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Westerns: Your recommendations?
- Thread starter Umbran
- Start date
I always loved Kung Fu, Branded and The Lone Ranger as far as TV shows went.
On the big screen? Clint Eastwood's "spaghetti westerns" (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly), Pale Rider, Shane, The White Buffalo and The Magnificent 7 are all faves of mine.
On the more comedic side, there are the classics Blazing Saddles and Paint Your Wagon.
On the big screen? Clint Eastwood's "spaghetti westerns" (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly), Pale Rider, Shane, The White Buffalo and The Magnificent 7 are all faves of mine.
On the more comedic side, there are the classics Blazing Saddles and Paint Your Wagon.
Relique du Madde
Adventurer
I love Clint Eastwood's westerns, so it's not odd that out of the pre-2000s American westerns I liked, most of them featured him in it. So I'll say that The Outlaw Josey Wales, Pale Rider, and Two Guns for Sister Sara would be on my list of best American Westerns.
Some other pre-2000s Westerns I thought were good were the Magnificent 7 was alright (though I only really liked Eli Wallach, Yull Brenner, and Charles Bronson's characters), and High Noon (even though I can't I can't remember anything before the beyond the final gunfight). For the hell of it, I'll also toss in Deadman even thought I don't really consider it a western.
From the Spagetti westerns I loved the The Dollars Trillogy and the Sabata films (with Lee Van Cleef). I also liked the original Django. I also liked Once Apon A Time In The West.
Deadwood is alright, although I haven't seen past the first season.
Out of the recent westerns, I only really liked 3:10 to Yuma*; however, I haven't watched the original so I'm not sure which is better.
* I have to rewatch Banditas and Sukiyaki Western: Django before I can decide on those movies even diverse to be on my post millennial western list. And yes, I did see that Assassination of Jessie James and Appoloosa. However, let me just say that Renee Zelweger tends to ruin movies for me, Assassination of Jessie James didn't feel like it was as good as it should have been.
Some other pre-2000s Westerns I thought were good were the Magnificent 7 was alright (though I only really liked Eli Wallach, Yull Brenner, and Charles Bronson's characters), and High Noon (even though I can't I can't remember anything before the beyond the final gunfight). For the hell of it, I'll also toss in Deadman even thought I don't really consider it a western.
From the Spagetti westerns I loved the The Dollars Trillogy and the Sabata films (with Lee Van Cleef). I also liked the original Django. I also liked Once Apon A Time In The West.
Deadwood is alright, although I haven't seen past the first season.
Out of the recent westerns, I only really liked 3:10 to Yuma*; however, I haven't watched the original so I'm not sure which is better.
* I have to rewatch Banditas and Sukiyaki Western: Django before I can decide on those movies even diverse to be on my post millennial western list. And yes, I did see that Assassination of Jessie James and Appoloosa. However, let me just say that Renee Zelweger tends to ruin movies for me, Assassination of Jessie James didn't feel like it was as good as it should have been.
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High Noon is indeed a classic, as is Josey Wales- seconded!
Mark Chance
Boingy! Boingy!
Almost everything John Wayne did, especially Big Jake, True Grit, The Searchers, and The Sons of Katie Elder. You cannot overlook Shane. Check out Burt Lancaster in Vera Cruz, The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and Valdez Is Coming. Gregory Peck and Jimmie Stewart did too many good ones to list.
For TV shows, check out Rawhide, Have Gun Will Travel, and The Rifleman.
I've got a soft spot for Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and Tex Ritter as well.
For TV shows, check out Rawhide, Have Gun Will Travel, and The Rifleman.
I've got a soft spot for Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and Tex Ritter as well.
That there just might be my favorite Takeshi Miike film, pardner. Which segues nicely into my recommendation, Yojimbo. It's an archetypal Western (even though it's about a ronin samurai).
I'll also second (third? forth?) Once Upon a Time in the West, Fistful of Dollars, and The Searchers. I saw The Searchers for the first time last year and I don't quite know what to make of it: it's a big, beautiful Technicolor Western starring John Wayne, but with a script by Cormac McCarthy.
edit: and some more I just remembered: Rancho Notorious (directed by Fritz Lang) and Bandolero! (for it's great theme music and ace pairing of Dean Martin and Jimmy Stewart).
edit 2: what the Hell am I thinking?! Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
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JediSoth
Voice Over Artist & Author
My absolute favorite western is Tombstone. I always like the iconic showdown story of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and I think this movie does it best. Plus, Val Kilmer is just amazing as Doc Holiday (plus seeing the dadass Colonel Quaritch from Avatar as the sniveling coward Ike Clanton is fun, too).
After that, it's hard to rate them in any sort of order, so here's just a list:
Silverado - I liked to think of this as a trope-filled homage to the westerns of yesteryear. "Today my jurisdiction ends here."
The Outlaw Josey Wales - One of Clint's best westerns with a show-stealing sidekick. "I reckon so." *spit*
Pale Rider - Some interesting metaphysical allusions, plus Clint kicking-butt with a hickory axe handle!
True Grit - One of the Duke's best! "Fill your hands you son-of-a-[censored]!"
Rio Brave/El Dorado - Basically the same movie with some casting differences, but still both are good, basic westerns about a sheriff trying to protect his town from the corrupt villain. Look for James "Sonny Corleone" Caan in El Dorado as a sawed-off-shotgun wielding fancy-pants!
Big Jake - Another good one from John Wayne, with a cast full of nepotism! "I thought you was dead!"
Unforgiven - My second-favorite Clint Eastwood western. Basically a deconstruction of all those classic western tropes and myths. "We all got it comin', kid."
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. - Steampunk meets western starring Ash...errr Bruce Campbell. Seriously, this show was ahead of its time and made of awesome. "Very fancy!"
Blazing Saddles - Iconic Western/Comedy from Mel Brook. Would NEVER get made today, but before decrying it as racist, look at the writers (Richard Pryor was one of 'em).
Support Your Local Sheriff/Support Your Local Gunfighter - Two good Western/Comedies starring James Garner and Jack Elam. They're basically the same plot (with most of the same cast!), but different settings. Fun movies. One features a jail with no bars successfully keeping a bad guy at bay!
After that, it's hard to rate them in any sort of order, so here's just a list:
Silverado - I liked to think of this as a trope-filled homage to the westerns of yesteryear. "Today my jurisdiction ends here."
The Outlaw Josey Wales - One of Clint's best westerns with a show-stealing sidekick. "I reckon so." *spit*
Pale Rider - Some interesting metaphysical allusions, plus Clint kicking-butt with a hickory axe handle!
True Grit - One of the Duke's best! "Fill your hands you son-of-a-[censored]!"
Rio Brave/El Dorado - Basically the same movie with some casting differences, but still both are good, basic westerns about a sheriff trying to protect his town from the corrupt villain. Look for James "Sonny Corleone" Caan in El Dorado as a sawed-off-shotgun wielding fancy-pants!
Big Jake - Another good one from John Wayne, with a cast full of nepotism! "I thought you was dead!"
Unforgiven - My second-favorite Clint Eastwood western. Basically a deconstruction of all those classic western tropes and myths. "We all got it comin', kid."
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. - Steampunk meets western starring Ash...errr Bruce Campbell. Seriously, this show was ahead of its time and made of awesome. "Very fancy!"
Blazing Saddles - Iconic Western/Comedy from Mel Brook. Would NEVER get made today, but before decrying it as racist, look at the writers (Richard Pryor was one of 'em).
Support Your Local Sheriff/Support Your Local Gunfighter - Two good Western/Comedies starring James Garner and Jack Elam. They're basically the same plot (with most of the same cast!), but different settings. Fun movies. One features a jail with no bars successfully keeping a bad guy at bay!
Seconding Unforgiven and Briscoe County, Jr....and reminded of its spiritual forefather, Wild, Wild West (TV only).
I always liked watching westerns that stood out for some reason unrelated to the plot. For example, I like watching the movies where John Wayne dies, just because he died in so few movies (compared to how many he made). I will watch "The Frisco Kid" just to watch Gene Wilder do an impression of a Polish rabbi who is doing an impression of a southern cowboy (linguistic genius, I tell ya).
I also enjoy finding westerns with actors known for other things. For example, I hunted down the Lone Ranger and Bonanza episodes with Deforest Kelley for my mother one year for Xmas, because she's a huge Star Trek fan. For another example, I am entertained by the movie Eagle's Wing because it has Sam Waterson (aka Jack McCoy) as the indian.
I also enjoy finding westerns with actors known for other things. For example, I hunted down the Lone Ranger and Bonanza episodes with Deforest Kelley for my mother one year for Xmas, because she's a huge Star Trek fan. For another example, I am entertained by the movie Eagle's Wing because it has Sam Waterson (aka Jack McCoy) as the indian.
Frisco Kid is a nice movie, a little bit of adventure, a little bit of romantic comedy, a little bit of drama.
And besides Gene's genius, don't forget Harrison Ford's frustrated cowboy...eerily similar to his work in Star Wars as Han Solo.
And besides Gene's genius, don't forget Harrison Ford's frustrated cowboy...eerily similar to his work in Star Wars as Han Solo.
