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Big Fat Liar (2002)

Hoping to make up for the lies he told in the past, a teen (Frankie Muniz) sets out to prove that an even more dishonest Hollywood producer (Paul Giamatti) stole the idea for his latest movie from his writing assignment.

Why it is one of the best revenge movies: The ways Muniz’s Jason Shepherd and Amanda Bynes as his best friend, Kaylee, turn the tables on Giamatti’s Marty Wolf make Big Fat Liar one of director Shawn Levy’s funniest family films.

Stream Big Fat Liar on Netflix.
Rent or buy Big Fat Liar on Amazon.
Buy Big Fat Liar on Blu-ray on Amazon.