Best Westerns
 

no, this thread is not about the hotel.


I was trying to expand my horizons.

I had recently bought The Good The Bad And The Ugly and went absolutely crazy for it. I Watched it over and over, and over the past couple days I went on a search for more.

bought A Few Dollars More
Lee Van Cleef Double Feature: Beyond the Law & Death Rides A Horse
The Wild Bunch is on its way.

any suggestions? Im looking for GOOD westerns. i dont know if any can really compare with the GBU, but im trying to find out. any suggestions?

A FISTFUL OF DOLARS
FINISHES THE TRILIGY AND I THINK CLINT MAY HAVE DIRECTED A FORTH FILM
THE FIRST ONE FISTFUL IS BASED ON "YOJIMBO" japanese and are you ready...."LAST MAN STANDING" IS A REMAKE OF "YOJIMBO" WITH BRUCE WILLIS TAKES PLACE IN THE 1930'S

NOW THEN YOU HAVE THE "MAGNICENT 7"WITCH IS BASED ON "SAMARAI 7" SAME DIRECTOR AS YOJIMBO AKIRA KUROSAWA

THEN THERE IS "ONCE APON A TIME IN THE WEST"

It's Kurosawa. You butchered that name. :p

Here a few that I think you might like, in addition to the ones you mentioned

The Outlaw Josey Wales
Unforgiven
The Quick and The Dead
High Plains Drifter
Tombstone
Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
Once Upon a Time in The West
The Searchers
Silverado

Hombre with Paul Newman. I can't recommend this highly enough. Do yourself a favor and rent it.

Also From Dusk Til Dawn III (a horror western, but you may have already seen it...).

I know there's more, I just can't think right now... You ought to go to Netflix and click "Westerns". Then you can see the most popular ones.

Here's another good one: The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Cactus supplied an excellent list. I would highly emphasize Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid...in fact, it happens to be my fourth favorite film of all time. It oozes with style, and it has a dream cast.

been one of my favs since i was a kid. im crazy about the end.

All good stuff. I'd certainly add:

Red River - a Howard Hawkes masterpiece. John Wayne is nearly as cruel here as he was in The Searchers, but he's got Montgomery Clift to play off of and the results are lean, macho and transcendent.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence - incredibly subversive storyline, great drama

Django - another Italian gem. Toughs guys...everywhere.

Hang 'Em High - The film starts with Clint Eastwood swinging from a tree and it's all revenge from there on out.

Big Jake - John Wayne again. Sentimental favorite of mine, makes me think fondly of my old man.

High Noon - Brilliant film making in any genre. Gary Cooper turns in a stellar performance in this film that ratchets up the tension like none other.

Kit Carson (1940)

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The Searchers would be my number one suggestion but i see it has already been mentioned,some others i would recommend are...
The Magnificent Seven.
True Grit.
Fort Apache.
Rio Bravo.
A Fistful of Dynamite.

There have been so many great recommendations already made in this thread, and almost all of them would have been my recommendations too.
I would like to add one more to this list, which has been a film of some influence for me. Its called El Dorado, starring John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and James Caan. It has had a considerable influence on me because it made me hunt down and watch the Clint Eastwood and John Wayne western films.
The acting of James Caan is notable in this film, where he plays a gambler who cant shoot. It was such a powerful performance by James Caan that I am surprised he didnt get an Oscar for it. Thats my input to this list.:)

just ordered unforgiven. i always seem to watch it when its on. must've watched on tv a dozen times and i thought i may as well own it then i can watch it whenever. also, tombstone, the outlaw josey wales, high plains drifter, the alamo, shane and butch cassidy and the sundance kid.

First, let me say I think it's great that younger fans are rediscovering the western. Westerns (along with Horror) has long been my favorite genre.
Most of the films I'm reccomending have probably allready been mentioned but just in case they haven't, here's a few favorites:

Since you all ready have seen my personal favorite,"The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" you have to complete the trilogy
"A Fistful Of Dollars"
"A Few Dollars More"
You also may want to check out Sergio Leones other classic western
"Once Upon A Time In The West"

Staying with star Clint Eastwood check out these films

"High Plains Drifter"
"Pale Rider" (two westerns with a hint of the supernatural)
"Hang 'Em High"
"Two Mules For Sister Sara"
" The Outlaw Josey Wales"
"Unforgiven" (academy award winner)

With Star Lee Van Cleef:

"Sabata"
"Return Of Sabata"
"The Big Gundown"
"Death Rides A Horse"

With star James Stewart:

" Winchester '73"
"Man From Laramie"
"Night Passage"
The Naked Spur"

and in no particular order:

"Tombstone" (Kurt Russell)
"The Quick And The Dead" (Sharon Stone)
"Open Range" ( Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall)
"Quigley Down Under" (Tom Selleck)
"Silverado" (Kevin Kline, Scott Glen)
"Lonesome Dove" (Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones)
"The Missing" (Tommy Lee Jones)
"The Magnicent Seven " (Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen)
"The Long Riders" ( Stacy Keach)

and last, but certainly not least.. The great John Wayne:

"The Searchers"
"Rio Bravo"
"Stagecoach"
"Red River"
"El Dorado"
"True Grit"
"The War Wagon"
"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"
"Fort Apache"
"The Shootist"
and many many others.

These are just the tip of a very large iceberg. The western has been around since the begining of movies and there are hundreds to choose from.
And of course there are dozens of western TV shows, comic books and novels out there too. I hope this list helps. Have fun and enjoy.

It's not your typical showdown at noon western but give The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

I used to be a huge fan of western movies.
and yeah..the good the bad the ugly ..freakin A' :D

(classics)
Paint your wagon...
River of No Return..
Hang em High
Trinity
Trinity still my name
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid
Magnificent Seven



(this is all i can remember off the top of my head)

Will post more when i remember them

if you want John Wayne, just watch Rio Bravo, True Grit, and The Searchers. Then you'll have seen every John Wayne western

and Red River

and El Dorado.

Thanks for reminding that great movie to me in this thread, Kane.

Since all of my favorite westerns have already been mentioned, I'd like to mention them again just to reiterate how great they are:

Once Upon a Time in the West (really the only time Henry Fonda plays a villain--he's excellent; great music; favorite western)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (great ending and music)
Young Guns (the 80's western)
The Quick and the Dead (Sam Raimi's take on the western, great cast, very stylized)
Paint Your Wagon (the musical western w/Clint Eastwood)
Johnny Guitar (Mercedes McCambridge at her villainess best w/Joan Crawford)
Two Mules for Sister Sara (Shirley McLaine as a prositute masquerading as a nun w/Clint Eastwood)
Tombstone (great cast)
Quigley Down Under (a western in Australia w/Tom Selleck and Alan Rickman)
Blazing Saddles (best comedy western of all time)

Well, I can honestly say, all the ones I was going to mention have already been mentioned.

Once Upon A Time In The West too.

I still need to see my Fistful Of Dollars DVD.

not sure if this has been mentioned but the proposition was top notch gritty aussie cowboy action

Here's a ditto for Red River with John Wayne and Montgomery Clift. If I had to name a favorite western it would probably be that one--intense, well-acted, realistic, and with some very quirky, bizarre moments that catch the viewer off-guard.

Quigley Down Under is another great one!:)

just bought The Outlaw Josey Whales

"As far as I'm concerned, Americans don't have any original art except Western movies and jazz."

— Clint Eastwood.

Take your pick -

Savage Guns (1961)
Treasure of Silver Lake (1962)
Apache Gold (1963)
Gunfight at Red Sands (1963)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
Minnesota Clay (1965)
A Pistol for Ringo (1965)
Viva Maria! (1965)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Navajo Joe (1966)
Django (1966)
The Hellbenders (1966)
The Hills Run Red (1966)
The Brute and the Beast (1966)
Texas, Adios (1966)
The Ugly Ones (1966)
The Tramplers (1966)
Ringo the Lone Rider (1967)
Django Kill! (1967)
Death Rides a Horse (1967)
The Big Gundown (1967)
Texas Adios (1967)
Django, Kill... If You Live, Shoot! (1967)
A Bullet for the General (1967)
Face to Face (1967)
Day of Anger (1967)
A Stranger in Town (1967)
Payment in Blood (1968)
Any Gun Can Play (1968)
The Ruthless Four (1968)
Ace High (1968)
The Mercenary (1968)
Tepepa (1968)
Run, Man, Run! (1968)
Beyond the Law (1968)
The Great Silence (1968)
Sartana (1968)
The Stranger Returns (1968)
The Specialist (1969)
No Room to Die (1969)
The Five Man Army (1969)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1969)
The Price of Power (1969)
The Sabata Trilogy (1969)
Companeros (1970)
Adios Sabata (1970)
A Man Called Sledge (1970)
Django and Sartana Are Coming....It's the End (1970)
A Fistful of Dynamite (Duck, You Sucker) (1971)
Savage Guns (1971)
Blindman (1971)
They Call Me Trinity (1971)
The Legend of Frenchie King (1971)
Hannie Caulder (1971)
Storm Rider (1972)
Trinity Is STILL My Name! (1972)
Go Away! Trinity Has Arrived in Eldorado (1972)
Life's Tough, Eh Providence? (1972)
Man of the East (1973)
My Name Is Nobody (1974)
Four of the Apocalypse (1975)
Cipolla Colt (aka Spaghetti Western) (1975)
Carambola (1975)
Keoma (1976)
China 9, Liberty 37 (1978)

Wow now that is some list to choose from.

i've never seen it. is it worth buying? i'd be worried that everytime i saw baddass quigley i'd be thinking 'i wonder if he still keeps in touch with monica and if chandler has a problem with that'. you know how it is when you for evermore associate an actor with a role eg. elijah wood=frodo, michael richards=kramer/racist

anyone seen El Topo?

Definitely! What a great movie, very entertaining. Tom Selleck is awesome and Alan Rickman is such a great villain. It's just a good western adventure with Aborigines instead of American Indians.

well, rickman's name being mentioned might've just swung it my direction.

It may have already been mentioned but I thought 'open range' was pretty good.

"Hondo"
w/ John Wayne

Great Movie, Great Book

Hoping to actually get western rolling by this summer. Looking at locations in Montana and New Mexico. Getting insurance quotes, horse rentals, etc now. Pain in the ass. Remiond me never to do a period piece again. grrrr
CK

Great thread. I love the few Westerns I've seen (except I don't care for John Wayne). I need to see more, and now I know where to start.

I'd suggest The Great Silence if you want something similar to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, but better. Of course, Once Upon a Time in the West is Leone's best western.

You also might like Dead Man, Forty Guns, Johnny Guitar, The Shooting, The Missouri Breaks, Man of the West, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and Pat Garret and Billy the Kid. The latter I find to be Peckinpah's best western.

Oh, then there's Whity and A Girl is a Gun. Both I'd call Euro art-house westerns. Enjoy!!!

Damn, I forgot to mention two great Robert Mitchum westerns, Pursued and Track of the Cat. Then of course, there is all the great classic John Ford and Howard Hawks westerns which have already been mentioned. My favorites from them respectively are My Darling Clementine and Red River. I should also mention William A. Wellman's The Ox-Bow Incident, tho I think his Track of the Cat is slightly better. I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

grims praire tales

I just thought of the best one, and no one has mentioned it yet! It is:

The Appaloosa (1966)

Marlon Brando is great, but the Mexican villain steals the show. This film doesn't have any of that corny John Wayne Hollywood corniness feel to it. This is a bad ass artistic western. A cool ending too, and a tough choice gets made. Check it out.