Greatest westerns ever made? Pick your top five.

[npignatjr]

Many good ones already mentioned, here are 2 I would add, Wind River and The Missing.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Shane
Dancing with Wolves

And a surprise...that on the first page
no one picked the Big Country...
Love the music...Burl Ives, Jean Simmons, and of course G. Peck

I was astounded that no one mentioned “Westward the Women” or “Duel in the Sun”. “Duel in the Sun” in the late 1940’s, was billed as the “Gone With The Wind” of westerns (big cast, technicolor) when it came out, and had a huge budget but reviews were mixed and it only broke even at the box office. “Westward the Women” on the other hand I would rank in the top five all time, but it had no huge budget, but it had a great director in William Wellman, a screenplay by Frank Capra and terrific photography. I think it’s Robert Taylor’s best movie though many would probably say “Waterloo Bridge” co-starring Vivien Leigh, was his best.

 

[npignatjr]

Many good ones already mentioned, here are 2 I would add, Wind River and The Missing.

Forgot "Jeremiah Johnson"

 

[Stymie]

I would consider Jeremiah Johnson similar to The Revenant- more frontier period pieces than yeehaw westerns.
I enjoy both, and the Revenant more than many do.
When I watch that film, my feet get cold- just like when I watch Fargo.

 

[SinBin]

Tombstone
Unforgiven
3:10 to Yuma
Maverick
A Million Ways To Die In The West
Outlaw Josey Wales
Open Range
Rio Bravo
Pale Rider

 

[Rooster C.]

One that hasn't been mentioned here is Hour of the Gun with James Garner as the best Wyatt Earp ever as well as Jason Robards as the best Doc Holiday ever!
A little story about Unforgiven..........I was in a movie theater to watch some other film(now forgotten) when the preview of Unforgiven showed on the screen. The audience erupted in spontaneous applause, hoots, and hollers! We were all so happy to see Eastwood's return to Westerns.

 

[CTFIRERETIRED]

Only 5? NOT POSSIBLE!
5 John Wayne westerns.
1. THE Searchers
2. True Grit
3. Rio Bravo
4. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
5. Red River

5 Henry Fonda westerns.
1. My Darling Clementine
2. Once upon a time in the West.
3. Fort Apache
4. The Oxbow Incident
5. The Cheyenne Social Club

5 Clint Eastwood westerns
1. Outlaw Josey Wales.
2. The Good the bad, the Ugly
3. Unforgiven
4. Fistful of Dollars
5. For a Few Dollars more.

5 Jimmy Stewart westerns.
1. The man who shot Liberty Valance
2. Shenandoah
3. Winchester 73
4. How the West was won
5. The man from Laramie

5 OTHERS
1 Shane
2. Blazing Saddles
3. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
4. The Magnificent 7
5 Stagecoach (the original)
. ....and there's so many others not making the cut. The American Western movie.

 

[dbmill]

Only 5? NOT POSSIBLE!
5 John Wayne westerns.
1. THE Searchers
2. True Grit
3. Rio Bravo
4. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
5. Red River

5 Henry Fonda westerns.
1. My Darling Clementine
2. Once upon a time in the West.
3. Fort Apache
4. The Oxbow Incident
5. The Cheyenne Social Club

5 Clint Eastwood westerns
1. Outlaw Josey Wales.
2. The Good the bad, the Ugly
3. Unforgiven
4. Fistful of Dollars
5. For a Few Dollars more.

5 Jimmy Stewart westerns.
1. The man who shot Liberty Valance
2. Shenandoah
3. Winchester 73
4. How the West was won
5. The man from Laramie

5 OTHERS
1 Shane
2. Blazing Saddles
3. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
4. The Magnificent 7
5 Stagecoach (the original)
. ....and there's so many others not making the cut. The American Western movie.

I agree, tough to come up with a top 5 westerns. It's just tough coming up with a top 5 John Ford or John Wayne western list (of course, the two often worked together)

Easy for me to come up with a top 3 Howard Hawks western list, as they were all in the running for the top 5 western list.

Red River
Rio Bravo
El Dorado

Of course, Rio Bravo and El Dorado do share similarities in plot and such, but they are both so watchable and enjoyable for me.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I agree, tough to come up with a top 5 westerns. It's just tough coming up with a top 5 John Ford or John Wayne western list (of course, the two often worked together)

Easy for me to come up with a top 3 Howard Hawks western list, as they were all in the running for the top 5 western list.

Red River
Rio Bravo
El Dorado

Of course, Rio Bravo and El Dorado do share similarities in plot and such, but they are both so watchable and enjoyable for me.

What about “The Angel and the Badman”? It’s my favorite of all of Wayne’s western flicks, surprised no one mentioned it. Gail Russell is terrific in it. It was also the inspiration for “Witness”, Peter Hyams film starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. My favorite Wayne flick period is “The Quiet Man”, also a John Ford production.

 

[dbmill]

What about “The Angel and the Badman”? It’s my favorite of all of Wayne’s western flicks, surprised no one mentioned it. Gail Russell is terrific in it. It was also the inspiration for “Witness”, Peter Hyams film starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. My favorite Wayne flick period is “The Quiet Man”, also a John Ford production.

I sometimes think of "The Quiet Man" as a western that takes place in Ireland. Well, it isn't a western but it is an absolutely terrific movie, one of the best films done by either John Wayne or John Ford.

 

[dtbtbtb]

1. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

 

[CL82]

What about “The Angel and the Badman”? It’s my favorite of all of Wayne’s western flicks, surprised no one mentioned it. Gail Russell is terrific in it. It was also the inspiration for “Witness”, Peter Hyams film starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. My favorite Wayne flick period is “The Quiet Man”, also a John Ford production.

The Quiet Man is one of my favorite overall films as well.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen The Angel and the Badman. I had no idea it was the inspiration for witness, which is a good movie. I will keep an eye out for it.

 

[dbmill]

The Quiet Man is one of my favorite overall films as well.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen The Angel and the Badman. I had no idea it was the inspiration for witness, which is a good movie. I will keep an eye out for it.

I saw The Angel and the Bad Man for the first time this past year. I would watch it again, but there are a number of John Wayne westerns that I think that are better. Still, it is a good movie.

 

[visitingcock]

I'm with @f1f1ferrari :

1. The Outlaw Josey Wales
2. The Outlaw Josey Wales
3. The Outlaw Josey Wales
4. The Outlaw Josey Wales
5. The Outlaw Josey Wales

"Endeavor to persevere" -- words to live by.

We thought long and hard on these words. Then, we declared war on the Union. One of my all time favorite scenes

 

[Rooster C.]

My name might just give away my love of Westerns......

Hell. I could list my top-5 O-K Corral films:
1)Tombstone - best dramatic action and quotes
2)Hour of the Gun - best Wyatt Earp/Doc Holiday
3)My Darling Clementine - John Ford classic B&W
4)Gunfight at the O.K. Corral - Lancaster and Douglas
5)Wyatt Earp - Costner
*Bonus pick Appointment with Destiny: Showdown at OK Corral (Free on youtube!)

 

[Floridaduck]

Lonesome Dove
Magnificent Seven (original)
True Grit (Coen)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I saw The Angel and the Bad Man for the first time this past year. I would watch it again, but there are a number of John Wayne westerns that I think that are better. Still, it is a good movie.

I would agree with you, but sometimes your favorite film is not the best, and you know it. I was always a Gail Russell fan, she made some great flicks besides Angel and the Bad Man (The Univited, and The Unseen which was a sequel). She died tragically at age 36, some would say self inflicted.

 

[dbmill]

I would agree with you, but sometimes your favorite film is not the best, and you know it. I was always a Gail Russell fan, she made some great flicks besides Angel and the Bad Man (The Univited, and The Unseen which was a sequel). She died tragically at age 36, some would say self inflicted.

I agree, a favorite movie is a matter of taste among other things. You mentioned The Uninvited. That is a horror/ghost film that my wife and I quite enjoy, it is very good. We have seen it several times.

 

[visitingcock]

I agree, a favorite movie is a matter of taste among other things. You mentioned The Uninvited. That is a horror/ghost film that my wife and I quite enjoy, it is very good. We have seen it several times.

Yes, as in all list of “best”, it is a matter of taste. I happen to not be fond of John Wayne Westerns. I love almost all of Eastwood’s.

My top five are all relatively modern:
Eastwood’s Outlaw Josey Wales & Unforgiven
No Country for Old Men
Once Upon a Time in the West
Tombstone

Absolutely despise Django ( and Inglorious Bastards). I don’t like glaring anachronisms.(Love Pulp Fiction & Jackie Brown.)

 

[oldude]

In no particular order:

• Stagecoach
• High Plains Drifter
• She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
• The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
• McClintock

 

[Conndog]

Just watched last night "The man who shot Liberty Valance". It was great, Lee Marvin really personified evil, good acting throughout. It reminded me of a short story that I read many years ago, I think it was called "A bride comes to Yellow Sky", which has the story represent the passing of the Old West into more modern times. I'd watch again.

 

[slepers]

There are a lot of westerns out there. Which ones do you have in your top five western list? For me, I’d go with:

Unforgiven - A well written movie that expresses multiple points of view of the same horrific event. Clint Eastwood’s character is possibly the toughest man ever at the end of this movie.

True Grit - The original. Though the remake has a lot of good characteristics, it made me appreciate just how good the original was. John Wayne, well, is John Wayne. He does a great job making and unlikable character likable, and even charming. Kim Darby seemed miscast playing a 15 year old girl, but she does a great job with the dialogue that comes right out of the excellent Charles Porter book. Even Glen Campbell does a good job with the difficult dialogue and the comedic elements of his character.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - This movie pretty much has it all. Shoot outs, A town bully, a man taking a stand when he could run, a man doing the right thing even when he knows it’s to his detriment, and the perils of hero worship. John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin in a John Ford film. You’d expect it to be excellent, and it is.

High Noon - Gary Cooper does an incredible job as a man who feels duty-bound to take on a gang of killers (alone) on the last day before he retires. Grace Kelly never looked love Lieier as his Quaker wife who does not believe in violence.

Stagecoach (1939) - There are a lot of movies that I could slot into the number five position but I’m going with another John Ford and John Wayne film. while stagecoach certainly has a lot of action, a good piece of the dramatic tension is generated by combining dissimilar characters in a small space.

There are plenty of others that would be equally good choices. What’s your top five?

Rawhide
Bonanza
Wyatt Earp
F Troop
Little House on Prairie

Oh, you meant just movies.

 

[dbmill]

I've mentioned John Ford westerns a few times in this thread, so I thought I would list my favorite John Ford westerns. First, here are my top 5 John Ford westerns in no particular order:

Stagecoach
The Searchers
My Darling Clementine
Rio Grande
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

Other John Ford westerns that my wife and I quite enjoy:

Fort Apache
Wagon Master

Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is also quite good, but for some reason my enjoyment factor on that one just doesn't match up with the previous titles mentioned. Others certainly have it rated higher than I do, and I don't have a problem with that.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

There are a lot of westerns out there. Which ones do you have in your top five western list? For me, I’d go with:

Unforgiven - A well written movie that expresses multiple points of view of the same horrific event. Clint Eastwood’s character is possibly the toughest man ever at the end of this movie.

True Grit - The original. Though the remake has a lot of good characteristics, it made me appreciate just how good the original was. John Wayne, well, is John Wayne. He does a great job making and unlikable character likable, and even charming. Kim Darby seemed miscast playing a 15 year old girl, but she does a great job with the dialogue that comes right out of the excellent Charles Porter book. Even Glen Campbell does a good job with the difficult dialogue and the comedic elements of his character.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - This movie pretty much has it all. Shoot outs, A town bully, a man taking a stand when he could run, a man doing the right thing even when he knows it’s to his detriment, and the perils of hero worship. John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin in a John Ford film. You’d expect it to be excellent, and it is.

High Noon - Gary Cooper does an incredible job as a man who feels duty-bound to take on a gang of killers (alone) on the last day before he retires. Grace Kelly never looked love Lieier as his Quaker wife who does not believe in violence.

Stagecoach (1939) - There are a lot of movies that I could slot into the number five position but I’m going with another John Ford and John Wayne film. while stagecoach certainly has a lot of action, a good piece of the dramatic tension is generated by combining dissimilar characters in a small space.

There are plenty of others that would be equally good choices. What’s your top five?

I agree with Woody:

“Woody Allen has called Shane "George Stevens' masterpiece", on his 2001 list of great American films, along with The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, White Heat, Double Indemnity, The Informer and The Hill. Shane, he wrote, "... is a great movie and can hold its own with any film, whether it's a Western or not."[26]”

 

[visitingcock]

Nobody mentioning Leonardo DiCaprio’ Oscar winning performance in Revenant? Not one of my favorites either

A Man Called Horse and Jeremiah Johnson didn’t pop right into my mind on first thought.

 

[CL82]

Nobody mentioning Leonardo DiCaprio’ Oscar winning performance in Revenant? Not one of my favorites either

A Man Called Horse and Jeremiah Johnson didn’t pop right into my mind on first thought.

That’s the beauty of these threads. You hear other peoples ideas and they make you think “oh that’s a good one too”. (Both Jeremiah Johnson and Revenant were mentioned.)

 

[YoDore]

1. Little Big Man: Made me laugh out loud many times and broke my heart at others.
2. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: "Who are those guys?"

I'd do more, but I have to get back to that Snake Dance video someone posted. Debra Paget has lost her britches, and I need to know if she finds them.

 

[Buzzyboy]

clint eastwood
james stewart
james garner
clark gable
henry fonda.

if its a 'western,' and one of these guys has a big role in it, i'd watch it.
and brad pitt. always. legends of the fall, a river runs thru it? that's old timey Montana, which is in the west, which makes them westerns, to me.

Clark Gable??????????

 

[dbmill]

Clark Gable??????????

He showed up in westerns from time to time.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Clark Gable??????????

The Misfits, San Francisco, Honky Tonk, Boomtown, a couple others.