Sabotage Times, We can't Concentrate so Why Should You?Sabotage Times, We can't Concentrate so Why Should You?


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Even though Tarantino described, Django Unchained as a ‘ Southern,” the movie still brings to mind all the truly great Western classics. Here’s a list of my five favourites although I am very sure everyone has their own very distinct opinion.  I realise I am lacking a Sergio Leone purely because I felt three Clint Eastwood’s a bit much, am not massively keen on, Once Upon A Time in The West, and prefer the following.

The Wild Bunch (1969)

An enormously moral and audacious tale of nine old, gnarled desperadoes who head South to Mexico during the countries Civil War in 1913 for one last heist and one huge hoot, The Wild Bunch, jacked up the tired old western with pure Bolivian marching until it exploded. Indeed, ‘Bloody Sam’ took 12 days to film the final shoot out, used a whole regiment of Mexican soldiers as extras and discharged more blank rounds of ammunition than was fired during the whole of the Mexican Revolution itself. ‘I know it’s sexist,” said Peckinpah ‘I know it’s old, I know it’s out of date. But I love it so.’ Peckinpah began filming The Wild Bunch, as a filmmaker and exited as an adjective.

Unforgiven (1992)

Director and star Clint Eastwood finally received the accolade he deserved by winning four Oscars forhis efforts. Eminently droll and totally without cliché and aided and abetted by the magnificent Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman and Richard Harris it examines the veiled layers of women’s rights, racism, life vs. death, honour, introspection and vengeance in a time governed by instinct. The script was written by David Webb Peoples who also penned, Blade Runner,  “ I’ve killed about everything that’s ever crawled on this earth and now I’m going to kill you Little Bill”.

My Darling Clementine (1946)

To pick any one picture from the great slew of magnificent, John Ford Westerns is a chore. I could have easily gone for any of the great John Wayne vehicles, Stagecoach, The Three Godfathers, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon or even The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, and on another day might do sobut for now the one I’d like to see most again is, My Darling Clementine, that tells the familiar story of the OK Coral (another excellent version that might have made my list is Tombstone of 1993) with Henry Fonda on his finest form as Wyatt Earp, Ward Bond and Tim Holt as Morgan and Virgil Earp respectively, Victor Mature as Doc Holliday while the Clanton’s are excruciatingly well realised by the great Walter Brennan and real life felon and legendary cocks man John Ireland . A dark brooding masterpiece shot in darkly contrasting black and white, it is faultless.

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The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Again directed by and starring the quite excellent, Clint Eastwood, in the title role, this is an achingly well-observed, morally intact tale of revenge and justification set in the aftermath of the Civil War. Beautifully scripted with a good deal of wit by Phillip Kaufman and co starring Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke and John Vernon alongside a gaggle of great western stalwarts such as Woodrow Parfey, Royal Dano and Len Lesser this is an unimpeachable necessity for all lovers of the genre.

The Gunfighter (1950)

A seminal Western from director Henry King (who also helmed Jesse James with Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda) that stars Gregory Peck as reformed gun fighter, Jimmy Ringo who alights upon a backwater to visit his estranged wife and child.  Disenchanted, the moody, taciturn pistolero has made every effort to escape his violent past but his massive reputation precedes him making him a target for every young fool looking to make a name for himself such as Hunt Bromley played by uber brat Skip Homeier.  A classic, almost biblical tale, the thrust of this tragedy has been borrowed by ensuing Westerns and gangster movies such as Carlito’s Way that tells of an ill fated and ultimately doomed protagonists who can’t escape “the life.” Bob Dylan in his song Brownsville girl describes the film: ““Well, there was this movie I seen one time, About a man riding ‘cross the desert and it starred Gregory Peck. He was shot down by a hungry kid trying to make a name for himself .The townspeople wanted to crush that kid down and string him up by the neck.”

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mike 12:03 pm, 7-Feb-2013

the long riders, rides with the devil,pat garrett and billy the kid,true grit (jeff bridges) and the epic deadwood, yes i know its not a film , but this has just got to be on any list of films about the west

Harry Monk 12:23 pm, 7-Feb-2013

Why are no Italian films on this list???? Why not watch some films that Tarantantio obviously pays homage to ie: The Great Silence, The Big Gundown, For A Few Dollars More, A Bullet For The General, Sabata, Trinty or even Django.

Mike W 12:51 pm, 7-Feb-2013

Good list. Once Upon A Time In The West would be in my top 5 though, if only for the best musical score and the coolest sounding guns in movie history. And Henry Fonda. And Claudia Cardinale.

Simon Wrell 3:37 pm, 7-Feb-2013

THE Unforgiven? Are you sure there's a 'the' in the title???

Owen Blackhurst 3:47 pm, 7-Feb-2013

You're bloody right, consider it changed

HardcorePrawn 3:12 am, 8-Feb-2013

Not much to argue with on that list, except to say that I disagree with you about Once Upon a Time in the West. Although it's not usually regarded as a classic, I have a soft spot for Tombstone, and would definitely put that it my top 5 or 10 Westerns.

Nick 3:02 pm, 8-Feb-2013

Good subject. I love a good Western, but there is one glaring miss - the Searchers. You didn't even mebtion it in your list of Jofn Ford movies. For a lighter western, you can't go past Rio Bravo either.

Nick 3:03 pm, 8-Feb-2013

Mebtion Jofn?

CHRIS SULLIVAN 4:50 pm, 10-Feb-2013

The Long Riders, Pat garrett and billy the kid,True Grit (jeff bridges) . The Good The Bad and The Ugly, Tombstone would have all been top ten for sure and were heavily considered for top five but you have to make a choice... I was never hugely keen on The Searchers..I prefer 3 Godfathers.. I loved Deadwood but that's a series and not a film so wasn't in.......

CHRIS SULLIVAN 4:54 pm, 10-Feb-2013

And you're right there is no 'The' Unforgiven, and even though I don't get it mixed up at all with the 1960 John Huston Western 'The Un forgiven' it's title still invades my head for some odd reason. I have see Unforgiven some 20 times so should know. .....

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dan 9:49 am, 19-Apr-2013

The Treasure of Sierra Madre.

doug heard 12:57 pm, 19-Apr-2013

Ulzana's Raid should be up there too.

Topfilmtip 1:07 am, 20-Apr-2013

Great list there chris, two of our favourites are Winchester 73 - which uses a much desired rifle as an anchor for a plot that follows said rifle as it changes hands across the old west, and High Noon- first 'real time' film, set over 100 minutes and also a cutting indictment of McCarthyism. Not sure if it counts as a western but - bad day at black rock is ace.

Ged Carroll 9:04 am, 13-Apr-2014

I would add to your list the following if you don't want the Dollars trilogy or Once Upon A Time In The West: Vengeance - on of the better spaghetti westerns starring Richard Harrison Blue - with Terence stamp in the star role A Man Called Horse - Richard Harris as an early contact with Indians Sabata - mainly because of Lee Van Cleef and William, Berger The Iron Horse - beautiful John Ford silent western

EBdub 9:41 am, 13-Apr-2014

What?? You left out Shane!

yogavo 6:32 pm, 13-Apr-2014

the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford should get a mention, a beautifully shot albeit a long film

willy o 12:08 pm, 15-Apr-2014

the good the bad and the ugly ! screw critical acclaim.

Husnain Lotia 11:15 am, 18-Apr-2014

Good List. I have yet to understand why the Sergio Leone stuff is so feted. Never liked a single one of them. Three suggestions to add to your list: "Jeremiah Johnson" "Broken Trail" and.. though a Telefilm, "Lonesome Dove". IMHO, the finest Western ever!

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