From classics by John Ford, Budd Boetticher, and Anthony Mann to a Korean gem, the genre has proven to be ever-elastic as a vehicle for some of cinema's deepest ideas. “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” If any eight words could sum up the best Western movies in their entirety, it’s those from “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.”

Western films are diverse, encompassing several subgenres that highlight different aspects of the frontier experience. Here’s a brief overview of all the most prevalent subgenres: Classic Westerns are very traditional with explicit, overtly defined protagonists and antagonists, precise moral dichotomies and straightforward, tidy narratives.

Actors have also made their name starring in Western films, including Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, James Stewart and Jeff Bridges, to name a few.

As one of the longest-running American genres, Westerns continue to hold their reign with films like ‘True Grit,’ ‘Tombstone’ and ‘Django Unchained.’ Western films have been a staple of American cinema for practically as long as movies have been made.