"Top 5 Westerns since 1970?" Topic

Now the end of 60s saw the end of the classic western(for the most part) 70-00 saw some more spagetii westerns and new american type westerns.

So instead of saying top 5 all time westerns, lets put the limit at 70 and forwards.

Mine would be.

1.Tombstone just love all about it, the color the story, actors ect.
2. Silverado, this is actualy the last classic western, and it was made 15 years after the end of the classic western era, you half expect it to be in BW, very fun film in all aspects.
3. Unforgiven, a movie all about the act of murder, and uses the western as a stage for it.
4. Open Range, great lead up and all ends in one hell of a firefight.
5. Appaloosa a mix of tombstone and classic westerns, great, violent and quick firefights, if you don't pay atention it's all over.

So whats your top 5 after 1970

The Shootist
Tombstone
Unforgiven
The Outlaw Josey Wales

And technically not a film, but a mini series

Lonesome Dove

Question, since we are talking about westerns, What are some of the good ones that now being released directly to DVD? I counted 5 or 6 new westerns that are on DVD that were never shown in theaters.

Basically looking for any input on from anyone who has watched any of these new movies – likes or dislikes, strength and weaknesses, etc.

Would they make your top 5 list?

The Good the Bad and the Ugly -- this is a 60's film IIRC.
Outlaw Josey Wales
The Posse (black soldiers in Cuba desert with a bunch of gold)
Sabata is a '69 film but great fun.

You should really start in the 60's.

mjc

My top 5:
Appaloosa
Unforgiven
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Little Big Man
Young Guns

Honorable Mentions:

Two Mules for Sister Sara
Blazing Saddles
Rooster Cogburn
The Man from Snowy River
Lonesome Dove
Dances with Wolves
Quigley Down Under
Young Guns II
Tombstone
Maverick
Ride with the Devil
No Country for Old Men (Westernish, I know)
3:10 to Yuma (remake, of course)

If No Country for Old Men is allowed, I agree with that as well.

Also Unforgiven & Jose Wales.

Little Big Man

Introduced me to some fascinating people I would never otherwise have met, or even imagined.

Open Range
Wyatt Earp (only blood counts, everyone else is a stranger)
Dances with Wolves
Unforgiven

And if TV counts: Deadwood (why didn't they finish it?)

Oh yeah nd Ride with the Devil, if its western

Has anyone seen September Dawn or Jesse James (Brad Pitt)?

"Wyatt Earp (only blood counts, everyone else is a stranger)"

Your the first guy I've seen that perfer Wyatt earp over tombstone.

For me Tombstone was everything wyatt earp wasn't.

While the gunfight a ok corral in tombstone is one of the best in movie history, the same fight in wyatt earp is a real anti climax

My top five favorite westerns produced since 1970:

1. Tombstone (1993) imdb.com/title/tt0108358
2. Quigley Down Under (1990) imdb.com/title/tt0102744
3. The Outlaw Josie Wales (1976) imdb.com/title/tt0075029
4. The Shootist (1976) imdb.com/title/tt0075213
5. Unforgiven (1992) imdb.com/title/tt0105695

Honorable mention:

Seraphim Falls (2006) imdb.com/title/tt0479537

While technically not a western (too modern), this film definitely follows the same formula, and is one of my all-time favorites in any genre:

Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) imdb.com/title/tt0285823

Cheers,
Scott

Dances With Wolves
Unforgiven
The Outlaw Josie Wales
Lonesome Dove
Young Guns

My Favorite oldies is: The Good the Bad and the Ugly

I guess I like Clint Eastwood.

> Your the first guy I've seen that perfer Wyatt earp over tombstone.

Let me be the second, then. If you can handle an even longer version, the director's cut fills in the gaps that bothered me most.

"Wyatt Earp (only blood counts, everyone else is a stranger)"

Your the first guy I've seen that perfer Wyatt earp over tombstone.

I guess I make 3. I always felt Wyatt Earp was everything Tombstone wasn't. Still like Tombstone just prefer Wyatt Earp.

LLC aka Ron

Have to throw Bruce Willis and James garner in "Sunset" into the ring as well.

That movie is just way too much fun.

LLC aka Ron

My five favorites are:

The Man From Snowy River
True Grit
Silverado
Pale Rider
Bandidas – look, it has Ms Cruz & Ms Hayeck in it

"For me Tombstone was everything wyatt earp wasn't."

I agree and that is exactly why I prefer Wyatt Earp.

Tombstone was a 50's B-movie western with profanity. Silverado had already been made so they needn't have bothered. Yawn.

1. Conagher
2. The Virginian
3. Unforgiven
4. Open Range
5. Wyatt Earp

Honorable mention to Purgatory which was a weird western and to Buffalo Soldiers which had me until the end.

Now I have not yet seen Appalosa…

Saw Jesse James. Didn't care for it. However I have a low tolerance for JJ as hero (anti-hero) movies.

Besides those already ready mentioned, two of my favorites are:
1. The Culpepper Cattle Company – 1972
imdb.com/title/tt0068435
2. The Cowboys – with John Wayne
imdb.com/title/tt0068421

Lonesome Dove
Silverado
True Grit
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Little Big Man

Dammit, Gunfreak!
I just got in from work, it's ridiculously late & I'm knackered… but if I hit the sack now, this thread would be calling me like a beer in the fridge…

Top FIVE?! That's one brutal cut…
Okay, these are my favourites… maybe not the 'best', but the ones that really work for me:

(In no particular order)

The Long Riders.

Jeremiah Johnson.

Blazing Saddles.

The Outlaw Josey Wales.

The Missouri Breaks.

And the ones I agonized over not including? A Man Called Horse, True Grit, Culpepper Cattle Company, Breakheart Pass, Dances with Wolves, Unforgiven, Ulzana's Raid, A fistful of Dynamite, Tom Horn, Soldier Blue, Walker, (Ed Harris, not Chuck Norris) Ravenous, Ride with the Devil, Eagle's Wing, The Quick & the Dead. (the Sam Raimi movie… not the Tom Conti/Sam Elliot straight-to-video one)

Notice… no Appaloosa, Open Range, Silverado, Tombstone, OR Wyatt Earp. While I enjoyed them all, & rate them highly… they wouldn't scrape into my top five.

I own all of the following with many more, but I watch these, every few months, it seems like.

Outlaw Josey Wales
Dances with Wolves
True Grit
Rooster Cogburn
Lonesome Dove

And anything with John Wayne or Clint Eastwood.

1969 Best western of all time-"The Wild Bunch."

YouTube link

"Open Range". Anything with Duvall gets intant points with me and he's great in this one. As far as I'm concerned it's the best film that Costner has done. He was born for the part and is *very* convincing. The film has terrific bits of dialogue between "Boss" and "Charlie" and IMO one of the most realistic gunfights ever filmed. Annette Benning's "Sue" is the kind of woman that any man would want, and Michael Gambon's "Baxter"and James Russo's "Poole" really REALLY made me mad. I love this flick. (-:

"Tombstone". C'mon. It's a great movie. The scene between "Doc" and "Ringo" at the Faro table , which is one of the most memorable in any western, is tense, funny and outstanding. The top notch action rarely lets up. The sets and costumes are also much better than average.

"The Outlaw Josey Wales". Another film with very memorable dialogue, well defined and interesting characters, and great gunfight action. Eastwood is perfect. I can't imagine anyone else playing the role. He stands tall and strides through a tale of betrayel and revenge, friendship, loyalty, and forgiveness in the iconic way that is all Clint.

"Lonesome Dove". Outstanding performances from Duvall, Jones, Huston, Lane, Glover, Ulrich and Schroder. Even the lesser characters played by Cooper, Sweeney, Corbin and Forrest are compelling in the epic story of a journey from Texas to Montana by ex Texas Rangers to start a cattle ranch. It's very faithful to McMurtry's best selling novel and is still popular enough to be repeated on TV frequently.

"Apaloosa". Is a love story that's hard to understand unless you try to get into "Virgil Cole's" head. "Everett Hitch", an intelligent ex Army office that's a graduate of West Point, is his best friend and partner, and "Ally French" a somewhat cultured woman, is his lover, as "Cole" wants to surround himself with people that in turn help to increase his self image with their culture and knowledge. The fact that "Ally" is totally unfaithful and "Hitch" is loyal to a fault makes the relationship all the more interesting and adds complications to what might have been a simple adventure. Jeremy Irons' "Randall Bragg" is an interesting villain that Cole and Hitch have hired out to remove or bring to justice. The action is steady and realistic. I managed to lose myself in the gunfights without once saying to myself "that's nonsense". The two very capable lawmen handle all problems looking cold as ice and the several small climaxes are handled well and further the story. I liked the book and I thought that this was as faithful a transfer of a western novel to the screen as I've ever seen.

Norman

"The Missouri Breaks" works for you?? WOW!! Why??

Here's mah cheat'n' list

Tommy Lee Jones trilogy: The Missing, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, and No Country for Old Men

Robert Duvall trilogy: Lonesome Dove, Broken Trail, and Open Range

Clint Eastwood trilogy: Joe Kidd, Pale Rider and Unforgiven

Wild Bunch

Wild Bill Hickok

On "Dances With Wolves". This might be one of the best examples of liberal guilt in Hollywood gone wild that I have ever seen! Every white male in the film is either totally insane or a drooling idiot except for Constner's "Lt. Dunbar", who is an Army deserter! Yes ladies and gentlemen…a deserter. Ask anyone who'e been in the service what his obligation would be to his post, no matter *where* it is. You don't get to go off and play with the Native Americans and find yourself a girlfriend. You build it, fortify it, and try to make contact with your superiors for further orders. If you don't do that and *leave* your post, you're a deserter. This is especially true on the frontier as the Army was tasked with protecting the local citizens and guarding convoys through hostile territory. In this film, the sensitive "Dunbar" finds himself a Wolf buddy (how cute) and his relationship with the Wolf becomes an alegory for his relationship with the Sioux. The Wolf trusts him and naturally must be pointlessly killed by an idiot soldier. Oh please…hit me over the head with the point why don't ya!

BTW, the sunset scenes were corny and any good photographer would consider them amateurish. How DWW and Costner won best picture and director over "Goodfellas" and Scorcese is beyond me.

RddfXX

"The Wild Bunch" is from 1969. (-:

Keoma (w/ Franco Nero)

They call me Trinity (w/ Terence Hill and Bud Spencer)

Trinity is Still My Name (w/ Terence Hill and Bud Spencer)

My Name is Nobody (w/ Terence Hill and Henry Fonda)

3 Bullets for a Long Gun (w/ Beau Brummels and Keith Van Der Wat).

The Outlaw Josie Wales
Tombstone
Silverado
Lonesome Dove
Little Big Man

I haven't seen Free Range. I really wanted to like Appaloosa but something about it put me off and I've never been able to figure out exactly what it was.

I tell people you can tell that Sleepless In Seattle was written by a woman because Norah Ephron has her male protagonist calling The Dirty Dozen the ultimate guy movie when real guys know it's The Wild Bunch. From "If they move, kill 'em" to "It ain't like it used to be … but it'll do" there isn't a wrong move in it.

LT

I thought Wyatt Earp was great,but I've only seen the long version. I thought Quaid was the better Holiday, Val is good but for me a bit too much of a comic. Wyatt earp is simply believable, However Sam Elliot Rocks!

Has anyone seen September Dawn or Jesse James (Brad Pitt)?

The Shadow: Oh Thank God You Said It!!! First, I have to question if it's actually a "Western" or just a "movie set in the West." But I can't stand it.

Moving on…

No Country for Old Men is not a Western. Sorry. You might call it a "Modern Western," but it really belongs outside this genre.

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Best since 1970, eh?

In no particular order:

Lonesome Dove
Unforgiven
Pale Rider
Quigley Down Under
Silverado

-----------------------

Also, I know this drives Murphy nuts, but I'm not such a big fan of Tombstone. Can't say why, really. All the separate pieces are pleasing, but when you put it all together I just don't love it. I don't hate it, but I've noticed that if it's on I can easily change the channel.

And there's a Director's Cut for Wyatt Earp? I'll have to hunt that down. Maybe that's what's been missing from making me love that movie.

I think Lt. Dunbar was "insane" first temp during the Civil War and then following the isolation. I think the film stands out because it was the first world famous anti-America western and so it touched a lot of nerves. Perhaps it was an over idealised story, films are good at that (esp the Patriot and Braveheart), but I still think it has value as both cinema and a reflection of the change that took place in America around that time.

Its true about Godfellas though, but then what is an Oscar (I can think of more shocking winners)

Whats Lonesome Dove like? never heard of it is it just a "road movie" or does it have action?

>Its true about Godfellas though, but then what is an Oscar (I can think of more shocking winners)<

My point isn't that DWW was a shocking win, but rather that it's so damned typical of "Hollywood" to reward a film that is so oviously "liberal" in it's point of view. All of the white men are scum except for a deserter and the Native Americans are treated as extremely noble, brave and morally "clean" by comparison. The soldiers are morons that only want to kill something, even an inedible Wolf. How obvious can it be that the Wolf represents the "noble innocent savage" that wants to be friendly and trusting, but must die at the hands of the murdering SOB soldiers. So, if you want to be a "good" soldier you must join the Sioux because the US Army represents everything that's wrong with westward expansion. …and to top it off, the deserter names the Wolf "Socks", or something like, that which means that he is now as cute as a Kitty Cat, which makes the killing even *worse*. Sheesh! Gimme a break!

Lonesome Dove is lots of banter interspersed with occasional bouts of extreme violence.

Well worth watching as are the sequels and prequels except maybe for Comanche Moon. Although CM is well worth reading.

Re DWW, Oh I don't know.

All movies have a point of view and most of them idolize the side we are meant to identify with while vilifying the other. The Pawnee (if that's who they were) were shown as having no redeeming features as well as the whites.

Would have been less politically charged if they left it as a Siouix vs. Pawnee story but it was well made with lots of Buffalo and beautiful scenery.

IIRC the original novel has our hero living amongst the peaceful Comanche (!) At least they changed that bit.

Yeah and you know what the Natives weren't actually treated that well, perhaps the film was a caricature but then what about the Natives in films before…

The Quick and the Dead is a lot of stylish fun.

Well, I orderd lonesome dove on Blu ray.
Lookingforward to it. as I never heard of it.
I'm trying to get as many westerns as I can on Blu ray.

Still wayting for tombstone to come on blu ray.

"No Country for Old Men is not a Western"

Hmm, well the theme of the movie is the end of the idea of the west, or the romantic notion of the old west, to be replaced by a brutal, no holds barred fill-in-the-blank, say with drugs, an endless war. It is probably the perfect complement to the uber-western, Unforgiven. Anton Segur is a contemporary William Mundy.

Whats Lonesome Dove like? An excellent Western mini-series.
About 2 ex-Texas Rangers and thier adventures,
2 of the best lead characters of any Western every filmed.

Shadow… 'Missouri Breaks':

Love the way this film quite obviously understands the genre, at the same time as undermining it.
The wonderful opening, with the old man and the young boy sharing a moment in the western landscape. Perfectly well-observed scene, ostensibly establishing their love for the frontier, which draws us in by reminding us why WE love it.
Then it turns out that the man's granting the boy a minutes grace before his lynching.
A shocking turnaround, performed as neatly as a card trick.

The movie's full of moments like that… the shambolic train robbery, the 'Oh ****!' moment when it turns out that, yeah the Mounties really ARE serious about chasing rustlers.
These scenes work, for me, because they're not simply cheap shots at more conventional Western 'cliches'… they're set up with as much respect for the conventions of the genre as any classic western… it's just, y'know… one of those days when things didn't work out right.

Okay… Marlon Brando's the Elephant in the Room. His performance is totally out-of-control, and at times downright irritating. But it's never dull! You can't deny the guy had presence. If he'd played it straight (no pun intended) Robert E. Lee Clayton might have been just another stock bad guy.

And the final 'confrontation'!
This is not the way to do it if you want to be the 'good guy'…
Clayton's a bigger man, a better shot, a stone killer with a talent for violence and no hesitation.
Do you just go mano y mano in the main street and hope for the best? Or do you do what it takes to come out alive?

Oh, yeah, and a John Williams score, too.

>… Marlon Brando's the Elephant in the Room. His performance is totally out-of-control, and at times downright irritating. But it's never dull! You can't deny the guy had presence.<

On the release of "Breaks" I couldn't wait to see it. "Old school" method Brando and super personality Nicholson in the same flick!! I don't know what the hell I expected, but I didn't expect to see Brando cross dressing in a bonnet and wallowing around like a whale in the tub. Much of the film was passable entertainment. Nicholson is one of those actors that you can watch almost no matter what he does…almost. But the rest appeared to be an eccentric conceit of Penn's and Brando's. Like "Hey!…I'm Marlon Brando…and I'm so great I can screw around and do anything I like and the critics will love it because…Hey…I'm Marlon Brando". And "I'm Arthur Penn, remember "Bonnie and Clyde"? Well, here's some film school for ya and ya have to like it because I'm Arthur Penn". Well, they were wrong. The critics didn't know what to make of it, the public didn't take kindly to Brando's shennanigans, and "Breaks" bombed, and rightly so as far as i'm concerned. OK. A movie doesn't have to follow a cookie cutter pattern, but it does have to deliver some entertainment. Tarantino messes around with the narrative flow of his films and does all sorts of things that you wouldn't *think* could possibly work, but he still delivers an entertaining film that you don't have to force yourself to dig. With "The Left handed Gun", "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Little Big Man" under his belt Arthur Penn proved that he could make movies that were far from average fare, but teamed with Brando IMHO "Breaks" became too experimental and eventually a real mess.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It was reedited and rereleased in 1975 so it counts as a post 1970 western. If you consider it a Western at all.

Seconded on most of the others.

>Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It was reedited and rereleased in 1975 so it counts as a post 1970 western. If you consider it a Western at all.<

I'd consider it a western. Why not?

It really doesn't matter much as this thread is just an interesting way to start a discussion, but if you count "re-edits" you'd also have to count "director's cuts" and films with previously deleted scenes added and released after 1970, and that would put "The Wild Bunch" and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" on many lists.

I vote for TOMBSTONE and JOSEY WALES. Also liked Selleck's
CROSSFIRE TRAIL.
Count Natokina.

It definitely does not fit the category as it was made probably in the late 40s or very early 50s, but if you ever have a chance to see THE LITTLE BIGHORN with Lloyd Bridges and John Ireland and just about every other for the day minor Western star [e.g. Jim Davis and Hugh O'Brian], I highly recommend it as an excellent well done tight little drama about a patrol trying to catch up to Custer and warn him that every Lakota and Cheyenne in the world is waiting for him.
Count Natokina.