“International Westerns”

EPISODE 023: META MOVIES

 

Featuring: The Power of the Dog (2021), Sukiyaki Western Django (2007), The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

 

In the preliminary episode of this quasi-Olympic competition for the title of best international Western, Ryan and Kevin focus on films from Korea, Japan, Italy, and New Zealand. Ranging from bombastically absurd to spiritually poetic, these global competitors exemplify ways the Western genre communicates national values, especially in regards to masculinity, imperialism/colonialism, and nostalgic mythology.