The MoFo Top 100 Westerns: Countdown

Hell or High Water slipped my mind completely. Probably would have made my list if I had remembered to include it!

Also, I saw folks discussing The Revenant earlier in the thread. Was it eligible? I had checked it on IMDB and didn't see the Western tag, so I didn't put it on my list. If it is eligible, I would like to recall all the lists, wipe the countdown, and start all over, please.

Thanks.

OK, maybe not, but I would have had it up in my Top 10, for sure!

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I hate to break it to you, but yes it was eligible. If you scroll down the IMDb page (on the desktop version, at least), Western is the last genre listed (under Storyline, plot keywords, taglines) - Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Western.

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Ah, I just scanned the tags at the top and moved along to the next title...


DANG NABBIT!

Yeah that one will probably show up tomorrow or Friday.

If Hell or High Water can crack this list, then I'm really starting to wonder why No Country for Old Men was deemed ineligible. In any case, it's fine but I've never any real need to go back to it - the same goes for Open Range and True Grit ('69). Haven't seen Jeremiah Johnson yet.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

I’ve seen both of these! Wasn’t too hot on Open Range but loved HoHW and it made my list!

Seen: 14/64
- Slow West (#95)
- The Big Gundown (#85)
- The Furies (#84)
- The Shooting (#71)
- The Grey Fox (#66)
- The Great Train Robbery (#60)
- Meek’s Cutoff (#58)
- Red River (#56)
- Bone Tomahawk (#54)
- The Cowboys (#50)
- Rango (#41)
- The Gunfighter (#40)
- Open Range (#36)
- Hell or High Water (#35)

My list:
14. Hell or High Water
19. Red River
20. The Gunfighter
21. Bone Tomahawk

I liked True Grit but expected more, still liked it better than the remake.

I watched Jeremiah Johnson for the 70s countdown and have been meaning to get back to it. I didn't think much of it back then but seem to see things differently these days.

Liked Hell or High Water but not enough to vote for it, even if I did think of it as a western.

Open Range was a big surprise for me. It shouldn't have been given the pairing of Duvall and Costner. It has one of the better shootouts I've seen in a western.

3. Little Big Man (#39)
7. Shane (#43)
10. My Darling Clementine (#44)
11. The Shootist (#57)
18. Day of the Outlaw (#77)
19. Red River (#56)
21. The Cowboys (#50)
23. Open Range (#36)
24. The Furies (#84)
25. Winchester 73 (#53)

Two great films, the first, Open Range a top ranking favorite for both Western and in general, I was one of the two folks who had it at #2.




Open Range

Mack: Shame what this town's come to.
Charley Waite: You could do something about it.
Mack: What? We're freighters. Ralph here's a shopkeeper.
Charley Waite: You're men, ain't you?
Mack: I didn't raise my boys just to see 'em killed.
Charley Waite: Well you may not know this, but there's things that gnaw at a man worse than dying.

For me, this is the ultimate Tip of the Hat to Old Time Westerns. This film draws deeply from the Well of Western codes, ideologies and basic beliefs in what's right and when it comes down to taking a stand for them.
And, like a good ole western, the scenery and town are shown with an almost poetic beauty.
The same can be said about the props, costumes and the list of characters that inhabit and bring such life to this Western.
It's all done with love and respect for the Western genre while still delving into the emotions and connections to those within the story. Something Costner is very apt at doing with his films, taking a familiar story and creating something a little more grander while still keeping things firmly on the ground and the characters far more than mere backgrounds or mono layered.

Duvall and Costner's characters are en route with a large herd of cattle when they bypass a town with a rancher who vehemently hates "free grazers" and things go sideways until things get settled, out in the street with six-shooters and shotguns.

Now, that is the very basic premise of this, but in no way is it the full story of this. Because it is the people of the town, the interactions of our two protagonists and the "conversations" that we traverse through as the final showdown eventually comes to play that truly shine in this film.
And it's the reason why I can pop into any spot in this film, sit back, and enjoy it all. Due to the countless "moments" throughout this film. Moments that make me smile, laugh, cheer, and, one in particular that brings a tear to my sentimental eye, every single time. Where the old-timer, Percy, played with such sublime authenticity by Michael Jeter is reading a torn out page from a China Collection and what Costner's Charley writes in pencil, should he not survive the coming shoot out.
And, of course, a truly excellent shoot out it is.
And, what is rare, we stick around for what occurs afterward to the town and those involved. Adding still another reason for my high esteem and sheer love for this movie and the Countless times I have and will continue to watch this film.




This is, in my mind, an excellent example should someone ask: What the hell is a neo-Western?
As @Holden Pike remarked, this story of a corrupt bank screwing over the locals and two brothers staring down a foreclosure by that Friday decides to rob several of the banks to pay back what is owed to that bank; could easily be set in the 1890's instead of modern times. Which just goes to show, the more things change, the more sh#t stays the same.
I also agree with @seanc, this also has a Coen-esque feel to it as far as action, characters and a number of developments that incur during the film.
A favorite scene of mine is in the diner as the Rangers attempt to question the witnesses of one of the bank robberies.
"You mean that bank that robbed me?" Snaps one of them.
Suffice to say, they plumb don't give a dead donkey's dangling pecker about giving any kind of useful info on what they watched from their seats while having lunch.
Foster and Pine do amazing jobs and bring a lot to the personalities of the two brothers, making for a very worthy addition to this Countdown.




Movies Watched 44 out of 66 (66.67%)

John Wayne Films: Two
Clint Eastwood Films: Zero

MY LIST
1.
2. Open Range (#2)
3.
4.
5.
6. Ride The High Country (#63)
7. The Proposition (#46)
8.
9.
10. The Cowboys (#50)
11. The Grey Fox (#66)
12.
13. The Gunfighter (#40)
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19. The Quick & The Dead (#42)
20.
21.
22.
23.
24. Red River (#56)
25.

Rectification List (for my own old decrepit noodle)
1. Warlock (#94)
2. Naked Spur (#86)
3. The Great Train Robbery (#60)
4. Winchester '73 (#53)
5. 3:10 To Yuma ['57] (#48)
6. Jeremiah Johnson (#37)

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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

I know one of them, and it made mine as well.

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

Films from my list that already appeared:

4) Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)
7) Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
16) Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
18) The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)
23) My Darling Clementine (1946)
24) Little Big Man (1970)
25) Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976) - One Pointer

I also love Hud, which I didn't include because I kept my definition of 'Western' really strict and pure for this list. I also really respect both Hell or High Water and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.

Like Cobpyth, I wanted to keep my Western list fairly pure and therefore left out any Neo-Westerns, but I loved Hell or High Water for the excellent movie it was. I'll be watching that again soon.

Open Range is one of my favorite Westerns and the fact that it came out in the early 2000's is very heartening. Critics and writers have opined that the Western is dead in cinema but every time they say that, another great one comes along and proves them wrong. This is one of those. Several members have already said why they like or love this movie and I go along with them all. I like everything about this movie. Costner and especially Duvall are a super team-up and I love when Duvall reveals his first name to Costner and makes him swear not to tell anyone. This, right after Costner tells him his full name. When Annette Bening calls Costner by that "secret" name and Costner realizes his secret's out, he yells at Duvall, "You bucket mouth! Can't keep nothing private," instead of thinking about Bening about to be pining for him. And for some reason I just love that moment when Costner is all keyed up about what's happened and what's about to happen and Duvall is trying to talk to him, and Costner says, "Don't stand behind me, Boss!" Duvall just puts his hands out like he's saying, "Okay," and walks away without another word. It says a lot about the two men. Before that scene, Duvall was talking about how he was going to kill every man responsible for attacking their camp and killing their friend and his dog. Costner says to him that he's got no trouble with killing, that he never has. So when Duvall comes up on him, talking, Costner has his gun out and is obviously in a dark mood and Duvall knows it. I just love that scene as well as any in the film, despite the awesome gunfight near the end. And speaking of their relationship, I love how the pair sit down sharing chocolate and cigars before the fight. One of my favorites, I have it at #19 on my list.


My list so far:
Hombre Me: 13 The list proper: 88
The Naked Spur Me: 25 The list proper: 86
Ride the High Country Me: 10 The list proper: 63
Winchester '73 Me: 20 The list proper: 53
El Dorado Me: 2 The list proper: 47
The Professionals Me: 23 The list proper: 45
Shane Me: 12 The list proper: 43
True Grit Me: 4 The list proper: 38
Open Range Me: 19 The list proper: #36

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"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."

Looks like I'm sitting in good company with Edarsenal as I too had Open Range as my #2. I love this movie as a movie (no need to filter it as a western). It's well paced, has gorgeous landscapes, speaks to principles and bonds one would be willing to die for and paints a moral line between right and wrong throughout. My favorite scene is when Charley introduces himself to the gunslinger. Great sequence to the end.

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"My Dionne Warwick understanding of your dream indicates that you are ambivalent on how you want life to eventually screw you." - Joel

"Ever try to forcibly pin down a house cat? It's not easy." - Captain Steel

"I just can't get pass sticking a finger up a dog's butt." - John Dumbear

The Gunfighter was my #9. My old write-up:



Winchester '73 was my #21. I liked it a little less when revisiting it before the deadline, though I still think it's the best of the Mann/Stewart westerns. The shifting perspectives based on who is in possession of the titular rifle gives the film an identity separate from other westerns of the time period. The film plays like a loose anthology, streamlining multiple intersecting narratives where the famed rifle is the main character. If anything, the plot is too busy, at times feeling like it's stuffing about 5 or 6 westerns into a 90-minute package; but that also makes for constant stakes and never-ending excitement. The opening section, where Stewart and McNally compete in a shooting contest, is one of my favorite scenes of the genre. An unconventional classic. Can't believe it didn't even crack the Top 50.



True Grit ('69) was my #25. I love both versions, and I think each has separate strengths, but I give a slight edge to the original. Jeff Bridges is undoubtedly more talented than the Duke, but what Wayne lacks in acting ability, he more than compensates with star power and screen presence. Both men are great as the one-eyed marshal, but Wayne simply feels more authentic to me in the role. With Bridges, it is the performance that possesses grit; with Wayne, grit is a characteristic he just naturally embodies. Much of the great dialogue that I incorrectly attributed to the Coens in the remake was lifted from the original (or, most likely, both were lifted from the source novel, which I haven't read). I admire the little idiosyncrasies that the Coens inject into their version, but the original's more emotionally satisfying ending (and Robert Duvall) is what ultimately tips the needle when it comes to personal preference.

My List:
#4) The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
#9) The Gunfighter (1950)
#10) Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)
#21) Winchester ‘73 (1950)
#25) True Grit (1969)

Seen: 54/66

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Widely regarded as Corbucci’s masterpiece, though still with less brand name recognition than his Django (#64), it features the pairing of two big European actors in France’s Jean-Louis Trintignant (The Conformist, Z, A Man and a Woman) and Germany’s Klaus Kinski (Aguirre the Wrath of God, Nosferatu, Fitzcarraldo). Trintignant is Silence, a mute gunman for hire wielding a Mauser who is hired by a snowbound town to protect them from a gang of bounty killers led by Kinski’s Loco. Like most Spaghetti Westerns it is brutal but this one is famous for its legendarily bleak ending. The Great Silence got thirteen votes including a ninth, two eighth, a fourth, and a second place.

Bleak is certainly part of Joel & Ethan Coen’s cinematic paintbrush, though usually mixed with plenty of humor. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is an anthology with six Western tales. It starts off rather bright, if bloody, with the title tale of Tim Blake Nelson’s happy-go-lucky mix of Roy Rogers and the shark from Jaws. He is a singing, smiling killing machine. From that funny opener the tales get progressively darker and darker featuring a sort of lucky bank robber (James Franco), a traveling showman and his impresario (Liam Neeson), an isolated but determined gold prospector (Tom Waits), a young woman (Zoe Kazan) and the hazards of a wagon train, and finally a stagecoach full of souls (including Saul Rubinek, Tyne Daly, and Brendan Gleeson) on a dark journey. The Netflix produced film was on an impressive sixteen ballots including two tenth, a ninth, two fifth, and a fourth place votes.

The Great Silence was twelfth on my ballot. Corbucci made a powerful and atmospheric allegory about class warfare and how the system churns up revolutionaries that can be enjoyed – if that’s the right word – as a weird tale of revenge and gunplay. Seeing it fairly early on in my exploration of Spaghetti Westerns that weren’t made by Leone or comedies starring Terence Hill it was simply mesmerizing, even if then I didn’t quite know what was going on. Or maybe because I didn’t? And then THAT ending comes on and...holy sh!tballs. As many rules as the Spaghetti Westerns and Revisionist Westerns broke that takes the bloody cake. It also features maybe the first fully Kinski performance from famous nutball Klaus Kinski and it surely gets points for that as well. As dark as André De Toth’s Day of the Outlaw (#77) must have seemed in 1959 Corbucci’s tale doubles down on that and then some.

I am up to eleven of my titles revealed.

HOLDEN PIKE'S LIST
5. Little Big Man (#38)
7. The Ballad of Cable Hogue (#83)
10. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (#52)
12. The Great Silence (#34)
13. My Name is Nobody (#79)
14. The Grey Fox (#66)
16. Hombre (#88)
18. Pursued (#73)
19. Jeremiah Johnson (#37)
23. The Professionals (#45)
25. Support Your Local Sheriff! (#89)

I've meant to watch Open Range so many times, but it's never happened. One day I will. Hell or High Water is a vaguely familiar title but I haven't seen it either. The Coen film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs has also been on my watchlist since its release, but you know...

The Great Silence is the fifth film from my ballot and I had it at #4. Its snowy mountains look fabulous and I have a thing for bleak films, and this one surely delivers. There's little too much humor in it but as a whole, it's a great film.

Seen 23(+2)/68

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Didn't watch either for this, The Great Silence was on my watchlist but I just sadly never got round to it. The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs isn't one that has thus far held much appeal to me - I'll more than likely get round to it one day though, even if I am tiring of the Coen Brothers.

Seen: 36/68

Faildictions (yee-haw version 1.01):
32. Johnny Guitar (1954)
31. One-Eyed Jacks