5 Greatest Westerns
OK, based upon that other thread I have to ask. What are your top 5 westerns? I’ll make it 5 rather than 10 to keep it simple. For those on the other side of the horror/western debate recall we already did a top 10 horror list plus the related but not identical best scary films.
Here’s mine. I was trying to put them in order but gave up. And yes, I know there’s more than 10. I gave up on that too.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Unforgiven
Outlaw Jose Wales
Once Upon a Time in the West
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
High Noon
The Wild Bunch
The Magnificent Seven
Stagecoach
Last of the Mohicans
My Name is Nobody
The Searchers
Deadwood (yeah, it’s a series not a movie, but still…)
For a Few Dollars More
Fistfull of Dollars
Hombre
The Long Riders
A few I ought mention but that just couldn’t make the list
Tombstone
3:10 to Yuma
Shane (yeah, I just don’t get into like others)
Red River
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
True Grit
Dances with Wolves
Lone Star
Major Dundee
Hang ‘Em High
The Man from Snowy River
Cheyenne Social Club
Jeremiah Johnson
Lonesome Dove (yeah, it’s a miniseries, but still…)
Rio Bravo
Pale Rider
Tom Horn
High Plains Drifter
They Call Me Trinity
The Cowboys
A Man Called Horse
Hmm…
Tombstone
Unforgiven
The Quiet Man
would be my top three
Is Last of the Mohicans really a western? It’s a great movie (and boring book), but I don’t think it’s a western, but then, what is it?
Comment by Matt W. — January 8, 2009 @ 12:05 pm
Need to add How the West was Won and Young Guns.
Comment by Tim J — January 8, 2009 @ 12:06 pm
Last of the Mohicans is more Historical Fiction. Especially since you can’t have a WESTERN take place in the northeast!
Comment by Tim J — January 8, 2009 @ 12:07 pm
Trying to limit myself to five is awful, but…
The Searchers
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence
Rio Bravo
Once Upon a Time In the West
Unforgiven
A couple of others that don’t make my list but are worth seeing:
The Professionals
Duck, You Sucker!
El Dorado
The Shootist
Seven Men From Now
The Tall T
The Big Country
Comment by Brian V — January 8, 2009 @ 12:35 pm
THEY CALL ME TRINITY and TRINITY IS STILL MY NAME are hidden gems. Hilarious comedies.
DUCK, YOU SUCKER, while not Leone’s best has some great moments.
Comment by Brian G — January 8, 2009 @ 12:36 pm
It takes place on what was called the west at the time.
Comment by Clark — January 8, 2009 @ 12:36 pm
Of your list, Clark, I’ve seen:
Unforgiven – I think, on tv maybe, can’t really remember anything but Clint Eastwood standing in some dirt.
Tombstone – I think, don’t remember it. Was Val Kilmer in it?
Dances with Wolves – I love this movie, thanks mainly to Mary McDonnell.
Jeremiah Johnson is on tv all the time and I tried watching it but have never gotten very far.
I used to read a lot of Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour as a kid, though. Western novels always seemed a bit like romance novels for men.
Comment by Susan M — January 8, 2009 @ 12:45 pm
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is great, but really only because of the famous “We don’t need no stinking badges” line.
For a hilarious Japanese spook of spaghetti westerns, I recommend “Tampopo.” The struggle is over a ramen noodle restaurant.
Comment by BrianJ — January 8, 2009 @ 12:46 pm
No love for Blazing Saddles?
Comment by John Scherer — January 8, 2009 @ 1:03 pm
I remember when I finally saw Treasure. Ugh. I love Houston as a director and Bogart as an actor but I really hated that movie.
And, yeah, no love for Blazing Saddles although I love Young Frankenstein.
Comment by Clark — January 8, 2009 @ 1:32 pm
Gunfight at Red Sands for 2 reasons:
1. For the awful awful dubbing and chessiness
2. For one of the greatest western songs ever, by Ennio Morricone, “Gringo like Me” featured in “Hot Rod”
My personal top 5
1. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
2. Once Upon a Time in the West
3. Blazing Saddles
4. The Unforgiven
5. 3:10 to Yuma (for reintroducing the western genre to a newer generation)
Comment by brandt — January 8, 2009 @ 1:33 pm
How about Hud? One of Newman’s best.
Comment by Supergenius — January 8, 2009 @ 1:53 pm
Maverick?
Shawn of the Dead? (or does it go under horror?)
If you’re going to put Deadwood up, then Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. has to be nominated!
Comment by FHL — January 8, 2009 @ 2:14 pm
Top Five:
For a Few Dollars More: Full of good moments (serious and comedic), and features my favorite climactic “standoff/duel” of any western I’ve seen. Ennio Morricone’s music is incredible. I actually prefer this movie to its much more famous and acclaimed sequel:
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Also great, however. Love Eli Wallach as “El Tuco.” More amazing Morricone music as well.
The Searchers: Powerful performance by John Wayne.
High Noon: A classic. I think this was the favorite movie of several US Presidents.
Unforgiven: Eastwood, Hackman, Freeman are awesome. Interesting retrospective take on the western.
I need to see a lot more on Clark’s long list; maybe some of those could supplant some of mine…
Comment by Pascal — January 8, 2009 @ 2:20 pm
For me:
Butch Cassidy
Unforgiven
3:10 to Yuma (the remake, and rarely do I like the remake more than the original.)
Pale Rider
Jeremiah Johnson
Honorable mention:
-Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Hey, I liked it.)
- Josey Wales
-Chisum
- Tombstone
-The Quick and the Dead
-Back to the Future 3
Comment by John K. — January 8, 2009 @ 2:40 pm
Oh! I just remembered how much I liked Hidalgo.
Comment by Matt W. — January 8, 2009 @ 3:41 pm
I’ve never seen Hud Steve, I have to admit. I absolutely love Hombre. It has one of the best scenes ever in a western. Paul Newman and the people with him are trapped in this cabin at a mine while the bandits surround them. One of them comes up with a white flag to demand their surrender or else they’ll kill them all. Newman, being the cynic, realizes the bandits will kill them all either way. So he replies, “I’ve got one question for you. How do you plan on getting back down those stairs?” The whole film is about hypocrisy because the rest of the group stop Newman from killing the bandit not realizing the consequences. (I’ll not spoil the ending)
Comment by Clark — January 8, 2009 @ 4:26 pm
Brian G beat me to it! The two “Trinity” films are very funny.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
My wife and I enjoy Jeremiah Johnson
Yes, FHL, Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. was a fun series!
Comment by Ben Pratt — January 8, 2009 @ 4:40 pm
Tombstone is fun because it’s so quotable
I must really NOT like westerns, or not know what I’m missing, cuz I’ve only seen 3 of the movies on (both of) your lists. Crazy.
Comment by sister blah 2 — January 8, 2009 @ 5:03 pm
Clark’s right on with the Hombre recommendation.
Another favorite that I left off my first list is Johnny Guitar. It’s tough to track down since it’s not available on DVD, but it gets shown on cable every now and then.
Comment by Brian V — January 8, 2009 @ 5:37 pm
Tombstone was Val Kilmer’s finest acting job. Perfect. And most the quotable lines are his. “What’s up huckleberry?” The spinning of the cup was hilarious. Too bad he was such a dick in real life because he could have been a major star ala Harrison Ford. But his personal ego sort of got in the way.
I’ve never even heard of Johnny Guitar.
Interesting cross genre of the western is the apocalypse film since many of those are little more than westerns with a slightly different setting. Of course most of those, outside of Mad Max, are pretty bad. Horror film bad.
BTW – Stagecoach has to be the most remade movie ever.
If you like the Trinity movies (there were more than 2) check out My Name is Nobody which is basically a Hollywood production with Trinity playing himself (although called Nobody) and Henry Fonda playing it straight. Fantastic movie. The humor of the Trinity movie without all the negatives. There’s a scene with a train driver who is having problems peeing due to prostate problems that is one of the funniest scenes ever in film. While the slapstick is there it’s also got the straight side which is about hero worship and growing old. It’s rare that two radically different styles can be mixed so successfully.
Comment by Clark — January 8, 2009 @ 6:16 pm
“Tombstone is fun because it’s so quotable”
Any film that inspires a pizza can’t be too bad.
Comment by Supergenius — January 8, 2009 @ 6:26 pm
1. “The Searchers”
2. “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”
After that it’s difficult to make put’em in order.
Comment by Jack — January 8, 2009 @ 7:16 pm
…though I’d probably pick “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” for 3rd place–knowing full well that some folks are offended by it’s postmodern-ish-ness.
Comment by Jack — January 8, 2009 @ 7:20 pm
Oh! I forgot about “Shane.” That’s a pretty good one.
Comment by Jack — January 8, 2009 @ 7:26 pm
John Wayne: “I’ve come to take you in.”
Robert Duvall: “I call that bold talk from a one-eyed fat man.”
Tough to beat that dialogue from True Grit.
Anyone like Silverado?
Comment by MCQ — January 8, 2009 @ 7:36 pm
Silverado was my first Western. It holds sentimental value (and I like Brian Dehenny’s villians), but it isn’t very good.
My top 5 (as I haven’t seen too many):
1. The Searchers
2. Unforgiven
3. High Noon
4. True Grit
5. Support Your Local Sheriff
I realized that I am woefully underserved in my western watching and so I am watching westerns for a bit. So, I just watched “My Darling Clementine” last week. Pretty good, but I can’t say that I see why it is a classic. Maybe it’s because I saw Tombstone first.
Comment by HP — January 8, 2009 @ 8:23 pm
Dang. How could I forget Silverado. It’s Kevin Costner’s best role. (Apparently also completely a character unlike his own personality)
My favorite line is by John Cleese.
Deputy: That them shootin’?
Sheriff Langston: No, it’s coming from those rocks.
Deputy: Well, let’s go. He ain’t hittin’ nothin’.
Sheriff Langston: You idiot, he’s hit everything he’s aimed at!
Deputy: Well, they ain’t out of our jurisdiction ’til they reach the flattop.
[Sheriff Langston's hat is shot off his head]
Sheriff Langston: Today, my jurisdiction ends here. Pick up my hat.
Also the following:
Emmett: Blind Pete always said you’d hang. I guess tomorrow at dawn he’ll be proved right.
Sheriff Langston: Ten A.M.
Emmett: Oh, right, I always thought they did it at dawn.
I’d not put it in my top ten. (And yes I know “ten” is stretching it) But I do like that movie a lot.
Comment by Clark — January 8, 2009 @ 8:42 pm
What’s pomo about Butch Cassidy?
Comment by Clark — January 8, 2009 @ 8:44 pm
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Shane
The Searchers
3:10 to Yuma
Support Your Local Sheriff
If you have the Trinity series, you gotta love that last one.
Comment by EmWJ — January 8, 2009 @ 8:45 pm
One forgotten gem is Big Hero, a Kevin Costner film. I’ve cut and pasted some bits from it below:
Written by Kevin Costner.
Directed by Kevin Costner.
Produced by Kevin Costner.
Financed by Fool Stooges Studios.
Starring Kevin Costner as Big Hero.
Co-starring Gregory Hinds as Little Dancin Deadman.
Deadman: How long we been riding the range together, Big Hero?
Big Hero: Been nigh on five years, I imagine.
Deadman: You know what they call that? … half a decade.
Big Hero: Don’t use big words.
Deadman: You know, you’re just dumber’n a post.
Big Hero: Men are going to die here today, and I’m gonna kill em.
Ain’t no time for philosophisin.
Deadman: (reflective) At least you’re a strong and gentle man.
Big Hero: I’m not the man you think I am, Sue.
Deadman: It’s been nigh on two years, Big. It’d do if you could
stop callin me Sue.
Big Hero: You might not know this, but there are things that gnaw
on a man worse than dyin.
Deadman: *silent*
Big Hero: When you’re Big Hero then I reckon you’ll do the tellin
on what I can and cain’t say in my own godblessed movie.
Great stuff. ~
Comment by Thomas Parkin — January 8, 2009 @ 9:54 pm
If we’re going to discuss wacky westerns, you can’t forget “the Villain”.
Sister Blah 2, you’re no Daisy, you’re no Daisy at all.
Comment by Matt W. — January 9, 2009 @ 8:26 am
How about the lesser known sergio leone classic “Giu la testa”. (or “A Fistful of Dynamite” (“Duck You Sucker”)) 1971 – James Coburn as a motorcycle riding, dynamite throwing irish revolutionary in the mexican revolution.
That said – Shane and Magnificent 7 are probably at the top of my list.
Comment by jay s — January 9, 2009 @ 11:21 am
The beginning of Firstful of Dynamite is very…uncomfortable. I never made it very far past that.
Comment by Clark — January 9, 2009 @ 11:44 am
The Searchers
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence
High Noon
Butch Cassidy
Maverick
Hondo
Shane
This makes me want to go watch a Western right now…
Comment by LT — January 9, 2009 @ 12:29 pm
No one mentioned Appaloosa? I thought it was nice to see a modern Western that stayed low key – and didn’t phony up the action too much.
Also, while it is not a Western, Kurt Russell’s Soldier certainly fits the genre, albeit in a different setting. The director’s commentary certainly indicates quite a bit of overt mimicking of Sergio Leone. It was a good movie, that, unfortunately went a bit too far with cheesy, and unnecessarily fake action.
Chris
Comment by chris g — January 9, 2009 @ 12:34 pm
Soldier was just a bad movie. (And supposedly a sequel to Blade Runner?!?) It really had that Shane borrowing going.
Comment by Clark — January 9, 2009 @ 1:05 pm
I liked the one where Tom Selleck was a heavy-barrel sniper of sorts and Alan Rickman was the bad guy but I can’t remember the name of it.
Blazing Saddles and Tombstone for me. Kilmer’s best role by a longshot.
The phrase “I’m your huckleberry” is explained here.
Comment by David J — January 9, 2009 @ 2:02 pm
Is Three Amigos a western or a comedy? If it’s the former, then it’s in my top five.
And I’ll ask again: anyone seen Tampopo?
Comment by BrianJ — January 9, 2009 @ 2:06 pm
David, it was Quigly Down Under. He’s Sharps marksman (the origin of the term sharpshooter) which was a 50 caliber “sniper” rifle. (Although obviously not as advance as modern 50 caliber guns) He gets brought to Australia where he falls for a crazy woman.
Big budget but I was only so-so about it.
I’ve no idea what to make of The Three Amigos. Westerns can be comedies of course and it’s probably close enough to count.
Comment by Clark — January 9, 2009 @ 2:21 pm
I have seen both Tampopo and Soldier. I laughed very hard during both of them.
Comment by a random John — January 9, 2009 @ 3:04 pm
Given that Three Amigos is a ripoff of Magnificent Seven (and therefor Seven Samuri) I think it has to count as a western. Which I suppose means that A Bug’s Life counts as a western as well.
Comment by a random John — January 9, 2009 @ 3:09 pm
ARJ, LOL!
I totally forgot Three Amigos. Move that up the list, baby. I also liked Shanghai Noon; does that count?
Comment by David J — January 9, 2009 @ 3:31 pm
Yeah Shanghai Noon and its sequel counts IMO. I enjoyed both although I don’t think I could put them in either of my lists myself.
Comment by Clark — January 9, 2009 @ 4:49 pm
Bug’s Life… Hadn’t considered that. Still wouldn’t be in my top 5 though.
And arJ, since you’ve seen Tampopo, you are in my top 5.
That makes mine:
1) Good, Bad, Ugly
2) Three Amigos
3) Butch Cassidy Sundance Kid
4) Magnificent Seven
5) arJ
Honorable Mention: Jeremiah Johnson (because there is something soooo weird about it)
Comment by BrianJ — January 9, 2009 @ 6:38 pm
Speaking of weird westerns…has anyone mentioned Robert Altman’s McCabe and Mrs. Miller or Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man yet?
And speaking of non-weird westerns, what about Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid? I haven’t seen the whole thing (I think I’m starting to sour on Peckinpah) but the part I saw was pretty good.
Comment by Brian V — January 9, 2009 @ 7:18 pm
The word you’re looking for is homage. Not ripoff.
Comment by MCQ — January 9, 2009 @ 9:14 pm
Dead Man is a weird little film. I think it ultimately fails but it was a pretty interesting little failure. Of course Jarmusch is an interesting director who does his own thing.
I could never get into the Billy the Kid movie. (Either that one or Young Guns)
There are a bunch of Italian westerns I’ve heard a lot about that I want to see. The Django films are ones I’ve heard a lot about but have never seen. (The hero is basically this Marxist hero of the people who always uses a knife) I’ve also heard good things about the Sabata trilogy. I’ve heard A Bullet for the General is one of the more important Mexican westerns (which Leone joined with A Fistful of Dynamite – but as I said I could never get past the first 15 minutes)
I’ve also never seen Peckinpah’s Ride the High Country and I’ve heard it quite amazing.
BTW – the other Trinity movies apparently were not originally Trinity films but were filmed before the Trinity success and merely retitled and slightly redubbed to make them into Trinity films. The other films, Leone’s My Name is Nobody (technically not fully directed by him) and it’s sequel A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe weren’t Trinity movies technically although I think of both that way. That latter film wasn’t terribly good and Leone didn’t put his name on it even though he directed it. (There is one good barroom fight in it though) The one that’s on my collector edition of Trinity is Boot Hill but that was actually the third part of a trilogy (one starring Eli Wallach) that had God forgives, I don’t (which I’ve never seen) then Aces High (which I have seen) and Boot Hill.
Comment by Clark — January 10, 2009 @ 12:17 am
mcq,
I acknowledge your superior word choice.
Comment by a random John — January 11, 2009 @ 2:39 pm
Ah, yes, I enjoyed Quigley Down Under myself.
And The Quick and the Dead. Wasn’t that Raimi’s doing?
Comment by FHL — January 12, 2009 @ 2:52 pm
Yeah. I liked The Quick and the Dead but I didn’t think it great. There was an other western based upon a Louis Lamour novel with the same name that I believe was originally a made for TV movie with Tom Selleck made for TBS. It was so-so but not bad. Not as good production values as the Raimi one of course.
I liked the idea of an Australian western but the crazy lady kind of bugged me.
Comment by Clark — January 12, 2009 @ 3:30 pm
[...] Clark’s recent discussion of 5 Greatest Westerns I was wondering if anyone else has seen Gran [...]
Pingback by Kulturblog » Gran Torino — January 26, 2009 @ 11:03 pm
The Searchers, forever the greatest Western of all time, and probably the greatest American movie.
Stagecoach
Red River
My Darlin’ Clementine
Shane
and there are no others.
Comment by D. Fletcher — February 2, 2009 @ 10:52 pm
Matt W.
How is The Quiet Man a Western?
Comment by D. Fletcher — February 2, 2009 @ 11:03 pm
Good point. A boxer who retires to Ireland and falls in love? Of course it had John Wayne in and was directed by John Ford. (bg)
Comment by Clark — February 2, 2009 @ 11:20 pm
Clark – Are you referring to how the passengers treat the shoeless bandit? I missed a few moments of this, so that may have changed by opinion.
I am a sucker for a James Coburn flick. Although there were a lot of bad ones. But Coburn, Lee marvin, etc from the late 1960s all fit into that category for me. I guess I like unsympathetic heros.
Comment by jay S — February 3, 2009 @ 12:17 pm
Yeah. It ends up being a kind of queasy disturbing scene. Not as bad as the controversial scene with DeNiro in Once Upon a Time in America. But still.
Comment by Clark — February 3, 2009 @ 2:53 pm
[...] all that out of the way, this post inspired me to start with westerns. The western itself seems outdated; the deserts and mountains [...]
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