Relatively few Western movies were made in the decade of the 1990s. However, a few very good westerns were made in that decade. Here is a list of the top 6 westerns of the 1990s.
Number 6: “Conagher” (1991). Sam Elliott stars as the title character. He plays a rough, but honest cowboy and ranch hand. He defends a small ranch against the aggression of a larger ranch owner and also befriends a local widow and her young boy.
Number 5: “Wyatt Earp” (1994). A retelling of the story of the gunfight at the OK Corral. This time, Kevin Costner plays the title Marshall as he fights the band of Clanton and McLaury gang.
Number 4: “Tombstone (1993). This is yet another depiction of the gunfight at the OK Corral. This time, Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer play Marshal Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday as they defend the town of Tombstone from the dreaded gang.
Number 3: “Maverick” (1994). A light hearted portrayal of the classic western series of the same name, Mel Gibson plays Brett Maverick. Maverick is a gambler who makes a living traveling the West in search of poker games in which to play. This is Mel Gibson’s only western.
Number 2: “Dances with Wolves” (1990). Kevin Costner stars as Lieutenant John Dunbar during the American Civil War. Dunbar is assigned to man a distant outpost in the wilds of the American West. Once he arrives, he finds the fort unmanned and he is alone. He slowly transforms from an officer in the Union army into a friend of a nearby Indian tribe. Slowly, he leaves his white identity and joins the Indian tribe as a trusted member and friend.
Number 1: “The Unforgiven” (1992). Clint Eastwood stars as Will Muny, a retired killer and outlaw. He married a Christian woman and tried to go straight. After his wife died, he was left with his two children and for their sakes, tried to stay clean. He is approached by a gunfighter who offers him a chance at one last job. He and his friend join with the gunfighter and travel to a small town to collect a bounty on two cowboys. During the ensuing gun battles, Will Muny’s true nature as a blood thirsty killer comes out.
While the 1990s were a low point in the Western genre, the movies above were certainly among the best westerns ever made.