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Off-Topic Discussion / Name your Top 20 Westerns of All Time
« on: March 01, 2019, 08:46:26 AM »
Here is a list i compiled a couple of years ago on the Sergio Leone Forum. I intentionally left off westerns made after 1970. High Plains drifter, Unforgiven and a few others i really like). Feel free to name Westerns after 1970 if you wish. I personally prefer classic films before 1970. If i included films after that period the aftersaid films High Plains Drifter, High Plains Drifter, Hangem High and Pale Rider would make my list somewhere.
1. The Great Silence. Just edges out OUTITW. The rawness and the ending are what give it the edge.
2. Once Upon a Time in the West. One of the all time best movies across any genre.
3. The Oxbow Incident. Another masterpiece. Subject matter keeps this movie low profile.
4. My Darling Clementine. A movie i didn't particularly care about at first. Then i watched it a second time. A masterpiece.
5. High Noon. The simplicity of the plot. The tension. The cinematography. The music. My favorite Gary Cooper performance.
6. For A Few Dollars More. Captain Mortimer. Indio. My favorite of the 3 Eastwood sphagetti's made with Leone.
7. The Wild Bunch. The realism of the action in this movie seperates it from every western ever made.
8. 3:10 to Yuma. (1957). My favorite performances from Van Heflin and Glenn Ford. A excellent plot and cinematography make this a masterpiece.
9. Red River. The cattle drive. John Wayne. Walter Brennan. Montgomery Cliff. The cinematography. Another masterpiece.
10. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. I love the different moral lessons touched upon in this movie. Great performances from Wayne, Stewart, Strode and Marvin.
11. The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. Great western. Great performances. Felt it was too long and had some implausible moments.
12. The Westerner. Walter Brennan as a bad heavy was impressive in this one. I loved Cooper in this also. Great ending.
13. Stagecoach. A masterpiece. What else needs to be said?
14. Rawhide. A greatly underrated western. Probably the best western that shows how the old stagecoach stages worked. My favorite Jack Elam western. Very well done.
15. Death Rides a Horse. This is the 2nd best non Leone sphagetti western i have seen thus far. ( behind the Great Silence). The tone and everything matched up with the Leone Films. If Eastwood had played the part that John Phillip Law did, I'm certain this would have been considered a greater film than it already is.
16. The Gunfighter. My favorite Gregory Peck film. I love simple plots. Another great tension film.
17. Shane. I initially didn't like this film. I was half asleep and thought that Shane was trying to run off with Starrett's wife and kid, lol. I rewatched it and found out that me and Shane are cool, lol. GREAT film. It deserves its reputation. I found out the violent ( though limited) gunplay was the first of its kind in a western.
18. The Big Gundown. I didn't particularly like Tuco in GBU, but if Eli Wallach had played Tomia's part ( I like Milan though), this one would have been a more well known western).
19. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. If not for the 3rd wheel romance that i felt bogged the middle of the movie down, this could've been a top 10 western.
20. Ride the High Country. I may be rating this lower on my list than i should. This is the ONLY Randolph Scott western i like. Joel McCrea was good here too.
Honorable Mention:
The Big Country. Peck, Ives, Connors, Heston. This was a epic western that was pretty good.
The Fastest Gun Alive. A plot very similar to The Gunfighter. A great western.
A Fist Full of Dollars. Leone was learning with this one. Still a great movie.
Barquero. This movie might need to be higher on my list. One of Warren Oate's best films. Reminds me of High Plains Drifter.
The Professionals. This movie might need to be higher on my list.
Winchester 73. A very well done western. One of the two westerns i like that Stewart made.
Gunman's walk. I liked this western. Another underrated one.
The Man from Laramie. Very good western by stewart.
Yellow Sky. ( haven't finished watching this one, but it has signs of maybe pushing into my top 20).
Day of the Outlaw. A very good western featuring Robert Ryan and Burl Ives. I may be ranking this lower than I should.
Sabatha. Take the Wild West West stuff out of this film and replace it with a more straight forward tone and this would've been a great Van Cleef film.
The Baron of Arizona. Saw the last few scenes. I know this will be higher once i get to review the whole film.
1. The Great Silence. Just edges out OUTITW. The rawness and the ending are what give it the edge.
2. Once Upon a Time in the West. One of the all time best movies across any genre.
3. The Oxbow Incident. Another masterpiece. Subject matter keeps this movie low profile.
4. My Darling Clementine. A movie i didn't particularly care about at first. Then i watched it a second time. A masterpiece.
5. High Noon. The simplicity of the plot. The tension. The cinematography. The music. My favorite Gary Cooper performance.
6. For A Few Dollars More. Captain Mortimer. Indio. My favorite of the 3 Eastwood sphagetti's made with Leone.
7. The Wild Bunch. The realism of the action in this movie seperates it from every western ever made.
8. 3:10 to Yuma. (1957). My favorite performances from Van Heflin and Glenn Ford. A excellent plot and cinematography make this a masterpiece.
9. Red River. The cattle drive. John Wayne. Walter Brennan. Montgomery Cliff. The cinematography. Another masterpiece.
10. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. I love the different moral lessons touched upon in this movie. Great performances from Wayne, Stewart, Strode and Marvin.
11. The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. Great western. Great performances. Felt it was too long and had some implausible moments.
12. The Westerner. Walter Brennan as a bad heavy was impressive in this one. I loved Cooper in this also. Great ending.
13. Stagecoach. A masterpiece. What else needs to be said?
14. Rawhide. A greatly underrated western. Probably the best western that shows how the old stagecoach stages worked. My favorite Jack Elam western. Very well done.
15. Death Rides a Horse. This is the 2nd best non Leone sphagetti western i have seen thus far. ( behind the Great Silence). The tone and everything matched up with the Leone Films. If Eastwood had played the part that John Phillip Law did, I'm certain this would have been considered a greater film than it already is.
16. The Gunfighter. My favorite Gregory Peck film. I love simple plots. Another great tension film.
17. Shane. I initially didn't like this film. I was half asleep and thought that Shane was trying to run off with Starrett's wife and kid, lol. I rewatched it and found out that me and Shane are cool, lol. GREAT film. It deserves its reputation. I found out the violent ( though limited) gunplay was the first of its kind in a western.
18. The Big Gundown. I didn't particularly like Tuco in GBU, but if Eli Wallach had played Tomia's part ( I like Milan though), this one would have been a more well known western).
19. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. If not for the 3rd wheel romance that i felt bogged the middle of the movie down, this could've been a top 10 western.
20. Ride the High Country. I may be rating this lower on my list than i should. This is the ONLY Randolph Scott western i like. Joel McCrea was good here too.
Honorable Mention:
The Big Country. Peck, Ives, Connors, Heston. This was a epic western that was pretty good.
The Fastest Gun Alive. A plot very similar to The Gunfighter. A great western.
A Fist Full of Dollars. Leone was learning with this one. Still a great movie.
Barquero. This movie might need to be higher on my list. One of Warren Oate's best films. Reminds me of High Plains Drifter.
The Professionals. This movie might need to be higher on my list.
Winchester 73. A very well done western. One of the two westerns i like that Stewart made.
Gunman's walk. I liked this western. Another underrated one.
The Man from Laramie. Very good western by stewart.
Yellow Sky. ( haven't finished watching this one, but it has signs of maybe pushing into my top 20).
Day of the Outlaw. A very good western featuring Robert Ryan and Burl Ives. I may be ranking this lower than I should.
Sabatha. Take the Wild West West stuff out of this film and replace it with a more straight forward tone and this would've been a great Van Cleef film.
The Baron of Arizona. Saw the last few scenes. I know this will be higher once i get to review the whole film.