The Western movie genre is known for its depiction of American legends, and there are a number of great movies based on true stories of real-life figures, including cowboys and outlaws. In fact, many of the best movies in the Western genre are based on real people. In some cases, outlaws, cowboys, and other historical figures from the American West are immortalized by their depictions in famous Hollywood films.
Most of these characters were well-known before their portrayal in Western films, but their fame became far greater and much longer-lasting when they appeared in a successful movie. Some of the most timeless Western movies have helped turn moderately well-known cowboys, lawmen, or outlaws into lasting American icons. Typically, when a film manages to elevate the status of a historical figure in such a way, it’s because the movie in question was successful enough to leave an impression on audiences and make them think more about the figures portrayed in the film.
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
Robert LeRoy Parker & Harry Longabaugh
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a Western starring Paul Newman as Robert LeRoy Parker, aka Butch Cassidy, and Robert Redford as Harry Longabaugh, aka the Sundance Kid. Considered among the greatest Western movies ever made, this riotous portrayal of the two titular real-life outlaws focuses on their run from a posse after a string of infamous train robberies. They eventually fled the U.S. in the early 20th century and are believed to have been killed in a shootout with the Bolivian Army in 1908, as is depicted in the movie, but the true circumstances of their deaths are still debated today.
Tombstone (1993)
William Brocius, Johnny Ringo, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday
Tombstone is a 1993 Western that follows the true story of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, played by Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer respectively. Earp was a well-known lawman and Holliday was his close friend and associate. The film covers two infamous events involving the lawmen, The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the Earp Vendetta Ride. Earp and Holliday have been depicted in various Westerns over the years, helping them become two of the most famous cowboys and lawmen from the so-called “Wild West”. Earp came from a well-known family of lawmen, whereas Holliday was a dentist before joining Earp.
Among their enemies in the movie are two real-life outlaws, William “Curly Bill” Brocius and Johnny Ringo. Brocius and Ringo were two of the most notorious criminals in Arizona during the late 1800s. The former was killed by Wyatt Earp in a shootout, as he was in Tombstone, and Ringo is most commonly thought to have taken his own life rather than being killed by Holliday as he is in the movie. It should be noted that the exact cause of Ringo’s death remains a point of contention among modern researchers, but the most commonly held opinion is that he comitted suicide.
Chisum (1970)
John Chisum, Lawrence Murphy, Jesse Evans, Billy The Kid
Chisum is a 1970 Western film starring John Wayne as the historical cattle rancher, John Chisum. The story follows the infamous Lincoln County War, which involved several notable outlaws and cowboys, including Lawrence Murphy (Forrest Tucker), Jesse Evans (Richard Jaeckel), and Henry McCarty (Geoffrey Deuel), better known as Billy the Kid. This brutal conflict was fought for the right to dominate the trade of dry goods and cattle in Lincoln County, and both factions involved recruited a variety of outlaws and lawmen to their respective sides.
Wayne’s titular character fought on the side of the Tunstall-McSween faction, which also included Billy the Kid and the rest of the Lincoln County Regulators. Their opposition came in the form of Murphy’s hired gangs, including the Jesse Evans gang. At the end of Chisum, the conflict finishes with a fistfight between Chisum and Murphy, which results in Murphy’s death when the two men fall off a balcony. Notably, the real Murphy died of cancer in 1878, and though he and Chisum were on opposite sides of this conflict, there is no evidence of their fight ever occurring.
Young Guns (1988)
Billy The Kid, Doc Scurlock, Jose Chavez Y Chavez, Dick Brewer, & More
Young Guns is a famous Western from 1988, known for being one of the most accurate depictions of Billy the Kid’s (Emilio Estevez) life. Like Chisum, the story focuses on the Lincoln County War, but Young Guns is primarily about Billy the Kid’s involvement via a deputized posse known as the Regulators. Other known outlaws featured in the film include Doc Scurlock (Kiefer Sutherland), Jose Chavez y Chavez (Lou Diamond Phillips), and Dick Brewer (Charlie Sheen), all members of the Regulators. Billy’s involvement in the Lincoln County War included the murder of a sheriff, which led to the manhunt that resulted in his death.
Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969)
Willie Boy
Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here is a 1969 Western starring Robert Redford as Deputy Sheriff Cooper. It tells the true story of a Chemehuevi-Paiute man known as Willie Boy (Robert Blake), who fell in love with a woman named Lola (Katharine Ross). In the film, Willie Boy kills Lola’s father in self-defense after he finds out about their romance, forcing the young lovers to flee a manhunt led by Sheriff Cooper. The exact details of the real story are hard to know for certain, but Willie Boy and Lola really did flee from the law after the death of her father.
The character known as Lola in the film was really named Carlota, and she is thought to have been killed by the posse hunting her and Willie, though Willie was blamed for her death. Willie is said to have comitted suicide after ambushing the men chasing him at Ruby Mountain. Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here emphasizes the fact that Willie’s gun was not loaded when he pulled it on Sheriff Cooper just before his death, implying that he was choosing to die.