Robert Redford's Underseen Neo-Western on Paramount+ Is the Anti-'Yellowstone'

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Robert Redford wearing a hat outdoors in An Unfinished Life

Published May 31, 2026, 8:27 AM EDT

Michael John Petty is a Senior Author for Collider who spends his days writing, in fellowship with his local church, and enjoying each new day with his wife and daughters. At Collider, he writes features, reviews, recaps, and conducts interviews. In addition to writing about stories, Michael has told a few of his own. His novella, The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain, was released in 2023. His Western short story, The Devil's Left Hand, received the Spur Award for "Best Western Short Fiction" from the Western Writers of America in 2025. Michael currently resides in North Idaho with his growing family.

Recently trending at #5 in Paramount+'s Top 10 movies, An Unfinished Life is finally getting its due after all these years. The Robert Redford-led production is the heartwarming neo-Western that your soul has been craving ever since you decided to turn off Yellowstone after one too many Dutton altercations. Instead of murder and mayhem, the picture leans into the good, old-fashioned values that make up the modern American West, with a stunning cast and remarkable screenplay that will likely bring you to tears. No, this isn't your Kevin Costner-sized neo-Western, but it's a powerful film that does everything right.

'An Unfinished Life' Is Everything That 'Yellowstone' Isn't

Based on the novel of the same name, An Unfinished Life follows a young widow, Jean Gilkyson (Jennifer Lopez), and her daughter, Griff (Becca Gardner), as they return to the former's hometown of Ishawooa, Wyoming. It's a remote outpost that boasts little but cows, bears, and a local diner, but it was once Jean's home and remains the home of Redford's crusty old rancher Einar Gilkyson — Jean's estranged father-in-law — and Griff. Already the film (which predates Yellowstone by over a decade) is a vast departure from the Dutton drama. Although both begin with fractured familial relationships, much of the film deals with the road towards reconciliation rather than further notions of restitution and revenge. Indeed, An Unfinished Life is a careful meditation on the hard line between grief and hope, as Einar struggles to get over the loss of his son years earlier (which he blames Jean for). Of course, Griff's arrival has challenged him to climb out of the rut he's long settled into.

With a brilliant cast that also includes the likes of Morgan Freeman, Josh Lucas, and Damian Lewis, An Unfinished Life is the perfect anti-Yellowstone adventure about the power of legacy and forgiveness, one that will make you yearn for the open range of the modern American West. While Taylor Sheridan's trademark neo-Western drama indulges in far too many self-absorbed diatribes about the power of the blood one's ancestors have shed for the land, director Lasse Hallström sticks to the roots of Mark Spragg's important novel (Spragg also co-wrote the screenplay with his wife, Virginia Korus Spragg) by reminding us that a legacy is as much about what one does and the content of their character as it is the brand left behind. There are so many reasons that those wishing for something more edifying, more profound, while watching Yellowstone may come to prefer this 108-minute modern Western. For all its blemishes, it's an endearing and triumphant tale that deserves to be remembered.

Robert Redford Absolutely Delivers in This Heartfelt Neo-Western

Although largely forgotten by audiences, An Unfinished Life has finally returned to the public eye. And it's about time, as this neo-Western is among those underrated films that deserve the label "modern classic." Despite its mixed reviews upon release, even Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/5-star rating, citing the performances of Redford and Lopez as among the most noteworthy. Of course, Redford himself almost starred in Yellowstone back when Sheridan was developing the series over at HBO, but in hindsight we're glad that never came to fruition. Not only was Kevin Costner the better casting choice, but Redford particularly thrived in roles like Einar Gilkyson, playing gruff old cowboys who wrestle with their life choices among the sprawling meadows and valleys of the modern West.

Neo-Westerns typically revolve around stories of violence and loss that erupt into explosive shoot-em-ups, as seen in movies like No Country for Old Men or Hell or High Water. But just as the more traditional Western has the power to go above and beyond with the themes explored, so too does this Robert Redford film. It may not be the most recognizable Redford movie, but it's certainly among the best in his career. If you've moved on from Yellowstone to Taylor Sheridan's other hit Paramount drama, The Madison, and want something that cuts to the same emotional core, An Unfinished Life is the neo-Western for you.