I'm not super into westerns, don't hate them but westerns are probably my least favorite genre. But I was searching hulu and found one called "Black Spurs" and was intrigued because
1. It didn't star John Wayne.
2. It did star Lon Chaney Jr. Who's work I'm not super familiar with
It just started, and while it seems like the generic "shoot um up" western, it isn't bad.
Other good westerns?
Was Lon Chaney Jr.’s character called Lawrence Talbot by any chance? :-)
shareThe Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966) The Graveyard scene should rank among one of the best moments in film history.
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) Another great from Leone sports Henry Fonda in one of his only bad guy roles. Bronson at his best.
Django (1966) the original Django: Franco Nero goes up against the Ku Klux Klan accompanied by one heck of an opening theme and a mysterious coffin.
The three major eras of westerns are the Classical, Spaghetti, and Revisionist Westerns.
Classical Westerns roughly span from the birth of the genre to the early 1960's, and is where actors like John Wayne and directors like John Ford made their mark. Some examples I'd recommend are:
- Stagecoach (1939) starring John Wayne & directed by John Ford.
- High Noon (1952) starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly & directed by Fred Zinnemann.
- The Searchers (1956) starring John Wayne & directed by John Ford.
- Rio Bravo (1959) starring John Wayne and Dean Martin & directed by Howard Hawks.
- The Man Who Shot The Liberty Valance (1962) starring James Stewart and John Wayne & directed by John Ford.
Spaghetti Westerns get their name from being filmed in Italy, and started getting released in the mid-1960's. The westerns directed by Sergio Leone are all great, and have great scores by Ennio Morricone. If you watch one and like it, you'll probably like them all as they all share a similar style. I'd recommend:
- A Fistful Of Dollars (1964) starring Clint Eastwood.
- For A Few Dollars More (1965) starring Clint Eastwood.
- The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) starring Clint Eastwood.
- Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) starring Charles Bronson & Henry Fonda.
- Duck You Sucker! [aka A Fistful Of Dynamite] (1971) starring James Coburn & Rod Stieger.
As you may have noticed, Clint Eastwood stars in a few of these, and he made quite a name for himself with the western genre, even going on to direct some of the best of them. It's in this era where the Revisionist Westerns came to be, which started coming out around the 1970's. I'd recommend:
- The Wild Bunch (1969) starring William Holden and Ernest Borgnine & directed by Sam Peckinpah
- High Plains Drifter (1973) starring & directed by Clint Eastwood
- The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) starring & directed by Clint Eastwood
- Pale Rider (1985) starring & directed by Clint Eastwood
- The Unforgiven (1992) starring & directed by Clint Eastwood
Great list of great films here! 👍
shareI have seen them all. Great list.
shareIf I’m not mistaken I think The Searchers ranks among AFI’s top ten movies (not just westerns) of all time.
share1. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
2. Shane
3. The Professionals
4. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
5. The Outlaw Josey Wales
There are some excellent suggestions in here. Long ago I sought answers to the same question you posted. I had not been too into the genre but saw the Sergio Leone westerns and acquired a taste for more.
Most of what I would suggest has been covered ITT but I noticed that no one recommended The Quick and the Dead. It has its directorial quirks (Raimi) but it is a damn good western. Revolves around a gun fight tournament.
I am not a fan of Unforgiven nor many John Wayne films (a few are good, though).
My top ones:
1. Good Bad Ugly
2. Silverado
3. Tombstone
4. The Quick and the Dead
5. The Wild Bunch
I actually like the Sam Elliott / Kate Capshaw / Tom Conti Q&D film of the same name more than the Sharon Stone / Gene Hackman / Russell Crowe movie. The latter is too gimmicky, although it's fun the first time. The Elliott film is much more conventional and it's still a taut story with some nuance. I don't want to say too much in case anyone wants to see it without any notions of how it unveils. It's like the Stone Q&D could have been directed by Tarantino (cheeky) while the Elliott could have been directed by Eastwood (earthy).
shareBack to the Future III
shareSounds good. I'll check it out. Q&D could stand to be a bit more "earthy."
shareI'd say High Noon and The Searchers are my favorites. McLintock is fun, though.
share