Best Westerns

[phantomstranger]

"The Left Handed Gun" (1958)
-Paul Newman

Plot: IMDB
William Bonney - Billy the Kid - gets a job with a cattleman known as 'The Englishman,' and is befriended by the peaceful, religious man. But when a crooked sheriff and his men murder the Englishman because he plans to supply the local Army fort with his beef, Billy decides to avenge the death by killing the four men responsible, throwing the lives of everyone around him - Tom and Charlie, two hands he worked with; Pat Garrett, who is about to be married; and the kindly Mexican couple who take him in when he's in trouble - into turmoil, and endangering the General Amnesty set up by Governor Wallace to bring peace to the New Mexico Territory.


Phantom's Review: Like most Hollywood "Billy The Kid" movies, this one is more fiction than fact, but Newman does his usual fine performance and the film is an okay piece of entertainment.

[Zero]

what about The Shakiest Gun in the West?? gotta love don knotts!

[Zero]

i've always wondered why there aren't more great western/horror films - i mean the idea of vampires and werewolves and such in the old west should be gold but somehow every thing like this i've seen has sucked

Originally Posted by phantomstranger

"The Burrowers" (2009)

Plot: IMDB
It is 1879 in the Dakota Territories. A handful of brave pioneers maintain isolated settlements in the badlands beyond civilization. Irish Immigrant Fergus Coffey is near to winning the hand of his beloved Maryanne when she is suddenly taken from him, her family brutally abducted in a nighttime attack on their homestead. Suspicion falls immediately on hostile Indians. Experienced Indian fighters Will Parcher and John Clay form a posse and set out to rescue the kidnapped settlers, taking along a naïve teenager hoping to prove himself a man, an ex-slave looking to find his place in the world and their ranch-hand, Coffey. But as men vanish in the night and horrific evidence accumulates with the dead and dying, the group discovers that their prey is far more terrifying than anything human, and their prospects are far more terrible than death.

Phantom's Review: I've always been a fan of both westerns and horror movies and always found it interesting when someone tries to combine the two, but in most cases these hybrid films, well.....suck. But much to my surprise "The Burrowers" is actually a decent film. Lots of western action, a decent story and some fun looking monsters. Not a great movie by any means, but entertaining.
__________________

[phantomstranger]

"High Plains Drifter"
-Clint Eastwood

A mysterious stranger is hired by the town of Lago to protect them from three ex-convicts, but the stranger has plans for the town of his own.

Phantom's Review: One of my favorite Eastwod movies. Violent, blood soaked, and a little bit spooky. One of Eastwood's best.

[phantomstranger]

"The Baron Of Arizona" (1950)
-Vincent Price

Plot: IMDB
Master swindler James Reavis devotes years to forging documents that will give him claim to the entire state of Arizona. He finds a young girl whom he believes is an orphan and hires a governess to educate her in the manner of the Spanish aristocracy. He invents deceased parents for her whose ancestry can be traced to a mythical Spanish nobleman. He then insinuates himself into a Spanish monastery for three years so he can access its biblioteca which carries the records of Spanish land grants. He later joins a gypsy band to have access to the library of a Spanish noblemen where he can alter duplicate documents. When everything is in place, he marries the now-grown young woman and puts in his claim as her husband as the Baron of Arizona.

Phantom's Review: Based on true events, This is an excellent movie. The great Vincent Price (a couple of years away from becoming a horror star) is perfect as the brilliant forger who almost gets away with stealing an entire state. Not a typical western, but a great movie to see. I remember several years ago on "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson" Price was being interviewed and he said "Baron.." was his favorite of the movies he had made.
__________________

[phantomstranger]

"Prairie Fever" (2008)
-Kevin Sorbo

A drunken ex-sheriff is hired to escort three woman to Carson City, along the way the meet a lady gambler on the run from her partner.

Phantom's Review: While all the actor's turn in fine performances, the film is rather dull and lifeless. Little action and a boring plot.
__________________

[phantomstranger]

"The Ride Back" (1957)
-Anthony Quinn, William Conrad (who also produced)

Plot: IMDB
A troubled sheriff, a failure at everything in his life, tries to redeem himself by extraditing a popular gunfighter from Mexico to stand trial for murder.

Phantom's Review: While the plot is pretty basic, the actors do such a fine job that you find yourself totally into the film. Not a great movie, but highly enjoyable.

[phantomstranger]

"Gun Glory" (1957)
-Stewart Granger, Rhonda Fleming

Plot: A man, after abandoning his wife and son to become a gambler and gunfighter returns many years later, to find his wife dead and his son, now grown, resentful of him. He tries to make a go of being a farmer but soon has to defend his land against a cattleman trying to drive his cows through.

Phantom's Review: While the plot is standard, this is a well acted film with some good action and great scenery. Stewart Granger is fine as the gunman trying to make up the lost years to his son. Rhonda Fleming is kind of wasted as the love interest, but does good with what she has to work with.
__________________

[VampiricClown]

Originally Posted by Zero

i've always wondered why there aren't more great western/horror films - i mean the idea of vampires and werewolves and such in the old west should be gold but somehow every thing like this i've seen has sucked

Haven't seen it, but there is one called "High Tomb".

[Elvis_Christ]

Originally Posted by phantomstranger

"High Plains Drifter"
-Clint Eastwood

A mysterious stranger is hired by the town of Lago to protect them from three ex-convicts, but the stranger has plans for the town of his own.

Phantom's Review: One of my favorite Eastwod movies. Violent, blood soaked, and a little bit spooky. One of Eastwood's best.

This one and Sudden Impact really show Eastwood's dark side. I'd love to seem him at the helm of a decent revenge flick sometime soon especially since there's a 70s/early 80s tone in film lately... grind n' trash creepin' in to the mainscreen.