Favorite Westerns

Jose brought up Unforgiven in his post the other day and it made me think about Westerns. I love movies and I’ve always found westerns to be some of the best films made. When you talk about lists like “Top 10”, or “Best Of” it’s so subjective, but here I go anyway. I’m going to give you my 5 favorite Westerns…but wait, I’m going to put a time frame on the movie. For today I’m going to give you my 5 favorite Westerns made prior to 1970. I feel like everything made after 1970 has a modern feel to the movie. Here we go:

5. Support You Local Sheriff (1969) I love this movie. James Garner at his finest and probably the first comedy western I remember seeing. Every time this is on TV I have to sit and watch. Jack Elam is perfect as the reluctant sidekick and with a supporting cast of Walter Brennan, Henry Morgan, Bruce Dern, and Joan Hackett the acting and comedy is first rate.

4. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966) Everybody has seen this one, and they should. It’s the best of the Spaghetti Westerns and a classic. Probably remembered the most from this film, however, is the score. Ennio Morricone’s original score can be heard in everything from Hollywood blockbusters to commercials and we instantly know where it’s from.

3. The Searchers (1956) I think its John Wayne’s finest move and works on so many levels. I like a lot of The Duke’s stuff, but this one just has…depth. It has to be John Wayne’s best acting performance, and the cinematography is a wonder. The story is complex with solid performances all around. Truly a special film.

2. Will Penny (1968) What I like about this movie is the normalness of it. I feel like watching this film puts you in the mind and heart of being a cowboy. This was Charlton Hesston’s favorite film as a portrayed an ordinary cowboy working a line shack in the winter. This is another Joan Hackett film and I must admit to just recently discovering her as one of my favorite leading ladies.

1. Warlock (1959) I’ve talked about this one before so feel free to browse the previous posts. I love this movie for the look, feel, story, and action. The acting is not the best, but pretty fun non-the-less. This as my number one proves just how subjective these lists can be. It’s MY number one and the hell with the rest of you.

Forgive me if your favorite isn’t one of these top 5. I left out such greats as Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Fort Apache, Shane, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. But maybe Jose will pick up on a few of those. It’s your turn Jose.