Top Ten Westerns

This is a little aside from my normally blogging.  Some of my friends recently have been engaging me in a discussion of westerns.  I am a lover of cowboys, as was my dad, and his dad before him (think Zane Grey and Riders of the Purple Sage).  I think most guys have that spirit in them.  So below is my attempt at rating my favorite westerns.  This is based on my preference only.  A couple of comments before my readers get up in arms.  You will notice there are no John Wayne films.  I will forever take a beating on this point.  And many people will think that I am not a cowboy connoisseur.  Sorry, give me Eastwood before John Wayne in the cowboy department.  Secondly, there is no Magnificent Seven and High Noon.  I realize that the movie cinema ratings on westerns always include these films in their top ten, but sorry they did very little for me other than the soundtrack and a few famous lines.  Finally, if you are going to watch these films, my suggestion is watching edited versions.  Most of these have either some nudity or suggestive material that is pointless to the film.  Here goes

#10-Young Guns II-This is one of the few movies that eclipses the original.  It has an interesting twist on the fate of Billy the Kid, and it also gave us Bon Jovi’s Blaze of Glory. Most western gurus are laughing at me with this one, but it is entertaining and thought provoking “what if?”

#9-Dances with Wolves.  This film is a little different slice of the Western.  And of course, it gives a sympathetic slant toward the Indian against the evil white man.  Costner believes it is his best film. 

#8-Tombstone.  This is the modern film starring Kurt Russell.  In my taste, Val Kilmer makes this film great.  There are many great lines.  And the movie gives a good concession of what was reality and what was fantasy with what many to be the most famous gunfight in the “Old West”. 

#7-Silverado.  This is an all-star cast that includes a young Kevin Costner.  Often times this film is credited with the resurgence of the Western in modern movies.  I believe it came out in 1986, and it has all the drama that every western buff enjoys even the classic showdown in the main street.  One of my favorite lines from the movie is Danny Glover’s character saying to some bandits, “Now I don’t want to kill you, and you don’t want to be dead.” 

#6-The Long Riders.  This film (1980) had three sets of brothers starring as three sets of brothers in the film (Youngers, James, and some other bros).  It is a darker version of a western, but I think it accurately represents what Missouri was like in post Civil War.  Although the scene on the beach (supposedly on the banks of the Missouri River) sort of loses is visual authenticity.  This is one of those ‘B’ sided westerns.  But if you are a cowboy connoisseur this is a must see.

#5-High Plains Drifter-Clint Eastwood has this knack for delivering the classic western theme with a twist.  I never did fully understand if his character was a death angel, was related to the deceased sheriff, or was the deceased sheriff come back for vengeance.  Other than a few unnecessary scenes (which Eastwood sadly is known for) this film has a good story line. 

#4-The Unforgiven-This is another Eastwood film that once again is never quite predictable, particularly the last gunfight scene.  Gene Hackman (another one of my favorite actors) plays a good opposite of Eastwood.  Eastwood won an Oscar for director of this film.  And it made the western cool again. 

#3-Santee-Glenn Ford’s best western in my opinion.  I always thought he never got his due when it came to cowboy movies.  It has a classic though very suspenseful ending.  Western enthusiasts will love this movie, but evidently Hollywood doesn’t.  I have yet to find a DVD for it. 

#2-Shane-Since its inception in the 1950’s, this movie is the perennial classic Western.  Many believe it is still the greatest of all time.  Arguably it has the most endearing and famous last few lines.  It was my dad’s all time favorite.  And he had watched it so many times, that he knew all the lines by memory.  It is also the curse of Alan Ladd’s career, and he was typecast most of his life after this, and made very few films of quality. 

#1-The Outlaw Josie Wales.  Having been born and raised in Missouri, I am partial to this film about a Missouri farmer with a name (after a string of Eastwood films with the man with no name).  Eastwood sat on this script for a while, and believed that if he released at the time ofUnforgiven it would have been a Hollywood smash.  The years have been kind to Josie, as a new generation of enthusiasts keep rating it higher in popularity each passing year.