Snakester's Top 5 Westerns

OK, this is my little list after getting my wheels turning from my previous post on the stories of classic westerns.


5. The Shootist - This was John Wayne's last film and that alone may have signaled the end of the great American western. The film is about an old gunslinger finding out his time is about up battling cancer and how to deal with his death & legacy. Even though the movie wasn't originally intended this way, the story is almost a direct correlation with Wayne's own life and his big screen persona of The Duke. The ending of the movie is foreshadowed every well and shows maybe a harsher reality of the old west.

4. 3:10 to Yuma - I am talking about the recent remake because I think it is the only recent western where everyone involved seemed to understand the pacing of the story and the interaction between characters. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe are truly great actors. The mood and realism feels right as their situation turn into a strange kinship that builds through their own personal motives and need for respect. You eventually being to see who they really are which pulls you in so that by the end you believe the impossible could happen and want to ignore the inevitable truth.

3. True Grit - Wayne won an Oscar for playing Marshall Rooster Cogburn. While many believed it was a way to award him for his whole body of work, this performance stands on its own. Rooster is well outside the normal realm of classic western hero. But the interaction between the three heroes (Rooster, Mattie & La Beouf) on their journey brings out the best in each. There is so much growth as they each strengthen each other to overcome their overbearing faults doing what they believe is right. This is one of the only Wayne westerns where the heroes venture more towards the shade of grey rather than black and white.

2. How The West Was Won - This is truly a one of a kind movie. From the 3 camera Cinerama to the multiple directors each with their own section, anything like this epic will never be seen again. Literally everyone in Hollywood had to be in this movie as it followed an immigrant family settling the west from 1830 to 1880. The movie feels connected and whole despite all the different directions and segments. This is great storytelling at its best. The brilliant landscapes are on full display with the Cinerama despite its obvious faults of 2 distinct lines running down the screen where the separate pictures met. This is really a character study of the old west and the different personalities that made it what it was.

1. The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly - Despite being filmed in Italy, this Sergio Leone classic is the greatest western ever. Story pacing, character interaction, cinematic closeups and beautiful scenery are used amazingly. Dialogue is an after thought (figuratively and literally with the overdubbing), I still only remember one line out of the whole movie. The words didn't really matter, you could tell as they pulled into everyone's face. Their expressions, their scars told the story. The premise and events follow all the classic western themes: searching for gold, caught in the middle of the Civil War, desert landscapes, hangings, shootouts. The movie uses orchestration to its fullest especially in the final 20 minutes. Hearing the score as Tuco runs through the cemetery will always give me chills. Dramatic pause is used to its finest in the final shootout. Not only is this the best western, I would consider this in my top 5 movies of all time.