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Do you like westerns?

post #1 of 23
10/25/08 at 7:10am
Thread Starter 
Not knowing what to put into my blockbuster online queue last week, I randomly chose Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, which was delivered this friday.
I was never a fan of westerns, and I don't think I ever watched through a whole pre -2000 western movie classic before in my life (but have seen certain scenes here and there flipping through channels of course) but having watched Unforgiven I am a bit intrigued by the genre.

Actually I think this film is an offshoot of the typical western, revealing the truths from the myths of western stories and characters.
Maybe that was the reason why I was so intrigued and impressed by the movie.

It got me to want to rent other western classics, not just any 'spaghetti' westerns but of some substance and uniqueness to the story.

What are your favorites and recommendations?

I love this film in its delivery of tension in some scenes, and how it debunks your notions of what ought to happen or who somebody really is. There's a lot of ambiguity (in a good sense) in some of the characters and irony, and it just shows you don't always need blow-you-up action in every scene to deliver a good movie.
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post #2 of 23
10/25/08 at 7:21am
The last one I saw was 3:10 to Yuma. The one with Batman.
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post #3 of 23
10/25/08 at 7:26am
Thread Starter 
Yeah I saw that one too. I liked that one as well it had a good storyline to it and a twist you could see coming but the shootouts and action scenes the typical hollywood shootout style. Which was fine.
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post #4 of 23
10/25/08 at 8:14am
The best western in recent years besides Unforgiven is Tombstone. From there go to Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. After that you start to get into traditional westerns which may or may not appeal to you: The Wild Bunch, The Professionals, Shane, High Noon, The Shootist, etc.
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post #5 of 23
10/25/08 at 8:52am
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, A Fistfull of Dollars ?
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post #6 of 23
10/25/08 at 9:16am
El Dorado, Rio Grande, The Man who shot Liberty Valance ... but once you've seen High Noon you've covered the basics I think.

Which reminds me to finally change my avatar!
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post #7 of 23
10/25/08 at 9:36am
The Magnificent Seven, True Grit, The Searchers, The Ox-Bow Incident.
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post #8 of 23
10/25/08 at 9:49am
I wouldn't consider myself a Western buff, but I've liked every movie where Eastwood plays The Man with No Name.
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post #9 of 23
10/25/08 at 10:45am
No Country for Old Men is a modern western, IMO, and damn good.
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post #10 of 23
10/25/08 at 10:58am
Still need to see No Country for Old Men.

I'm a big fan of Jarmusch's Dead Man, although it's anything but traditional.
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post #11 of 23
10/25/08 at 12:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by coachvu View Post
The Magnificent Seven.

Any western that is a remake of a samurai movie is awesome (Seven Samurai). Also, I believe For a Few Dollars More is copied from Yojimbo. Either way, they're both classics.
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post #12 of 23
10/25/08 at 4:32pm
once upon a time in the west is the western by which all others shall be judged imho.
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post #13 of 23
10/25/08 at 4:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whodini View Post
The best western in recent years besides Unforgiven is Tombstone. From there go to Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. After that you start to get into traditional westerns which may or may not appeal to you: The Wild Bunch, The Professionals, Shane, High Noon, The Shootist, etc.

Agreed, except that I prefer Tombstone to Unforgiven. But then, I would, wouldn't I?

I'm not so crazy about the traditional Western.
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post #14 of 23
10/25/08 at 4:45pm
I enjoyed The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
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post #15 of 23
10/25/08 at 8:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sho'nuff View Post
Not knowing what to put into my blockbuster online queue last week, I randomly chose Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, which was delivered this friday.
I was never a fan of westerns, and I don't think I ever watched through a whole pre -2000 western movie classic before in my life (but have seen certain scenes here and there flipping through channels of course) but having watched Unforgiven I am a bit intrigued by the genre.

Actually I think this film is an offshoot of the typical western, revealing the truths from the myths of western stories and characters.
Maybe that was the reason why I was so intrigued and impressed by the movie.

It got me to want to rent other western classics, not just any 'spaghetti' westerns but of some substance and uniqueness to the story.

What are your favorites and recommendations?

I love this film in its delivery of tension in some scenes, and how it debunks your notions of what ought to happen or who somebody really is. There's a lot of ambiguity (in a good sense) in some of the characters and irony, and it just shows you don't always need blow-you-up action in every scene to deliver a good movie.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance might be something you like. It was John Ford's last western, intentionally so, shot in B&W in the color era. It has Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne and Lee Marvin. It deals with the Western genre and myth. Its my personal favorite.

Some others you should see:
High Noon - classic with Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. Random trivia: The theme song "Do not forsake me, oh my darlin'" was sung by Tex Ritter, father of John Ritter (three's company).

Shane - The quintessential western. Classic, conventional, incredible. Alan Ladd and young Roddy.

My Darling Clementine - Henry Fonda and Victor Mature. The most historically accurate filming of the gunfight at the OK corral. Victor Mature's Doc Holliday is marvelous.

Classic westerns that are IMO, over-rated

The Searchers - often considered Ford's best and often claimed to have helped inspire Spielberg's JAWS, it just hasn't aged well, IMO.

The westerns you refer to as routine are described as "oat-burners".
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