The western genre: a rusty, stale, rewarding taste of American cinema.
I’m writing about the top 5 westerns of all time. Although I will naturally write subjectively as it is my opinion, I have seen and read about many westerns and I will attempt to be as objective as possible. Bobby and I aim to write and produce many westerns in the near future – eventually, we may be the new Peckinpah but we remain hopeful to be able to shake hands with the living legend Mr. Eastwood… before it’s too late. (He might retire soon? haha)
I’ve decided these films will have no order, just simply 5 of the best westerns ever created.
1. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) directed by Sergio Leone
Click here for IMDB page.
An epic that lasts through time, this Leone film is known for its stars, musical score and lengthy tale of how the west was tamed.
The Italian Leone, the father of Spaghetti Westerns, typically shot his films in Spain and other parts of Europe to give it the deserted wild west look while remaining under budget. This played well in Once Upon a Time due to the theme of the dying wild, something the characters represented with their gritty, dusty appearances.
The most beautiful woman of cinema, Claudia Cardinale.
The opening scene in a film is one of the most influential elements to the success of the picture as a whole, and Leone’s work in Once Upon a Time is phenomenal. No dialogue, the men in dusters walk through a train station to wait for Harmonica (Charles Bronson). Ridiculously drawn out, the petty noises including flies and the squeaking of a windmill create a musical flow that is later accompanied by Ennio Morricone who composed the scores for the Dollars Trilogy. When Harmonica arrives, one of the three men that stand next to their three horses tells him:
“Well, looks like we’re shy one horse.”
Charles “the man of action” Bronson replies:
“No, you brought two too many.”
2. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) directed by Clint Eastwood
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Clint Eastwood’s gold after his work on Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, and self proclaimed favorite film he did, Josey Wales is no more about revenge than it is about Josey’s love and compassion he had for his family, which he regains from a different group of misfits. It has been accepted by Nations across the US as being friendly towards Native American’s image and drifts away from stereotypes – something westerns RARELY did. Watching it again recently, it’s hard to remember all the beautiful quotes that were crafted into the story.
Hunter: “You’re wanted, Wales.”
Josey: “Reckon I’m right popular. You a bounty hunter?”
Hunter: “A man’s got to do something for a living these days.”
Josey: “Dyin’ ain’t much of a living, boy.”
3. The Wild Bunch (1969) directed by Sam Peckinpah
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Innovation. This was a different western, different from most westerns that had come out at this time and far more violent. Peckinpah had always been known to push the bloodshed envelope, which was clearly demonstrated in the climax/ending. What a badass, gritty western – he implemented odd techniques with editing but furthered the scope of cinema. A lot of action filmmakers today give their influential credits to Mr. Peckinpah.
Hope I didn't ruin the ending.
4. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) directed by Sergio Leone
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Clint Eastwood’s first big role, one that made him wildly famous around the world as “Blondie,” the cigar lighting, pancho wearing, eye squinting, cunning badass who slams whiskey and spits when he makes decisions. As mentioned above, Sergio Leone worked with Ennio Morricone to compose the memorable soundtrack on this film that everyone knows. The film cuts between the three men that are used to create the title; however, they all share one motivation. Money. Throughout the film, they swap presence with one another – rarely are they all three at the same location… until the end. The climax is one of the best in cinematic history and the build up of the story can be summed up in these last scenes with exponential tension growth.
Blondie: “One, two, three, four, five, and six. Six, the perfect number.”
5. The Searchers (1956) directed by John Ford
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John Ford has been titled the king of westerns, the majority of his lengthy film career from before the 1920′s well into the ’60s was primarily within the western genre. Starting with Stagecoach (1939), the majority of his films were also extremely successful and he tended to use John Wayne, among other actors. The reason for The Searcher’s popularity, especially in today’s classic movie audience, is the fact that it was way past its time. It called out the stereotypes he had implemented for so long in his films, characters as well as race (the Native Americans), but remained in that current pop-culture ideology. In fact, a lot of the themes were hidden and it wasn’t until later that they were discovered (example: although the Indians were viewed as savages, they were never shown on screen hurting anyone – it was only suggested). Said to be John Wayne’s finest cinematic adventure, it is clear that this picture was ahead of its time, pushing the limits of the western genre. And like a book with a front cover and back, the film opens with an iconic image and closes with the same as if John Ford had invited you in to watch the entire movie, walking you home afterwards:
Final image, door closes.
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With all this said, of course there is room for improvement in the list… but I am confident with my picks. I ask of you to provide feedback if you disagree or even agree, we’d love to hear your opinion. Can films that enter the dying genre in the future overtake these 5 films? Or will it just be movies like Cowboys and Aliens that have to show their face to the “pop” audience? There is a pocket of a new western sub genre hiding deep within the cinematic ground just waiting to be tapped into.
-JWB
In this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.
