Westerns

The greatest western and possibly greatest film.

Masterpiece - possibly the greatest direction in a film.

The beginning of the Speghetti western.

A personal fav of mine - Leone's last western.

My favorite of the Dollars trilogy.

Social commentary about communism in western form. Brilliant.

the postmodern western? It's possible. A raw and highly ambiguous film. A gem really. Too bad the transfer and sound is bad, because it is brilliant. Oates and Nicholson spark.

The last great western.

The best western since Unforgiven. One of the more human films in recent memory.

A western with a lesson.

Peckinpah's masterpiece of violence.

One of the best older westerns. Real hard hitting drama.

A must see for western fans. Set in a hellish Austrailian outback, swarming in flies and death. It is a dirty film, with an amazing story.

Great chemisty between Wayne and Stewart. A seemingly simple tale told very well by Ford. Slow in parts, but carried with ease by its leads, including Marvin.

Fantastic as a neo-western, western, and a film. It makes no difference what it's labelled, it will fill the void for many western fans. The leads are brilliant, with Bale again showing his skill knows no limits; attempting to choose between which lead is better is fruitless - both men are perfect in their roles. There are many references to past masterpieces as well, making western fans drool, such as 'Once Upon a Time in the West' and most certainly 'High Noon.' While many people think it is too conventional and possibly studio influenced in terms of its ending (which I am not denying) it captures the essence of the Wild West to perfection and fills the void left by 'Unforgiven.'

There is something so ominous about the soundtrack in this film. It is similar to Bob Dylan, only slower and more mythodical. Coupled with the bleak visuals, 'McCabe' makes for a harsh viewing experience. The film actually begins quite amusingly; the ending, however, leaves a tragic imprint over the entire film. 'McCabe,' at the time, would have done to the western what 'Touch of Evil' did to film-noir; it is a dark, dreary depiction of an even darker time in American history that is often portrayed as romantic.

While its critics are right about the questionable overuse of voice-over narrative and the fact that it tends to drag in spots, "Jesse James" is a western fan's dream. First, the cinematography is unreal; images of the James Gang robbing the train are drool-worthy, as are much of the landscape shots. Despite the title, the complexity of the characters portrayed by Pitt and Affleck is tense and breathtaking (if sometimes confusing). Pitt is ruthless as Jesse James and there is a tragic note to Affleck's Ford. "Assassination" works within the Jesse James myth and successfully awakens it to a whole new audience.

Answered all my prayers and then some! Kimchi Western? 'Tuckin awesome western I says!

Val Kilmer's greatest performance and maybe the best Doc Holliday ever. "I'll be yer Huckleberry"

One of the greatest theme songs in film history alongside one of the greatest mustaches in film history! Find a good print and enjoy.

Hellman's second western with Nicholson. Every bit as good as The Shooting, except Jack is a little more moral.

Iconic theme song and a duel between Nero and Palance... what more does a fella need?

Focused on man's lust for greed similar to Sierra Madre. Mann creates another mature western early in film history (such as showing blood), but remains faithful to cliched Hollywood endings more so than he does in Winchester '73. The cop-out ending harms Stewart's character that is brilliantly built up through the film.

My first Boetticher film and it definitely lives up to the film's legacy but also that of the filmmaker. Nothing sticks out glaringly that makes it great, Boetticher just has a great story telling ability and keen visual sense, while introducing his own creativity at a time when the western was pretty stagnant. Plus it?s got Lee Marvin. How can you lose?

The greatest of Budd's westerns.