Sound good? I thought so!
That said, today I want to talk about my top five Westerns. When writing Railroad! I found watching movies about the wild west extremely helpful. Aside from that I have always enjoyed Westerns, but I am different from the traditional die hard Western fan. I have a different set of qualities I'm looking for a in a film, and as you read this you will see what I mean. (especially if you are a fan of the genre yourself!)
Now here is a Western that is constantly overlooked. It stars James Coburn in one of his finest roles; an ex-IRA member and demolitions expert. He falls in with some bandits, then some Mexican revolutionaries. Rod Steiger plays the chief bandit and ever reluctant hero. (No matter what he does he can't help but help the revolution!) It's long, and a little slow in some places, but well worth the ride. Oh and it has some REALLY sad moments, so prepare to weep like a baby!
Favorite line: "Duck, you sucker!"
4) High Plains Drifter
This Clint Eastwood vehicle sees a mysterious drifter wandering into a town in dire need of help. Is he a gunslinger or is he a ghost? We never really know! I loved when he had them paint the whole town red and set up a picnic in the middle of a scheduled showdown. Crazy man!
Fave line: "You're going to look pretty silly with that knife sticking out of your ass."
Here we have a young girl in need of revenge, a washed out Marshall in need of redemption, and a hotshot Ranger in need of a lesson. In the end, not everyone gets what they need, but that's the way of the West. (and yes, I prefer the remake to the original, because odd enough the remake was truer to the source material than the first film.)
Favorite line: "Fill your hand you son-of-a-bitch!"
Don't look at me like that! I consider this movie not only one of the best Westerns made, but the funniest of Brooks's films. It has everything a Western needs, and then some. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and drop whatever it is you're doing and watch it NOW! NOW! GO NOW!
Favorite line(s): "What did you expect? "Welcome, sonny"? "Make yourself at home"? "Marry my daughter"? You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons."
This is Sergio Leone's best film, in my opinion. I love it, love it, love it! Buried treasure, shameless bandits, shady good guys and terrible bad guys, this one has everything you could want in a Western.(It was also the inspiration for another fave Westernish film, The Good, the Bad and the Weird.)
Favorite line: "You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."
And there we are, five of my favorite Westerns! Enjoy!