OFMD creator recommends these Westerns that tie in with his pirate show

Polygon’s most recent interview with David Jenkins, showrunner of the big gay pirates show Our Flag Means DeathIt was partly to discuss where the second season of the show seems to be heading. While season 1 was about the hapless crew of the pirate ship Revenge finding their feet as pirates and finding unexpected emotional connections they often don’t know how to navigate, season 2 brings in a new sense of outside pressure against the central characters in the form of a military assault on piracy.

“I think there’s a story of this way of life coming to an end,” Jenkins told Polygon. “There are strong forces that are going to crack down on everything, and will the family survive? Is the thing they’ve built strong enough to survive?”

Many people are astounded by how much they can accomplish. Our Flag Means Death’s central story about “gentleman pirate” Stede Bonnet and notorious killer Edward “Blackbeard” Teach is drawn from real history, Jenkins explains that season 2’s outside threats are also part of history, from the end of the era known as the Golden Age of Piracy. But there’s another connection there that may surprise viewers: Jenkins says this season has a lot in common with the classic Western story arc.

“Every Western that’s good is that story,” Jenkins says. “‘This way of life we made is coming to an end. It can’t last. It’s a blip in time. It’s a blip in time. We’re outlaws, and we need a culture that suits us, but it’s running out of time.’”

Jenkins cited a variety of Westerns which follow this theme. These ranged from classic Westerns to neo Westerns crime thrillers. Jenkins cites five Westerns that share themes with each other. They range from classics to a neo-Western crime thriller. Our Flag Means Death’s second season, as it considers the noose tightening around its characters’ necks. Here’s what they’re about, and where to stream them.

Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid

Image: 20th Century Fox Film Corporation/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis through Getty Images

What to Watch: Max

George Roy Hill’s classic revisionist Western has a lot more in common with Our Flag Means DeathIt’s more than just a theme about change or the end of an old era. It’s also a bromance about outlaws who connect to each other more than they connect to anyone else, and like This Flag, it’s inspired by real historical figures, but takes a very loose approach to portraying them on film.

Paul Newman, Robert Redford and others star as two Old West outlaws. They are old friends that get into trouble when they indulge in their own amusements for too long. Their gang begins to doubt their leadership. (A colorful crew that chafes under their leaders’ limits is another thing the movie has in common with This Flag.) The gang eventually pushes their limits (and those of the police) with a double-train robbery, which leads to a tragic Western end similar to that of Blackbeard’s and Stede’s. Hopefully This Flag’s version of Stede and Blackbeard will get a happier ending than their historical counterparts or their Western counterparts. —Tasha Robinson

Yellowstone

Paramount Image

What to Watch: Peacock

Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western television show has been such a massive hit for Paramount that it has spawned a franchise of spinoffs and a host of imitators. The show follows a family that owns the largest ranch in Montana — easy here to see the parallels Jenkins draws to a fading way of life — and the conflicts they are drawn into with other families, business interests, and the neighboring Broken Rock Indian Reservation. —Pete Volk

Silverado

Image: Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection

What to Watch: VOD

Lawrence Kasdan’s 1985 Western follows a misfit band of cowboys who team up to take down a corrupt sheriff and a greedy rancher who prey on the troubled townsfolk of Silverado. Kevin Costner was given a breakout role in this 1985 Western as a flirtatious gunslinger. Silverado This film epitomizes both the glory days of vigilante heroes and the decline of the Wild West. Soon after saving the village, the group splits up to start anew. —Toussaint Egan

Unforgiven

Warner Bros. Pictures

What to Watch: AMC Plus

Clint Eastwood’s late-period Western subverts many of the tropes of the genre that helped establish its director as a star, and it’s a perfect fit for the “end of an era” connection Jenkins draws to Our Flag Means Death. In UnforgivenEastwood portrays a former outlaw who has become a farmer and returns to the old life style for one final job. This film is an excellent meditation on heroism, Westerns, and the role of Westerns in our culture. Eastwood was awarded Best Picture as well Best Director. —PV

The Heat

Warner Bros.

What to Watch: Netflix

You may not consider it a Western, but Michael Mann’s symphonic heist drama is one of the greatest crime dramas ever produced, starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino as Neil McCauley and Vincent Hanna, two men on opposite sides of the law who sacrifice love and life in their respective single-minded pursuits. The film’s blistering climax certainly signifies the end of an era, as Neil McCauley’s infamous career is ironically undone by his inability to choose between his outlaw code of ethics and what matters most in his heart. —TE