Definitive or Must Have Western Films

[mdauben]

Open Range i like it alot, the shootout in the end is pretty realistic if you ask me, close range revolver shooting with almost no accuracy and i like the athmosphere of the movie

I'm not a huge Kevin Costner fan, but I have to say I really enjoyed this movie. 

[Heisler]

I like Open Range too, this is one of my favorite westerns at this point. The gunfight sequence at the end is one of the best fights ever filmed.

[Emir of Askaristan]

Update - Slow West - very good.

[Elbows]

I'm not a huge Kevin Costner fan, but I have to say I really enjoyed this movie. 

I have to say...while I used to despise Kevin Costner, I think he really shines now that he's older and more relaxed.  The Guardian, 3 Days to Kill, etc.  He's way easier to watch now and I also think Open Range is fantastic (the gun fight being the highlight by far).

[HerbyF]

http://a.msn.com/0C/en-us/BBtuzQp?ocid=sfJust saw this on MSN.

[Vindice]

Some lovely building, layout and costume ideas in Westorld, I Thought.

[Elbows]

I suspect we've discussed this here on the forum before, but it is worth mentioning again.

Bone Tomahawk

Disclaimer: Not for the feint of heart.



This is a beautifully written film.  It's 80% Western.  The other 20%?  You can figure that out on your own.  Some beautiful acting, wonderful characters, and even better script.  Jenkins delivers one of the best acting performances I've seen in years.  Couple that with Kurt Russel's fantastic slow-burn methods and I fell in love with this.  Arguably one of the most unique/best films I've seen in 10-15 years.  Absolutely worth a watch.

[WallShadow]

Good Heavens!   Five pages of responses and we have not mentioned one of the Duke's subtler efforts, headlining the risks of a cattle drive and of passage into manhood--"The Cowboys"! 
Favorite line: 
Jebediah Nightlinger: [praying to God before he's about to hanged by Asa Watts and his gang] "I regret trifling with married women. I'm thoroughly ashamed at cheating at cards. I deplore my occasional departures from the truth. Forgive me for taking your name in vain, my Saturday drunkenness, my Sunday sloth. Above all, forgive me for the men I've killed in anger [eyes shifting to Asa Watts] ... and those I am about to."

At which point, the rustlers discover their fatal error in underestimating a bunch of boys and the chuck wagon driver....

[Patrick R]

In no particular order :

- Magnificent Seven
- High Noon
- The Searchers
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- 3:10 to Yuma (both the original and the 2007 version)
- Unforgiven
- The Great Silence
- Little Big Man
- Blazing Saddles
- She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
- Johnny Guitar
- El Topo
- Corbucci's Django
- The Outlaw Josey Wales
- Stagecoach
- Winnetou
- The Sons of the Great Bear

[Luddite]

In no order...

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Its just a seminal work that influenced most Westerns and established the tropes that came after it.

Unforgiven
A masterpiece of film, that deconstructs the glamour of a "shootout" and renders it for the grubby affair that it was, and the final showdown is bone-chilling.

True Grit (remake)
A joyful remake that in my view surpasses the original.  The main actress is amazing, and Rooster Cogburn is irascible, unlikable, and wonderful!

Wyatt Earp (Costner)
A very good movie indeed, which is worth watching for Dennis Quaid's portrayal of Doc Holliday alone.

Young Guns
OK its cheesy but it is actually pretty close to the real events of the Lincoln County War

Hatfields & McCoys
More a TV thing, but really a must watch for its portrayal of the brutal pointlessness of old west feuding.

Little Big Man
Its just a lot of fun.

Outlaw Josey Wales
For the excellent characters around Clint Eastwood's Josey Wales character.  A great ensemble piece.

[Westbury]

Anyone seen The Salvation with Mads Mikkelsen and Eva Green. Excellent modernist western. Has a real 'feel' to it, one of those 'I'd like to game this'. Danish director and star mainly filmed in South Africa I think.

[Antonio J Carrasco]

Godless Not a movie per se, but a miniseries. In Netflix. It is a great series. Highly recommended.

[Panama]

Chisum With John Wayne has just about everything you want in a western movie.

Two Mules for Sister Sara Clint Eastwood & Shirley Maclaine who is fantastic as Sister Sara.

They Died with their boots on, Errol Flynn as a dashing Custer

A Fist Full of Dynamite aka Duck you Sucker James Coburn as an Irishman in Latin America got up in a revolution

Shane with Alan Ladd, its a slow burner like High-noon but a wonderful movie none the least.

A Bit late adding to the list & maybe some are already on it but didn't see them as I went through the posts. 

[Johnno]

I second Bone Tomahawk and Godless from Netflix.
Hickok and In A Valley Of Violence are also good (available on Netflix).

[majorsmith]

The ballad of buster scrubbs on Netflix, a great little film