Sydney Sweeney's R-Rated Neo-Western Is Perfect For Fans Of Taylor Sheridan's Three-Part Thriller Series
Sydney Sweeney’s R-rated modern Western is perfect for fans of a certain Taylor Sheridan’s thriller series. Sydney Sweeney’s R-rated thrillers have become a comfort zone for the star. While the supposedly more commercial likes of Madame Web did little for her career, Sweeney’s erotic thriller The Housemaid grossed an impressive $400 million, whilst Anyone but You was a rare theatrical win for the ailing rom-com genre in 2023.
It seems few people have seen the movie that contained one of her most impressive and understated performances though. Americana is a 2025 Neo-Western that plays like a combination of Pulp Fiction and the Taylor Sheridan movie Hell or High Water. The non-linear narrative follows a misfit group of characters in a South Dakota town trying to obtain a rare Native American artifact to sell for themselves.
The film is a wild mash-up of genres, ranging from comedy to crime thriller and Western, and Sweeney’s shy wannabe singer Penny Jo is a major highlight. Unfortunately, Americana’s release was overshadowed by the controversy over Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle Jeans advert, which badly impacted its box office.
Americana Is Great For Fans Of Taylor Sheridan’s American Frontier Movie Trilogy
Whatever the initial response was, Americana is a film ripe for rediscovery, and its reputation will only grow in the years ahead. It’s a film steeped in the history of the Western genre, with the plot even bearing a resemblance to the James Stewart gem, Winchester ’73. Besides Sweeney, the cast list has plenty of heavy hitters, including Zahn McClarnon, Paul Walter Hauser (Resident Evil) and the late, great Eric Dane.
While it has often been compared to Pulp Fiction and the various Tarantino-esque thrillers that emerged during the 1990s, Americana feels like a spiritual successor to Taylor Sheridan’s American Frontier trilogy, consisting of Sicario, Hell or High Water and Wind River. These three acclaimed modern Westerns were Sheridan’s breakthrough and introduced many of the themes that would become his trademarks.
Of the three, Americana most resembles Hell or High Water, with both focusing on desperate people trying to break out of poverty against dusty desert backdrops. It should be noted that the American Frontier trilogy is overall a darker, bleaker ride. While Americana is definitely funnier, it still touches on many topics Sheridan tends to explore, like overcoming trauma or Native American exploitation.
It also ends in a vicious shootout, a staple of most of Sheridan’s work and the Neo-Western genre. For all their violence and cynicism, Americana and the American Frontier films still have a lot of heart, and let audiences get to know and fall in love with their characters before events inevitably spiral into bloodshed.
Americana Was A Box Office Disaster Despite Receiving Good Reviews
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While it didn’t get showered in critical kudos, the response to Americana was broadly positive, with particular praise aimed at Zahn McClarnon and Sydney Sweeney. Given that it was an independent production with a budget of less than $10 million, it’s doubtful this Tony Tost-directed Neo-Western was ever destined to become a major hit.
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That said, the fact it grossed around $500,000 during its debut was especially dire (via The Hill), given that it had a name cast behind it. Again, this muted response was largely laid at the feet of Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign, which dominated headlines during the movie’s 2025 release. Whether this was truly the reason it flopped is unknown, but the negative press surrounding the star during that time obviously didn’t help.
Still, Americana is a film destined to find a fanbase. It’s one of the best Neo-Westerns of recent years, and its non-linear narrative – where it jumps around in time – rewards multiple viewings. It also makes a strong case for Sydney Sweeney’s versatility as a performer, with Penny Jo being one of his most underrated turns.
Americana
Americana is a film set in a small South Dakota town where a rare Lakota Ghost Shirt enters the black market, leading to the violent intertwining of the lives of local outsiders and outcasts.
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