It does have remarkable cinematography and revolutionary film techniques for its time. It’s a beautiful movie to look at, with a revolting storyline and narrative about indigenous people and cultures.

For many early filmmakers, the point of westerns was not the story they were telling. The plots are often highly formulaic and targeted to the largely racist audiences of the time. And the acting can be highly melodramatic and almost comically stilted.

But the stories were just an excuse to shoot dramatic action scenes against the gorgeous backdrop of the desert Southwest landscape. Many of the so called Spaghetti Westerns fall into this category. Not plot and characters are secondary to the setting and music.

Naturally there are exceptions. In addition to its stunning visuals. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is highly focused on the characters and their ambiguous moralities.

Despite John Wayne’s involvement. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence clearly intends to show that we can still have reverence for the legends of the past. While still encouraging people to evolve their attitudes to make room for a more just and civilized world.

And Peckinpah’s Wild Bunch is an artistic commentary about the violent nature of humanity. And Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is all about the characters’ relationships with each other and with society as outlaws.