The Top 10 Westerns Ever Made, Plus 10 More Deep Cuts

The Federalist ^ | 03/25/2018 | By Inez Feltscher Stepman

[SuperLuminal]

20 great titles of films that would/could not be made today because, to just name a couple of reasons:

• No actors with any of the same quality;
• No diversity (except Blazing Saddles);
• No male actors or potential male theater goers with a 30;s-to-60's level of masculinity/testosterone left;
• No underlying communist/progressive, feminazi, or JW messages; and,
• The overwhelming cost of computer graphics to cover up lack of plot or acting deficiencies.

[Bonemaker]

“So is Shane; two very overrated films that critics love, but western fans generally find weak. “

But the scene where Jack murders the sodbuster over the mud puddle is a forever.

[Inyo-Mono]

I own and shoot black powder cartridge revolvers, rifles, and shotguns just like those in Open Range and I will say that that film has the most realistic gunshots I've ever heard in a Western.

[freefdny]

I loved Little Big Man, both book and movie. I like the list but might put The Searchers in the top spot. And being a John Ford fan I have to add Fort Apache to the list. The scene where Col Thursday is starting a fight with Cochise is great. It also reminds me of a timeshare presentation I had in Aruba. I was Cochise and “Tell him I find him without honor.” from the movie became “What kind of man does not care about his family’s vacation?” But that’s a different story.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5d3a_gKeeZk. Fort Apache trailer.

[YogicCowboy]

All very credible entries.

Rio Bravo is my favorite! Magnificent Seven is second. Liberty Valance is extraordinary.

John Wayne and James Stewart - hard to go wrong. Both were better actors than generally conceded, due in part to their conservatism in a libertine/leftist milieu, although Hitchcock and others gave Stewart more credibility than Wayne had.

The one casting change I would have made to Seven would have been James Garner in Brad Dexter role.

[JusPasenThru]

What do you think, darling? Should I hate him? Age quod ages...

[2ndDivisionVet]

It’s the same movie!

[Alberta's Child]

Young Cowboy: "You're a hard man, Conagher."

Conn Conagher: "It's a hard country, kid."

[MarvinStinson]

The view of Randolph Scott by the clueless.

[Bonemaker]

“I enjoyed Big Country - 1958 Gregory Peck”

Peck was fantastic in 12 o’clock high too. But eventually he turned into a Peckerhead.

[Rummyfan]

Lonesome Dove... Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones are so good I have watched it over and over and over. Combine those two leads with a very deep cast - Chris Cooper and Anjelica Huston to name two - and a Larry McMurtry book and you have the greatest long-form Western ever.

[YogicCowboy]

Silverado.

The Man from Snowy River (a Down Under western).

Both have a strong message. Both have magnificent scores.

[yarddog]

John Wayne said “Red River” was his best movie.

In most pictures of him, he is wearing a belt buckle with the “Red River, D” brand on it. He also used that brand as his own. Apparently he owned a ranch.

[MarvinStinson]

louis L’Amour hated it because it was so successful.

[BipolarBob]

Love The Wild Bunch by Bloody Sam Peckinpah.

[Forty-Niner]

Open Range is the classic of Westerns. It has all the attributes of the best westerns.

[Bonemaker]

Sam and Curt weren’t bad either. And the cowboys were terrific.

[YogicCowboy]

Since it was essentially a redo of RB, I give precedence to the original.

[BipolarBob]

Loved Emperor of the North.

[Maine Mariner]

Chief Dan George was great in both Josie Wales and Little Big Man. Some years ago there was a thread about how many times Josie spit on the dog. I have watched the movie about 10 times but missed a couple