This year, CBS Films’ “Hell or High Water” is hoping to join the esteemed list of movie westerns that won Best Picture at the Oscars. Directed by David Mackenzie, “Hell or High Water” is heading into the 2017 Oscars with four total nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Jeff Bridges, Best Original Screenplay for Taylor Sheridan and Best Film Editing for Jake Roberts. But will it ride off into the sunset with the top prize? Click through our photo gallery above that highlights all the westerns that won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
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“No Country for Old Men” (2007), the Coen brothers‘ modern-day violent western, is the latest such film to win Best Picture. Before that, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in “Unforgiven” (1992), the last true western to prevail at the Oscars.
“Dances with Wolves” (1990) is next on the list, from actor/director Kevin Costner. Surprisingly, even though westerns helped put Hollywood on the map, only one movie from the early days of cinema scored with Oscar voters: “Cimarron” (1930-31).
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According to Gold Derby’s Oscar experts from major media outlets, the best chance for “Hell or High Water” to win is in the supporting actor category. Bridges has 1/16 odds to prevail, just behind current frontrunner Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight”). And the film is in third place for Best Original Screenplay with odds of 50/1, behind both “Manchester by the Sea” and “La La Land.”
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