Awesome

"It's not a Western." What nonsense! It certainly is a Western, and a surprisingly good one.

You just think you don't like Westerns, just like I thought I didn't like Tom Selleck movies. The only difference between us is, I'm not trying to persuade myself this isn't a Tom Selleck movie.

I think you may be defining "Western" as only encompassing traditional or classic Westerns.

Quigley Down Under is a Contemporary Western. It contains most of the essential ingredients of any Western, the most important being:

1.) A semi-nomadic stranger who goes from place to place looking for temporary or seasonal work (Cowboy), with no intentions of hanging around after the job is done. (This could also apply to the bad guys, looking for the next train, bank etc. robbery.)

2.)The characters sole possessions can be slung over his shoulder. They usually consist of clothes, a bedroll, a gun or two, and if not a horse at least the saddle.

3.)Westerns are morality tales. There are good guys and bad guys, with no grey areas or ambiguities as to who's who.

A often overlooked but magnificent Western which doesn't fit the traditional mold either and is often overlooked is Broken Trail http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482857/ . Watch this one on DVD, it has it all.

I don't consider it a western. Hate them. This movie is much like Dances with Wolves (some folks call that a western too, but it ain't).

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