The Dacoit Western subgenre originates in Indian cinema and is sometimes referred to as a "Curry Western." It comes from a merging of the Indian genre of Dacoit films with the Western genre, specifically Spaghetti Westerns. These Westerns are typically set in contemporary rural India and their outlaws are referred to as Dacoit. The name comes from a colloquial term for those involved in criminal mischief, gang violence/thievery, and/or banditry in India. This definition of the Dacoit mirrors the outlaws found in traditional American Westerns.
The Ramen Western is a subgenre of foreign films. The name originates from the film Tampopo. The film was heavily marketed as the first "Ramen Western" upon its release. Eventually, the term came to describe films from different countries in the Asian Far East (Thailand, Japan, China, etc.). All Ramen Westerns takes place in the rural and isolated locations found across these countries. A common locale for them to be filmed in is the Eurasian Steppe region because of its vast stretches of both grasslands and desert that bears a striking resemblance to the American West.
Russian Westerns are split into two categories: Red Westerns and "Osterns." The Red Western is set in the American Old West, but they are Russian productions. The Ostern is both set and filmed in Russia. Both types of Russian Westerns share common themes that relate to the ideals and principles of the Soviet Union. Even today, the films of this subgenre will be written to align politically with the Russian Federation. Like Ramen Westerns, Russian Westerns are usually filmed in the Eurasian Steppes for their visual aesthetics.
Buffalo Boys
In nineteenth-century Java, two exiled brothers who grew up on the plains of the American Wild West, return to their rightful home to unravel the mystery of their past and avenge the brutal death of their parents.
Golden Kamuy: Season One
Following his brave deeds in the Russo-Japanese war, veteran Sugimoto hardly bats an eye at the harsh wilderness of Hokkaido. But when he stumbles across part of a treasure map, things get deadly. The map is divided among several escaped convicts, and this battle-hardened soldier isn₂t the only one who knows it. Luckily for Sugimoto, he meets Asirpa, a sharp Ainu girl who can navigate the wilds. The two make a surprisingly good team, and together, they might have a chance to find the gold.
Golden Kamuy: Volume One
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A tale of high adventure and survival! In the early twentieth century, Russo-Japanese War veteran Saichi Sugimoto searches the wilderness of Hokkaido for a hoard of hidden gold. With only a cryptic map and a native Ainu girl to help him, Saichi must also deal with every murderous cutthroat, bandit and rogue who knows about the treasure! In the early twentieth century, Russo-Japanese War veteran Saichi "Immortal" Sugimoto scratches out a meager existence during the postwar gold rush in the wilderness of Hokkaido. When he stumbles across a map to a fortune in hidden Ainu gold, he sets off on a treacherous quest to find it. But Sugimoto is not the only interested party, and everyone who knows about the gold will kill to possess it! Faced with the harsh conditions of the northern wilderness, ruthless criminals and rogue Japanese soldiers, Sugimoto will need all his skills and luck--and the help of an Ainu girl named Asirpa--to survive.
The Good, the Bad, and the Weird
It's 1930s Manchuria, and greed is in the air. A manic outlaw, a nasty holy man, and a determined bounty hunter are all in hot pursuit of a treasure map. Throw in Chinese gangsters, the Japanese army, and other rival factions also in pursuit of the invaluable map, and it all comes down to a big showdown in the desert.
Let the Bullets Fly
Set in China during the warring 1920s, notorious bandit chief Zhang descends upon a remote provincial town posing as its new mayor, an identity that he had hijacked from Old Tang, who was a small-time imposter. Bent on making a fast buck, Zhang soon meets his match in the tyrannical local gentry Huang as a deadly battle of wit and brutality ensues.
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts
In the deserted hills of an Indonesian island, Marlina, a young widow, is attacked and robbed of all her livestock by a gang of seven bandits. She then defends herself, setting out on a journey to find justice, empowerment, retribution and redemption. But the road is long, especially when she begins to be haunted by the ghost of her victim.
Millionaires' Express
Ching Foon-tin is a former outlaw with a wild scheme to make amends with the citizens of his struggling hometown of Hanshui: explosively derail a brand new luxury express train en route from Shanghai so that its super-rich passengers will have no choice but to spend money in the town. He's not the only one with eyes on the passengers' deep pockets, however; a gang of ruthless bank-robbing bandits are on the way, looking for a priceless map being guarded by a trio of Japanese samurai.
Prisoners of the Ghostland
In the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town, a ruthless bank robber is sprung from jail by a wealthy warlord, The Governor, whose adopted granddaughter Bernice has run away. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within five days if he doesn₂t find the missing girl, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman, and his own path to redemption.
Sukiyaki Western Django
In this action-packed Western, a nameless gunfighter arrives in a town ripped apart by rival gangs and, though courted by both to join, chooses his own path.
Tampopo
The tale of an eccentric band of culinary ronin who guide the widow of a noodle shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe.
Highway
Right before her wedding, a wealthy young woman finds herself abducted by Mahavir and held for ransom. As the initial days pass, she begins to develop a strange bond with her kidnapper. Is she on a highway leading to hell - or away?
Mother India
Depicts, through one woman's life from marriage to old age, the joys and tragedies of village life in rural India.
Phoolan Devi, Rebel Queen
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Phoolan Devi rebelled against the ancient caste rules of India, her country, resulting in her becoming a Robin Hood type bandit. Essentially sold at the age of 11 to become a wife for a much older man, she ran away when he raped her. From that point on, there were few choices for her but to join a roaming gang of bandits, her ambition leading her to become their rebel chief. Ultimately, she became a strong voice for change as a representative in the nascent Indian parliament. A story of courage and unbending determination in front of centuries of established inequities in the classic Indian caste system.
Sholay
In this film, India's best-known "curry" western, two adventurous crooks are hired by ex-cop, Thakur, to hunt down the dreaded dacoit Gabbar Singh who massacred Thakur's family.
Dry Summer
Metin Erksan's wallop of a melodrama follows the machinations of an unrepentantly selfish tobacco farmer who builds a dam to prevent water from flowing downhill to his neighbors' crops. Alongside this tale of soul-devouring competition is one of overheated desire, as a love triangle develops between the farmer, his more decent brother, and the beautiful villager the later takes as his bride.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
The first Iranian Vampire Western ever made. A joyful mash up of genre, archetype, and iconography, its prolific influences span spaghetti westerns, graphic novels, horror films and the Iranian New Wave.
Law of the Border
An elemental tale of smugglers contending with a changing social landscape, this neo-western centers on a quiet man who finds himself pitted against his fellow outlaws.
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
In the dead of night, a group of men - among them, a police commissioner, a prosecuter, a doctor and a murder suspect - drive through the Anatolian countryside, the serpentine roads and rolling hills lit only by the headlights of the cars. They are searching for a corpse, the victim of a brutal murder. The suspect, who claims he was drunk, can't remember where he buried the body. As night wears on, details about the murder emerge and the investigators' own hidden secrets come to light. In the Anatolian steppes, nothing is what it seems, and when the body is found, the real questions begin.
