Summary

• Tombstone is a classic action/adventure Western film with complex and relatable characters, making it a great entry point to the genre.
• Unforgiven is a dark and complex film that critiques the Western genre, perfect for fans of Tombstone who appreciate complex characters like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.
• Heat is an action-packed crime epic with complex characters, similar to Tombstone, that fans of the Western genre will enjoy.

Movies like Tombstone offer viewers a look at the genre in an updated setting, making them great entry points to the world of Westerns. The 1993 film stars Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, following Russell's Wyatt Earp as he attempts to lay down his gun and settle down in Tombstone, Arizona. Unfortunately, trouble finds Wyatt, as he crosses paths with a gang of Cowboys who threaten the town. Wyatt must once again take up arms to defend himself and his family while restoring order to Tombstone.

While there are many great Westerns worth viewing, Tombstone is referred to as a "revisionist Western," a sub-genre of the Western that subverts the mythology of classical Westerns, creating more human and complex characters, as opposed to the larger-than-life heroes in the traditional Western. These complex characters are more relatable and often appeal more to modern audiences. Plenty of movies like Tombstone explore similar ideas, some of which are arguably among the best movies of all time.

Tombstone is available to stream on Hulu and MGM+

10 Unforgiven (2013)

Clint Eastwood Stars As A Retired Gunfighter

Unforgiven is the definitive revisionist Western, and one of the darkest and most complex films in the genre. Clint Eastwood directs and stars in the film, along with Richard Harris, Morgan Freeman, and Gene Hackman. Unforgiven is directly critical of the Western genre, and the types of "heroes" the films would usually explore, instead exposing the film's gunslingers for being child murderers, cowards, and cruel fearmongers. This includes lawmen who are less than honorable compared to the outlaws.

For fans of movies like Tombstone who love the complexity of Wyatt Earp or Doc Holliday, Unforgiven is a great next step. Eastwood is a retired outlaw, but when his old friend and fellow former gunslinger Ned (Freeman) is murdered, he has to pull out his guns and seek revenge, even if it means taking on the top lawman himself in Little Bill Daggert (Hackman). Unforgiven won four Oscars with nine nominations, winning for both Best Picture and Best Director for Eastwood.

9 Wyatt Earp (1994)

Kevin Costner Gives His Take On Wyatt Earp

The 1994 Western, Wyatt Earp isn't held in the same regard as Tombstone, but it explores a larger, biographical view of the life of the famed gunslinger and the other characters from the film. Instead of Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, it's Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid playing Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, respectively. Gene Hackman and Jim Caviezel also play the other Earp brothers, in a Western with a 3-hour and 32-minute run time.

For more of Earp's story and the history of the events in Tombstone, Wyatt Earp is a good continuation. The only thing that hurt Wyatt Earp's reputation was that it came out six months after Tombstone and didn't present a revisionist Western, meaning it worked well for old-school fans of the genre, but not so much for the fans that Tombstone attracted. However, it deserves a reevaluation if for nothing other than its Oscar-nominated cinematography work and Costner's always-entertaining Western experience.

8 The Untouchables (1987)

Kevin Coster Hunting Down Al Capone

The Untouchables isn't a Western, but it is a film from the same era that sees a group of men become friends, bonding over their sense of justice, to take up arms against Al Capone. Like Sam Elliot's Virgil Earp in Tombstone, The Untouchables is about men with a sense of patriotism, who want to uphold the law against corruption. While many other cops in prohibition-era Chicago accepted bribes, this team, including Kevin Costner, Andy Garcia, and Sean Connery, won't be swayed by fear or greed.

The film also has a great antagonist performance from Robert De Niro as Al Capone. In the early days of cinema, the two biggest genres were Westerns and Gangster movie. While Tombstone was a great revisionist Western, The Untouchables is a great revisionist Gangster movie. Brian De Palma turned in a success here, with the movie picking up four Oscar nominations and Sean Connery winning Best ing Actor for his performance.

7 Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)

Paul Newman & Robert Redford As The Legendary Outlaws

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a Western from 1969 and is one of the few films in the genre that can match the charisma of Tombstone's characters. While Tombstone has Russell and Kilmer, Butch and Sundance are played by the legendary Paul Newman and Robert Redford, a duo whose alluring screen presence together is unrivaled. Like with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, Butch and Sundance have a beautiful friendship, which is one of the ideas the film explores as they run from the law.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid also received six other Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.

This movie was a breakout for screenwriter William Goldman, who won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the movie. Goldman went on to write All the President's Men, Misery, and The Princess Bride. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid also received six other Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Both Redford and Newman picked up BAFTA nominations, with Redford winning for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The final shot freeze frame also remains one of the best final movie shots in history.

6 Once Upon A Time In The West (1969)

Sergio Leone's Definitive Spaghetti Western

Once Upon a Time in the West is one of the greatest films ever, and one of the best in the Western genre. From Sergio Leone, this essential spaghetti Western is an epic about the changing historical period in the Wild West, as railways began construction and the horse is about to become obsolete. Once Upon a Time in the West is a love letter to the genre, arriving in 1968 when the popularity of the Western genre was dwindling. Sergio Leone's films are more or less considered mandatory viewing for fans of Westerns, and their influence on Tombstone is clear.

Leone was planning to retire from Westerns after The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, but Henry Fonda convinced him to return to the genre for this movie. What resulted was a fantastic addition to the genre with a cast including Fonda, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, and Claudia Cardinale. The movie remains known today as one of the best Westerns ever made and in 2009, the Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry for its significance.

5 Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Kurt Russell In One Of Cinema's Most Violent Westerns

Kurt Russell has only been in a few Western films, but Bone Tomahawk is his most unique. The film is as much an ensemble Western as a disturbing horror film, with some intense and gruesome moments. Bone Tomahawk stars Russell alongside Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, and Richard Jenkins, a group of men on a mission to rescue missing people from a group of cannibals. The fact that it is a Western with cannibal villains should let fans know this isn't a movie for old-school Western fans.

Bone Tomahawk picked up two Independent Spirit Awards nominations, for Best Screenplay and Best ing Actor for Richard Jenkins.

Russell, who showed his talent in the Western genre in Tombstone, went in a very different direction with his character in Bone Tomahawk. RLJ Entertainment promoted the movie as a horror film and debuted it at Fantastic Fest in 2015. It received universal acclaim for its acting, dialogue, grittiness, and direction, with a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. Bone Tomahawk picked up two Independent Spirit Awards nominations, for Best Screenplay and Best ing Actor for Richard Jenkins.

4 The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Clint Eastwood As A Western Anti-Hero

Before Unforgiven, Clint Eastwood was exploring the revisionist Western with The Outlaw Josey Wales, a film he directed and starred in which was released in 1976. Josey Wales is a man in Civil War times who sees his family murdered by Union soldiers, causing him to enlist in the Confederate Army, and follow a path of revenge. Like Tombstone, The Outlaw Josey Wales explores ideas about revenge, with complex characters set in a Western period with a very different outlook on heroes and villains.

Unforgiven was written by Philip Kaufman, who went on to direct movies like the Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake, and someone who made his name on maverick movies and scripts. The movie was a success at the box office and during the awards season, earning a nomination for Original Music Score. The movie also remains a bonafide classic, with the Library of Congress adding it to the National Film Registry in 1996 for its historical significance.

3 Heat (1995)

Robert De Niro & Al Pacino's Crime Epic

Heat is another film that isn't a Western, but may have similar appeal to fans of movies like Tombstone. Heat is a crime epic about a detective, played by Al Pacino, in pursuit of a professional criminal, played by Robert De Niro. Among De Niro's crew is a character played by Val Kilmer, who was also one of the Tombstone. Heat is an action-packed film with complex characters, great moments of dialogue, and attention to detail that those who liked Tombstone will surely appreciate.

Shockingly, Heat didn't pick up a single Oscar nomination but remains one of the best gangster movies ever made.

The movie remains known as the first time that Oscar mainstays Pacino and De Niro appeared in a scene in a movie together, although they both appeared in The Godfather Part II, while never sharing a scene. Michael Mann created what might go down as his masterpiece with this movie, which made $187 million on a $60 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). Shockingly, Heat didn't pick up a single Oscar nomination but remains one of the best gangster movies ever made.

2 Young Guns (1988)

The Brat Pack In A Revisionist Western

Young Guns is a Western action movie that arrived shortly before Tombstone, starring of the infamous Brat Pack as young cowboys set on a path of revenge after their mentor is gunned down. Young Guns tells the story of Billy the Kid's adventures during the Lincoln County War in the late 1870s and is considered historically accurate concerning Billy the Kid's life story. While its characters are younger than those in Tombstone, the action and adventure deliver a similar appeal.

The allure of both movies like Tombstone and Young Guns are mostly thanks to their casts. Emilio Estevez plays Billy the Kid, while Kiefer Sutherland is "Doc," Lou Diamond Phillipos is Chavez y Chavez, and ing cast , including Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, Terence Stamp, and Jack Palance. Despite the movie's historical accuracy, and box office success, it remains mostly known as a guilty pleasure thanks to the light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek humor.

1 True History Of The Kelly Gang (2019)

The Life Of Bushranger Outlaw Ned Kelly

Starring George MacKay, Nicholas Hoult, Charlie Hunnam, Thomasin McKenzie and Russell Crowe, True History of the Kelly Gang is a fantastic modern Western. The film takes place in Australia, following a criminal gang on the run from the law in the 1870s. True History of the Kelly Gang explores ideas of family and betrayal, from an opposite point-of-view from the law-men characters in Tombstone. By telling the story from the outlaw's side of the tale, it is similar to movies like Bucth Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Ned Kelly is a real-life bushranger whose father died when he was only 12, and he ended up being raised and trained by a bushranger named Harry Power (Crowe). He ended up becoming an outlaw when he shot a constable (Hoult) who attacked a woman and things escalated quickly from there when he put together his gang while on the run. A revisionist Western that fans of Tombstone are bound to enjoy, True History of the Kelly Gan shows the outlaws as sympathetic figures in the face of corrupt law enforcement.