1 Searchers
2 Shootist
3 Unforgiven
4 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
5 No Country for Old Men
6 The Cowboys
7 The Ox-Bow Incident
8 Legends of the Fall
9 Geronimo: An American Legend
10 Hostiles

Honorable Mention
Tombstone

Some other good ones:

Shane
Hombre
Valdez is Coming
The Big Country
True Grit (the original)

"No Country for Old Men" is set in the 1980s, and although it takes place in Texas, I wouldn't call it a western.

The Good The Bad And The Ugly!

One of my favorites.

For those who like old Westerns, plenty available on YouTube.

Same goes for old African movies.

1. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
2. Shootist
3. Big Jake
4. True Grit
5. Searchers
6. Lonesome Dove
7. Tombstone
8. Open Range
9. Gunsmoke (I know it is a series…but deserving)
10. Cahill, US Marshall


Honorable mentions:
1. Legends of the Fall
2. Unforgiven
3. The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
4. The Big Country
5. The Tall Men


On any given day I might rerank and there are definitely more honorable mentions!

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
1. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
2. Shootist
3. Big Jake
4. True Grit
5. Searchers
6. Lonesome Dove
7. Tombstone
8. Open Range
9. Gunsmoke (I know it is a series…but deserving)
10. Cahill, US Marshall


Honorable mentions:
1. Legends of the Fall
2. Unforgiven
3. The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
4. The Big Country
5. The Tall Men


On any given day I might rerank and there are definitely more honorable mentions!

not bad, i would throw in 1883 and Star Wars ep IV, and, my fav, the magnificent seven (and most other kirasowa western adaptations)

Technically, Lonesome Dove is not a film.

It was hoped to be made as a film w Guss played by Duke Wayne. The adaptation got going after Duke did True Grit. The Screenplay was written for Duke bc of The True Great performance. Sadly, Duke was unable.


I do not care if you include Lonesome of Gun Smoke, but what would replace them if going by pure film?

Rare Breed, Gun Fighter, can I include the Calvary Trilogy as one entry, and Winchester 73 would be in my top 25.

Three Godfathers is much underrated.

What makes Star Wars so great was there are so many wonderful myth telling venues in one film.

It is a Western. It is High Fantasy. It is a Father and Son character study.

quote:

Originally posted by RolandtheHeadless:
"No Country for Old Men" is set in the 1980s, and although it takes place in Texas, I wouldn't call it a western.

look at themes and location.

Westerns are not about a time. They are about a conflict and how that conflict is resolved. In the case of No Country, not resolved. In the modern vain Westerns are about the making of a people, a place for good and bad. McClintock has a lot of this. It is just hidden. Most folks just see the Taming of the Shrew comedy aspect.

Oh dear, I just talked myself into The Last of the Mohicans as a modernist Western. Creation of a people, individual, nation governed by morals based on reason. All the themes and takes place, happens by and through, the frontier.

The location the frontier creates the person and people in a Western as much as the actions that happen. The locations, the frontier, is a cause and effect. That is why those shots of Duke Wayne against a fire Red desert rim rock, with the desert wind whipping as he looks down on the valley. We can’t see what has happened yet. He throws his slip with the wind revealing his rifle (a Winchester) which is the avenging sword unsheathed. These shots are story telling of those three. They are not mere pretty or even impactful shots. The fire shown by the red is as much the fire inside Duke shown by the landscape as the fire burning the home below. That fire being always present and around the folks who will become Americans.

The original "The Magnificent Seven"

My favorite line from James Coburn's character,"Nobody throws me my own guns and says run. Nobody!"

OK:

Lonesome Dove to The Tall Men

Gunsmoke to Tom Horn

Honorable Mention additions:

Quigly
Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid (Paul and Robert)

1. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
2. Shootist
3. Big Jake
4. True Grit
5. Searchers
6. The Tall Men
7. Tombstone
8. Open Range
9. Tom Horn
10. Cahill, US Marshall

Honorable mentions:
1. Legends of the Fall
2. Unforgiven
3. The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
4. The Big Country
5. Quigly Down Under
6.Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid (Paul and Robert)
7. All other John Wayne westerns

1. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
2. Shane.
3. Unforgiven.
4. The Outlaw Josey Wales.
5. The Big Country.
6. Open Range.
7. True Grit (original).
8. The Shootist.
9. Hombre.
10. Tombstone.
11. High Noon. (Okay, so I cheated with an extra.)

Honorable mentions: The Cowboys. The Magnificent Seven. Big Jake. Most John Wayne westerns, including Red River, Stagecoach, and Angel and the Badman. Jeremiah Johnson. Hang 'Em High. Judge Roy Bean.

Quigley isn't set in the American west, though it's main character is a westerner. Is that enough to count? A great film, regardless.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is long, boring, and melodramatic. The immorality or moral ambiguity of all the characters, including the protagonist (Clint Eastwood, the "Good"), carved out a new theme in westerns, though.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid has its moments; also its silly moments, like the long bicycle scene.

Quigley certainly counts with Australia being the next and largest frontier. The American, the Cowboy, is already formed by his own frontier. Australia gives him a venue to right the wrongs of his own frontier.

Tuco’s dialogue is the only reason to watch the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

“When you have to shoot, shoot, don’t talk.”

“There are two kinds of spurs my friend.”

A lot of Costner’s dialogue ruins Open Range for me, “ Let’s rustle up some grub.” He writes dialogue bc he thinks it should be on a Western. It is so mid grade film making.

If we can get a few more we will do war films.

Oh, how could I forget Little Big Man?

quote:

Originally posted by RolandtheHeadless:
1. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
2. Shane.
3. Unforgiven.
4. The Outlaw Josey Wales.
5. The Big Country.
6. Open Range.
7. True Grit (original).
8. The Shootist.
9. Hombre.
10. Tombstone.
11. High Noon. (Okay, so I cheated with an extra.)

Honorable mentions: The Cowboys. The Magnificent Seven. Big Jake. Most John Wayne westerns, including Red River, Stagecoach, and Angel and the Badman. Jeremiah Johnson. Hang 'Em High. Judge Roy Bean.

Quigley isn't set in the American west, though it's main character is a westerner. Is that enough to count? A great film, regardless.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is long, boring, and melodramatic. The immorality or moral ambiguity of all the characters, including the protagonist (Clint Eastwood, the "Good"), carved out a new theme in westerns, though.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid has its moments; also its silly moments, like the long bicycle scene.

Open Range had the worst dialog ever. I think Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Lid is terrific as is Jeremiah Johnson.

How did High Plains Drifter not get mentioned?

I’m a bit more that a western is a movie about conflict in the American frontier west.

That may not be the official cinematography definition, but it’s mine. I want the historical setting.

Unforgiven
True Grit (with John Wayne)
Cahill, US Marshall
The outlaw Joesey Wales
Jeremiah Johnson
The man who shot Liberty Valance
Tombstone
The good, the bad, and the ugly
Tom Horn
The shootist

Admittedly, the ranking moves around and some would pop in if I saw them more recently.

quote:

Quigley certainly counts with Australia being the next and largest frontier. The American, the Cowboy, is already formed by his own frontier. Australia gives him a venue to right the wrongs of his own frontier.

If next and largest frontier is the criterion, then Star Wars and other space operas qualify as westerns. For a white protagonist to defend an aboriginal population is rare in American westerns, Little Big Man and Dances with Wolves being exceptions. But if you still want to count Quigly as a western, I won't argue further.

The Stalking Moon is another good one.

Why is the modern version of True Grit ignored?
I thought it was excellent.

quote:

Originally posted by RCG:
The original "The Magnificent Seven"

My favorite line from James Coburn's character,"Nobody throws me my own guns and says run. Nobody!"

Right there…my most favorite
After that
Unforgiven
Tombstone
Mountain men
Young guns
True grit…newer version
Jeremiah Johnson

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:
Why is the modern version of True Grit ignored?
I thought it was excellent.

Because you are talking about Duke idolization
I for one never cared much about his movies as I thought he wasn’t that great of an actor

The scenery is better in the original.

I do not care the Bridges gargled delivery.

A delivery he used in every film since.

Other than the end, it is not that much of a more accurate adaptation than Duke’s.

It’s fine. Bridges adds nothing and takes away w his delivery.

I disregarded the remake because I don't care for Jeff Bridges.

The setting was more accurate in the remake.

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
I do not care the Bridges gargled delivery.

A delivery he used in every film since.

Other than the end, it is not that much of a more accurate adaptation than Duke’s.

It’s fine. Bridges adds nothing and takes away w his delivery.

The Cohen Brothers got the delivery wrong?!?!?!?!

Oh my goodness.

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:

quote:

Originally posted by RolandtheHeadless:
1. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
2. Shane.
3. Unforgiven.
4. The Outlaw Josey Wales.
5. The Big Country.
6. Open Range.
7. True Grit (original).
8. The Shootist.
9. Hombre.
10. Tombstone.
11. High Noon. (Okay, so I cheated with an extra.)

Honorable mentions: The Cowboys. The Magnificent Seven. Big Jake. Most John Wayne westerns, including Red River, Stagecoach, and Angel and the Badman. Jeremiah Johnson. Hang 'Em High. Judge Roy Bean.

Quigley isn't set in the American west, though it's main character is a westerner. Is that enough to count? A great film, regardless.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is long, boring, and melodramatic. The immorality or moral ambiguity of all the characters, including the protagonist (Clint Eastwood, the "Good"), carved out a new theme in westerns, though.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid has its moments; also its silly moments, like the long bicycle scene.

Open Range had the worst dialog ever. I think Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Lid is terrific as is Jeremiah Johnson.

How did High Plains Drifter not get mentioned?

The dialogue was not great. But, the final scene gun fight was epic. Even with Kevin Costner's Colt apparently holding a dozen or so rounds.

"You the one who killed our friend?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15HPgKeQtUI

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
I do not care the Bridges gargled delivery.

A delivery he used in every film since.

Other than the end, it is not that much of a more accurate adaptation than Duke’s.

It’s fine. Bridges adds nothing and takes away w his delivery.

The Cohen Brothers got the delivery wrong?!?!?!?!

Oh my goodness.

Yes, for letting Bridges speak like that. Technically, Bridges did. He speaks like that in all his films now.

Thanks guys. Now I have a good watch again list, for those still available.

It is easier for me to list those I don't or didn't like.

The one with Gene Hackman and a town of gunslingers killing each other.

Ballad of Buster Scruggs.

And all those sci-fi westerns.

I didn't care for 3:10 to Yuma

I liked many of the westerns set in Australia with Australian actors.

https://www.google.com/search?...sclient=gws-wiz-serp

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
I do not care the Bridges gargled delivery.

A delivery he used in every film since.

Other than the end, it is not that much of a more accurate adaptation than Duke’s.

It’s fine. Bridges adds nothing and takes away w his delivery.

The Cohen Brothers got the delivery wrong?!?!?!?!

Oh my goodness.

Yes, for letting Bridges speak like that. Technically, Bridges did. He speaks like that in all his films now.

I read somewhere that Bridges speech change was the result of his throat cancer and a bad case of COVID 19.

You do not like Unforgiven?

Or do you mean the Quick and the Dead? I get that. It has Sharon Stone.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Mitchell:

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
I do not care the Bridges gargled delivery.

A delivery he used in every film since.

Other than the end, it is not that much of a more accurate adaptation than Duke’s.

It’s fine. Bridges adds nothing and takes away w his delivery.

The Cohen Brothers got the delivery wrong?!?!?!?!

Oh my goodness.

Yes, for letting Bridges speak like that. Technically, Bridges did. He speaks like that in all his films now.

I read somewhere that Bridges speech change was the result of his throat cancer and a bad case of COVID 19.

True Grit was long before COVID. However, I respect the issue w cancer.

Kevin Costner has done the same thing with his dialect.

In no particular order,
Quigly down under,
The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid,
Pale Rider
Josey Wales
Godless ( ok not a series not a film)
Buster Scruggs
Sweet Country

quote:

Originally posted by RolandtheHeadless:
because I don't care for Jeff Bridges.

Some folks just don't abide.....

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
1 Searchers
2 Shootist
3 Unforgiven
4 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
5 No Country for Old Men
6 The Cowboys
7 The Ox-Bow Incident
8 Legends of the Fall
9 Geronimo: An American Legend
10 Hostiles

Honorable Mention
Tombstone

Can't believe nobody has listed Silverado yet.

Too many good westerns to choose from.

It is. “ This ought to do.” Glover then holds holds up two “Henrys.” I think they were 1866, Uberti repros that were modified to look like Henrys. I think I remember seeing the King’s loading gate. No problem w that.

I had a hard time leaving off Shane, Red River, snd Gunfighter (Gregory Peck), and Pale Rider.

Someone above did list Shane.

I have seen the restored, more or less Director’s cut of Heaven’s Gate. It substantially better than the yellow filtered, and hacked editing that was released.

However, even this version would not have saved it. The authenticity and perfectionism of Cimino on shooting which atomic bombed the budget was never going to permit a profit. The cinematography of tge restoration wo the stupid yellow filter of his authentic sets shines. I’ll never understand why he went to all this trouble to have period correct settings and waiting days for perfect weather conditions for his shots with a full period correct train, etc only to wash it all out w that filter. The narrative is much better, but still a headache in communication to an audience. The budget and delays were not salvageable.

How about cowboys and aliens with Harrison Ford…