This epic Western was the first feature film that Kevin Costner directed. He also starred in, and produced, this film that was adapted from the 1988 novel Dances With Wolves, by Michael Blake. The story follows Civil War Lieutenant John Dunbar (Costner) to a remote Dakota frontier post seeking solitude after being wounded in the war. He abandons his post to live among a nearby Lakota Sioux tribe and earns the name Dances with Wolves through friendship, romance with adopted white woman Stands With a Fist, and a bond with a wolf, Two Socks. The US Army sees Dunbar as a traitor, forcing him to leave the tribe to avoid bringing military wrath down upon them.

This movie was filmed in South Dakota and Wyoming with much of the dialogue in Lakota with English subtitles. It was both a box office hit and critically acclaimed, being nominated for 12 Academy Awards and winning seven, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Sound Mixing. It is one of only four Westerns to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

Rating: PG-13

Length: 3h 1m

Pricing:
FREE for Museum Members. Not a Member? Join
FREE with Museum Admission
$10 for program attendance only (does not include further admittance to the museum/galleries)

Rating: R

Length: 2h 1m

Pricing:
FREE for Museum Members. Not a Member? Join
FREE with Museum Admission
$10 for program attendance only (does not include further admittance to the museum/galleries)

This Western directed by, and starring Mario Van Peebles, follows a group of African-American Buffalo Soldiers in 1898 who, after stealing a cache of gold from their corrupt officer in Cuba, return to the United States. They navigate the frontier to defend a Black town from the KKK, battling systemic racism and a vengeful cavalry pursuit. The story is framed as a flashback narrated by an old man aiming to highlight the untold role of Black settlers and gunslingers in the old American West.

Rating: R

Length: 1h 51m

Pricing:
FREE for Museum Members. Not a Member? Join
FREE with Museum Admission
$10 for program attendance only (does not include further admittance to the museum/galleries)

This Western film, narrated by Robert Mitchum, has all-star cast including Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday in a memorable performance. Supporting actors include Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Dana Delany and Charlton Heston. Loosely based on real events, the story follows legendary lawman Wyatt Earp and his brothers as they try to retire peacefully in the boomtown of Tombstone, Arizona, only to clash with the notorious outlaw gang known as the Cowboys. This leads to the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the subsequent bloody feud that forces Earp back into a lawman’s role with his friend Doc Holliday.

Rating: R

Length: 2h 10m

Pricing:
FREE for Museum Members. Not a Member? Join
FREE with Museum Admission
$10 for program attendance only (does not include further admittance to the museum/galleries)

This historical Western chronicles the final 1885–1886 campaign of the Apache leader Geronimo (Wes Studi) as he resists US government subjugation. Narrated by a young cavalry officer, the film follows Geronimo’s escape from a reservation after broken promises, leading to his desperate pursuit by General Crook (Gene Hackman) and Lieutenant Gatewood (Jason Patric). The movie depicts the tragic end of the Apache resistance to westward expansion.

Rating: PG-13

Length: 1h 55m

Pricing:
FREE for Museum Members. Not a Member? Join
FREE with Museum Admission
$10 for program attendance only (does not include further admittance to the museum/galleries)

Directed by Walter Hill and starring Jeff Bridges as Wild Bill, this film is based on the 1978 stage play Fathers and Sons by Thomas Babe and the 1986 novel Deadwood by Pete Dexter. It is a dreamlike, flashback-heavy biographical Western focusing on the final, ailing days of legendary gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok. The film depicts his relocation to Deadwood, his reunion with Calamity Jane (Ellen Barkin), and his fatal showdown with Jack McCall (David Arquette). 

Rating: R

Length: 1h 37m

Pricing:
FREE for Museum Members. Not a Member? Join
FREE with Museum Admission
$10 for program attendance only (does not include further admittance to the museum/galleries)

Directed by Sam Raimi, this Western stars Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and Leonardo DiCaprio. The story focuses on “The Lady” (Stone), a gunfighter who rides into the frontier town of Redemption, controlled by ruthless outlaw-turned-mayor John Herod (Hackman). The Lady joins a deadly dueling competition in an attempt to exact revenge for her father’s death. The movie was filmed primarily in Arizona with the town of Redemption built at the Mescal Movie Set near Benson. Key scenes were also shot in Old Tucson Studios, the Coconino National Forest, the Kaibab National Forest, and the San Francisco Peaks.

Rating: R

Length: 1h 48m

Pricing:
FREE for Museum Members. Not a Member? Join
FREE with Museum Admission
$10 for program attendance only (does not include further admittance to the museum/galleries)