Blackthorn 2011
Directed by Mateo Gil
Starring: Sam Sherpard, Eduardo Noriega

It's been said that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were killed in a standoff with the Bolivian military in 1908. In BLACKTHORN, Cassidy (Sam Shepard) survived and is quietly living out his years under the name James Blackthorn in a secluded Bolivian village. Tired of his long exile from the U.S. and hoping to see his family again before he dies, Cassidy sets out on the long journey home. But when an unexpected encounter with an ambitious young criminal (Eduardo Noriega) derails his plans, he is thrust into one last adventure, the likes of which he hasn't experienced since his glory days with the Sundance Kid.(Magnolia Home Entertainment)

Cowboys & Aliens 2011
Directed by John Favreau
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford

Cowboys & Aliens fuses rip-snortin' horse opera with some whiz-bang sci-fi, melding dry and austere badlands with slimy, mucusy aliens. Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig, of James Bond fame) wakes up in the midst of sagebrush with a mysterious gadget around his wrist and no idea who he is--but he sure does remember how to take care of the bounty hunters who want to bring him in. His path soon crosses with a ruthless cattle baron named Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford, of Indiana Jones fame), who's not too happy with Lonergan, who got Dolarhyde's son in trouble. But their fracas becomes beside the point when spaceships descend and start lassoing people like cattle. The humans, including a mysterious woman (Olivia Wilde, Tron), a Native American tribe, and some snaggletoothed outlaws, band together to fight off this invasion from another world. The first two-thirds of Cowboys & Aliens is peppy fun, with its tongue-in-cheek Wild West-ness and colorful supporting cast (including Sam Rockwell, Keith Carradine, Paul Dano, and Walton Goggins) and fairly understated CGI. The last third, with the obligatory assault on the alien vessel and a mess of clichés and inconsistencies, deflates a bit, which isn't surprising given that six screenwriters were involved. Director Jon Favreau (Iron Man) does what he can to keep things lively. Fortunately, the good spirits of the first two-thirds will carry most viewers through to the end. --Bret Fetzer

Tracker 2010
Directed by Ian Sharp
Starring: Ray Winstone, Temuera Norrison

An ex-war soldier has just returned to his beloved country and is quickly sent back out to track a man accused of killing a fellow s oldier. While hunting through the country land he captures his fugitive only to learn that he’s innocent of his accused crime. When faced with the life changing decision to turn him in or set him free only one man will walk away alive. (Amazon)

A Cold Day in Hell 2011
Directed by Christopher Forbes,
Starring: Ronald Bumgardner, Kimberly Campbell

Sierra Nevada Mountains, 1887: William Drayton, once a crack sharpshooter in the Civil War, has lost his wife and home. He has ascended to the high country, wanting never to be heard from again. But someone is trying to find him -- a long-lost daughter, Elizabeth, whom Drayton thought had died long before. Meanwhile, banker-turned-robber baron Horace Scarsdale has mustered an army of cutthroats and guns for hire to help him build his railroad empire. When Drayton returns to “civilization” with his daughter and friends, he decided to make a stand against Scarsdale, his former employer. Against impossible odds, he faces down the vicious band of raiders that Scarsdale calls “The Company Men.”(Lions Gate)

True Grit 2010
Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon

True Grit is a powerful story of vengeance and valor set in an unforgiving and unpredictable frontier where justice is simple and mercy is rare. Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), is determined to avenge her father's blood by capturing Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man who shot and killed him for two pieces of gold. Just fourteen, she enlists the help of Rooster Cogburn (Academy Award® Winner Jeff Bridges), a one-eyed, trigger-happy U.S. Marshall with an affinity for drinking and hardened Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Academy Award® Winner Matt Damon) to track the fleeing Chaney. Despite their differences, their ruthless determination leads them on a perilous adventure that can only have one outcome: retribution.(Paramount Pictures)

Truce 2006
Directed by Matthew Marconi
Starring: George Kennedy, Brad Johnson

In this beautifully shot modern-day Western, an old codger struggling to save his ranch suddenly finds himself raising a granddaughter he never knew when his daughter dies. Accustomed to a solitary life, Harry Dodds (Buck Taylor) is not given to expressing his emotions, but his bright and energetic teenage charge (Samantha Droke) may yet melt his heart. Scarlett McAlister and George Kennedy co-star in this feel-good family drama. (Trixster)

The Man Who Came Back 2008
Directed by Glen Pitre
Starring: Eric Braeden, Billy Zane

Eric Braeden, Billy Zane, and Sean Young headline this traditional western about one man who stood tall against injustice in a time when corruption corroded the souls of once-decent men. His family slaughtered before his very eyes, plantation supervisor Reese Paxton (Braeden) is subsequently convicted of the crime by Judge Duke (Kennedy) and his sadistic son Billy (James Patrick Stuart) - the very men responsible for carrying out the diabolical deed. But the Dukes never expected that Paxton would return one fateful day to seek justice. When he does, not even the most powerful men in the county will be able to escape his undying wrath. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Director: Ed Harris
Starring: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen

In Marshal Virgil Cole and deputy Everett Hitchs line of work, you shoot quick, you shoot clean, and you reload straightaway. No remorse. No looking back. No feelings. Feelings get you killed. Paired as rivals in A History of Violence, Ed Harris (who also directs, produces and co-scripts) and Viggo Mortensen stand together as longtime friends and for-hire peacekeepers Cole and Hitch in this character-driven, bullet-hard Western based on Robert B. Parkers novel. As the woman who arrives in town with only a dollar and a keen sense of survival, Renée Zellweger adds feelings - things that can get you killed - to a quest to bring murderer Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) to justice. Blood will spill in the town called Appaloosa. Rogers

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Western/TV Series

The Wild Wild West, Season One 1965
Starring: Robert Conrad, Ross Martin

Relive the heroic adventures of 1870s Secret Service Agents and celebrate the 40th Anniversary of one of TV’s most popular and imaginative series. THE WILD WILD WEST takes you on the most dangerous, top-secret assignments, given to TV’s first 007s of the frontier. Fight alongside the ever-resourceful ladies’ man, Federal Agent James West (Robert Conrad) and his colorful sidekick Agent Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin). Crisscross the country in a high tech railroad car, executing impossible missions assigned to them directly from President Grant. These professional troubleshooters risk life and limb to protect the security of the United States by unraveling wicked schemes devised by an array of criminal masterminds. Amazon

538394

Centennial 1978
Starring: Richard Chamberlaine, Raymond Burr

A remarkably ambitious and engrossing project, this 1978 television miniseries ran 26-and-a-half hours, cost a then-enormous $25 million, and involved 4 directors, 5 cinematographers, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 speaking parts. Based on James Michener's panoramic bestseller about the settling of the American West--as reflected in the history of a fictional town called Centennial, Colorado--the story begins in the late 18th century and ends with a typical 20th century conflict over land usage. Centennial, however, largely concentrates on various memorable frontiersmen, trappers, Indians, ranchers, cowboys, and farmers from long ago. Richard Chamberlain shines as the pioneer Alexander McKeag, Robert Conrad does some of his best work as French-Canadian Pasquinel, and performances by Alex Karras, Chad Everett, Sally Kellerman, Raymond Burr, Richard Crenna, David Janssen, and Dennis Weaver effectively add to a tapestry of adventure, tragedy, violence, and dubious Western progress. Produced at a time when TV networks were in the throes of acknowledging America's history of racial injustice, the program paints a starkly villainous portrait of opportunists exploiting and destroying Indians in the name of manifest destiny. While the project's great length might make one wary of diving in, Centennial is the sort of carefully paced drama that makes one care about the intertwined destinies of unique characters and how they illuminate America's past. --Tom Keogh