Topic: Opinion on Western

[addicted2dvd]

Our good friend Roger sent out that package of Western movies today that he promised me. I promised to watch at least one of the movies soon after it arrives. Which means I will be watching at least one of them probably this coming weekend. I am thinking they should make it here in a few days anyway.

So I wanted to ask some opinions which you think I really need to see soon.

	The Comancheros In this explosive and absorbing wild west adventure, John Wayne  stars as Captain Cutter, a fearless Texas Ranger determined to crush a violent gang of gunrunners and thieves known as Comancheros. Through an unlikely turn of events, Cutter enlists the help of his own prisoners to accomplish his mission. Also featuring an all-star cast that includes Stuart Whitman, Lee Marvin, Edgar Buchanan and Patrick Wayne, and a catchy soundtrack by Elmer Bernstein, this fast-paced Western is pure entertainment from start to finish.
	The Big Country One of Hollywood's greatest directors teams with a cast of incredible screen legends for this bold, sweeping tale of a ship's captain who ventures west to find a hotbed of jealousy, hatred and dangerous rivalries. As the reluctant hero is thrown into the maelstrom, he must summon all of his resolve to save not only his own life, but also the life of the woman he loves. Four-time Academy Award®* winner William Wyler directs this action-packed adventure that triumphs as "a work of art" (Motion Picture Herald).  Starring Gregory Peck, Charlton Heston, Jean Simmons, Chuck Connors and Burl Ives (in an Oscar®-winning** performance), this magnificiently entertaining epic will take your breath away with unbridled suspense, exhilarating excitement and explosive drama on a grand scale. *Director: 1942, Mrs. Miniver; 1946, The Best Years of Our Lives; 1959, Ben Hur; 1965, Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. **1958: Supporting Actor
	The Long Riders Jesse James and his gang of outlaws ride again in this "extraordinary" (Los Angeles Herald-Examiner) western that pulsates with hard-driving action and electrifying drama. Four sets of acclaimed actor brothers – Dennis and Randy Quaid, Stacy and James Keach, Christopher and Nicholas Guest and Keith, Robert and David Carradine – each depict real-life siblings in emotionally charged portrayals of the Old West's legendary bandits. The notorious James-Younger gang is the most famous group of outlaws in the country, robbing banks, trains and stagecoaches with a sense of daring that makes them folk heroes throughout the land. But when the mighty Pinkerton detective agency swears to track them down, these criminals must face an awesome enemy that will stop at nothing to see them behind bars...or dead! Only through the strength of their loyalty and blood ties can the outlaws hope to survive the brutal pursuits, unexpected betrayals and blistering showdowns that mark the end of their dangerous ride.
	The Horse Soldiers "John Wayne teams with William Holden and eminent western director John Ford for this frontier actioner "packed with laughter, romance and thrills" (The Hollywood Reporter)! Written by John Lee Mahin and Martin Rackin, this faithful representation of one of the most daring cavalry exploits in history is both a moving tribute to the men who fought and died in that bloody war, and a powerful, action-packed drama. Based on an actual Civil War incident, The Horse Soldiers tells the rousing tale of a troop of Union soldiers who force their way deep into Southern territory to destroy a rebel stronghold at Newton Station. In command is hardbitten Colonel Marlowe (Wayne), a man who is strikingly contrasted by the company's gentle surgeon (Holden) and the beautiful but crafty Southern belle (Constance Towers) who's forced to accompany the Union raiders on perhaps the most harrowing mission in the war.
	Quigley Down Under Tom Selleck gives the boldest performance of his career in this "new style, revisionist western with the panoramic scope of a movie epic" (Los Angeles Times). Fierce gunfights, forbidding landscapes, breakneck chases – all hallmarks of the classic western – are reinvented in this hard-pounding actioner that "revitalizes the genre" and comes out "a sure winner" (The Hollywood Reporter). Arriving in Australia with nothing more than a saddle and his prized six-foot Sharps rifle, American sharpshooter Matthew Quigley thinks he's been hired to kill off wild dogs. But when he realizes instead, that his mission is murder – to "eliminate" the Aborigines from a wealthy cattle baron's land – Quigley refuses and quickly turns from hunter to hunted. Forced to wage a savage war against his former employer, Quigley proves that no one gets the best of a steely-eyed American gunfighter – no one, that is, except the mysterious beauty (Laura San Giacomo, sex, lies, & videotape) who rides by his side and captures his heart.
	Rio Bravo On one side is an army of gunmen dead-set on springing a murderous cohort from jail. On the other is Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) and his two deputies: one a recovering drunkard (Dean Martin), the other a crippled codger (Walter Brennan). Also in their ragtag ranks are an unseasoned, trigger-happy youth (Ricky Nelson) and a woman with a past (Angie Dickinson) - and her eye on Chance. Director Howard Hawks lifted the Western to new heights with Red River. Capturing the legendary West with a stellar cast in peak form, he does it again here.
	The Cowboys John Wayne has brawled bare-knuckled, gunned down desperadoes, fought jungle wars and piloted the skies. But The Cowboys gives him one of his juiciest roles as a leather-tough rancher who, deserted by his regular help, hires eleven greenhorn schoolboys for a cattle drive across 400 treacherous miles. When the dust settles, Wayne gives one of his best performances. "In The Cowboys," Rex Reed wrote, "all the forces that have made him a dominant personality as well as a major screen presence seem to combine. Old Dusty Britches can act." Co-starring the equally memorable Roscoe Lee Browne, Colleen Dewhurst and Bruce Dern, The Cowboys is exciting proof.
	The Searchers Working together for the 12th time, John Wayne and director John Ford forged The Searchers into a landmark Western offering an indelible image of the frontier and the men and women who challenged it. Wayne plays an ex-Confederate soldier seeking his niece, captured by Comanches who massacred his family. He won't surrender to hunger, thirst, the elements or loneliness. And in his five-year search, he encounters something unexpected: his own humanity. Beautifully shot by Winton C. Hoch, thrillingly scored by Max Steiner and memorably acted by a wonderful ensemble including Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Natalie Wood and Ward Bond, The Searchers endures as "a great film of enormous scope and breathtaking physical beauty" (Danny Peary, Guide for the Film Fanatic).
	Once Upon a Time in the West Sergio Leone's original uncut masterpiece is a monumental epic. The picture itself is as big as its Monument Valley locations, as grand as its fine distinguished cast, and as tough and bawdy as everybody imagines the Old West. Henry Fonda plays the blackest character of his long career, and he's utterly convincing as Frank, the ruthless, murderous psychopath who suffers no conscience pangs after annihilating an entire family. Jason Robards is the half-breed falsely accused of the terrible slaughter. Charles Bronson plays The Man, who remembers how his brother was savagely tortured. Brilliantly directed by Leone, this glorious picture re-established the Western's significance to cinema art.
	True Grit John Wayne earned the 1969 "Best Actor" Academy Award® for this larger-than-life performance as the drunken, uncouth and totally fearless one-eyed U.S. Marshall, Rooster Cogburn. The cantankerous Rooster is hired by a headstrong young girl (KIM DARBY) to find the man who murdered her father and fled with the family savings. When Cogburn's employer insists on accompanying the old gunfighter, sparks fly. And the situation goes from troubled to disasterous when an inexperienced Texas Ranger (GLEN CAMPBELL) joins the party. Laughter and tears punctuate the wild action in this extraordinary Western which also features performances by ROBERT DUVALL, JEREMY SLATE and STROTHER MARTIN.
	Big Jake In this action-filled western, John Wayne stars as Big Jake McCandles, a husband who hasn't seen his wife (Maureen O'Hara) in over 18 years. But he returns home after his grandson is kidnapped by a vicious outlaw gang. While the law gives chase in rickety automobiles, Jake saddles up with an Indian scout (Bruce Cabot) and a box of money – even though paying a ransom isn't how Jake plans to exact good old frontier justice. Spiced with humor and first-class gunfights, this is a vivid depiction of the last days of the wild frontier. Big Jake was a family affair for John Wayne. His oldest son produced it and two other sons, Patrick and John Ethan, appear in it. The film also marks the second time Richard Boone and John Wayne worked together and the fifth time Wayne worked with Maureen O'Hara.
	Rio Lobo A classic action-filled John Wayne western is set into motion with a spectacular robbery of a Union pay train by Confederate guerrillas. The train's colonel (Wayne) jails the enemy leaders (Jorge Rivero, Chris Mitchum) but the three men later become friends when the war ends. Together they seek the Union traitors responsible for a string of Confederate train robberies, a mission that culminates in a rousing shoot-'em-up finale. 'Rio Lobo' was the fifth collaboration over a 22-year period between John Wayne and the legendary director Howard Hawks.
	The Outlaw Josey Wales As The Outlaw Josey Wales, four-time Academy Award® winner* Clint Eastwood is ideally cast as a hard-hitting, fast-drawing loner, recalling his "Man with No Name" from his European Westerns. But unlike that other mythic outlaw, Josey Wales has a name – and a heart. After avenging his family's brutal murder, Wales is on the lam, pursued by a pack of killers. He travels alone, but a ragtag group of outcasts (including Sondra Locke and Chief Dan George) is drawn to him – and Wales can't leave his motley surrogate family unprotected. Eastwood's skill before and behind the camera connected with audiences for its humor and tenderness as well as its hair-trigger action. * Best Director and as Producer of the Best Pictures Unforgiven (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004)

NOTE: I have seen Rio Bravo not that long ago... I have a copy... he is sending me an upgrade. So that one most likely won't be watched... though I will leave it up in the list anyway.

[Najemikon]

In at the deep end, Pete: Once Upon A Time In The West! 

[samuelrichardscott]

Once Upon a Time in the West is the obvious answer. One of the best films ever made, let alone one of the best westerns.

Big Jake is often overlooked IMO. I like a lot of the comedic undertones in the film. "Don't call me Daddy."

[addicted2dvd]

I heard a lot of good things about Once Upon a Time in the West... including that it was beautifully filmed and such. The main worry I have on that one is it is 2hrs. and 45min long! I am a little worried a Western may not keep me hooked for that long. Don't get me wrong... I like Westerns... but it isn't a favorite genre of mine. One I usually have to be in the mood for.

[Achim]

Once Upon A Time In The West is so long because it plays out rather slow. But that is in a good way; if you like that sort of things.

Leone loved to keep the camera on the "action" for the time it took. In The Good, The Bad And The Ugly There is a 37s shot when peope move into position for a shootout; no cutting around it. Then he will longer on their faces creating a cool tension before someone gets killed.


The first 20min(?) of Once Upon A Time In The West is some of the best stuff I have ever seen and yet hardly any plot happens. It's all about the "how", not so much the "what".

So, in short, don't pick Once Upon A Time In The West when you need some exciting action on the screen, but if you are willing to enjoy things unfold slowly.

BUT IT IS DEFINETELY A MUST-SEE!

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Agree on "Once Upon a Time in the West".

But some of my other "Must See"-Western are missing in your list.
These are:
1) Unforgiven
2) Open Range
3) 3:10 to Yuma (1957 and 2007 versions)
4) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
5) Soldier Blue
.
.
.
(to be continued)

[addicted2dvd]

Oh... they aren't the only Westerns I have listed... just the ones Roger sent to me. And then I missed one in the list that he sent me... but since it is one I am getting upgraded I didn't bother to fix it (think I would have to redo the entire thread for the poll).

I just promised Roger I would watch at least one of them shortly after they arrived... so was looking for opinions on them.

[Eric]

I'm not a fan of Western and I haven't seen any of these movies but I do know "Once upon a time in the west" by name and it would definitely be my first choice.

[dfmorgan]

Another one for Once Upon a Time in the West

[Antares]

As great as Once Upon a Time in the West is, I wouldn't start out with it. Start with The Big Country, it had a good story and it's not too long.

[addicted2dvd]

Of course it will all come down to if I feel I can handle a long one when the time comes.

No one is talking about it here... but seeing a nice amount of votes for The Searchers also. That is another one I heard was very good. Which is a bit shorter then Once Upon a Time in the West... but still coming in at a strong two hours.

BTW... is the profile I downloaded wrong about the running time of The Big Country? I just looked... and it says it is at 167min... that would be 2hrs. 47min. Which is 2 minutes longer then Once Upon a Time in the West is listed at!

[Antares]

I could have sworn it clocked in around two hours, but after looking on IMDB, you're right. Maybe I just felt it was short because the story was so good. 

[addicted2dvd]

That's ok... sounds like a good sign to me!

[Rogmeister]

The Searchers is a favorite of mine and is one of the all-time great westerns.  It has John Wayne, was directed by John Ford and was shot in Monument Vallley.  What more could you want?  Oh, yeah...it was Ward Bond in it, dammit! 

[addicted2dvd]

my oldest brother gave a strong recommendation for The Searchers as well.