Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. With that being said I'm going to bring you my top 10 favorite westerns of all-time. These movies are ranked 11-20 so when you see number 5 it is actually number 15. You can see my other list here. So without further ado...
10. (20) Appaloosa
While this is a more modern western it does give a lot of homages to classic westerns of yesteryear. Virgil Cole (played by Ed Harris) and his longtime friend and partner Everett Hitch (played by Viggo Mortensen) travel the 1880s Southwest, bringing justice to lawless towns desperate enough to hire them. In the mining town of Appaloosa, malevolent rancher Randall Bragg and his cronies ride roughshod over the frightened citizens. As Cole and Hitch work to end Bragg's reign of terror, an unconventional widow (played by Renee Zellweger) arrives, complicating the job and threatening their bond. Appaloosa has a rating of 77% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. (19) The Alamo (1960)
This is a real gritty look at one of the bloodiest wars in the history of the world and it has a lot of great performances. In 1836, the Mexican army, led by General Santa Anna, is invading Texas. Hoping to create a diversion for Santa Anna's forces, General Sam Houston (played by Richard Boone) orders Colonel William B. Travis (played by Laurence Harvey), joined by Colonels Jim Bowie (played by Richard Widmark) and Davy Crockett (played by John Wayne), to lead a small, heroic band of American and Texican fighters in a resistance battle at the Alamo mission. The carnage at the Alamo further spurs the Republic of Texas toward freedom. The Alamo was nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Score and Best Film while winning the award for Best Sound Mixing and it has a rating of 50% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. (18) True Grit (2010)
While the original film is an all-time classic, this film is almost as good as the original and some may consider it to better. After an outlaw named Tom Chaney (played by Josh Brolin) murders her father, feisty 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross (played by Hailee Steinfeld) hires Rooster Cogburn (played by Jeff Bridges), a boozy, trigger-happy lawman, to help her find Chaney and avenge her father. The bickering duo are not alone in their quest, for a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (played by Matt Damon) is also tracking Chaney for reasons of his own. Together the unlikely trio ventures into hostile territory to dispense some Old West justice. True Grit was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing and it has a rating of 96% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. (17) The Missing
This is a film that will leave on the edge of your seat with and it has some great performances from Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett. When rancher and single mother of two Maggie Gilkeson (played by Cate Blanchett) sees her teenage daughter, Lily (played by Evan Rachel Wood), kidnapped by Apache rebels, she reluctantly accepts the help of her estranged father, Samuel (played by Tommy Lee Jones), in tracking down the kidnappers. Along the way, the two must learn to reconcile the past and work together if they are going to have any hope of getting Lily back before she is taken over the border and forced to become a prostitute. The Missing has a rating of 58% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. (16) For a Few Dollars More
While I rank it third in the trilogy, I still think its an almost perfect film much the other films in the trilogy. In the Wild West, a murderous outlaw known as El Indio (played by Gian Maria Volonte) and his gang are terrorizing and robbing the citizens of the region. With a bounty on El Indio's head, two bounty hunters, Monco (played by Clint Eastwood) and Col. Douglas Mortimer (played by Lee Van Cleef), come to collect the prize. Upon their first meeting, the two men view each other as rivals, but they eventually agree to become partners in their mutual pursuit of the vicious criminal. For a Few Dollars More has a rating of 94% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. (15) A Fistful of Dollars
This was the film that basically started the spaghetti western genre and turned Clint Eastwood into a star. The Man With No Name (played by Clint Eastwood) enters the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among the three Rojo brothers (played by Antonio Prieto, Benny Reeves and Sieghardt Rupp) and sheriff John Baxter (played by Wolfgang Lukschy). When a regiment of Mexican soldiers bearing gold intended to pay for new weapons is waylaid by the Rojo brothers, the stranger inserts himself into the middle of the long-simmering battle, selling false information to both sides for his own benefit. A Fistful of Dollars has a rating of 98% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. (14) The Magnificent Seven
This is an all-time great western with a tremendous ensembles cast. A Mexican village is at the mercy of Calvera, the leader of a band of outlaws. The townspeople, too afraid to fight for themselves, hire seven American gunslingers to free them from the bandits' raids. The professional gunmen train the villagers to defend themselves, then plan a trap for the evil Calvera. The Magnificent Seven has a rating of 93% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. (13) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
This is a brilliant film and it has two of the most underrated performances of all-time from both Casey Affleck and Sam Rockwell. Infamous and unpredictable, Jesse James (played by Brad Pitt), nicknamed the fastest gun in the west, plans his next big heist while he launches pre-emptive strikes against those looking to collect the reward the law has placed on his head. Jesse's newest recruits, Robert (played by Casey Affleck) and Charley Ford (played by Sam Rockwell), grow increasingly jealous of the outlaw. When they sense an opportunity to kill Jesse, they gun him down, but their actions backfire when Jesse's fame is elevated to near mythical status. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actor and Best Cinematography and it has a rating of 76% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. (12) 3:10 to Yuma
This is an amazingly underrated film with a lot of underrated performances. Ben Wade (played by Russell Crowe) is a desperado whose accomplices stage an ambush after he is taken into custody by a determined local sheriff. 3:10 to Yuma was nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Sound Mixing and Best Original Score and it has a rating of 88% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. (11) Maverick
This is an absolutely hilarious film and it's due to the chemistry between the main trio of actors. This film update of the "Maverick" TV series finds the title cardsharp (played by Mel Gibson) hoping to join a poker contest with an impressive payoff. In order to enter, Maverick must first put up a large cash sum. He scams hopeful contestants Annabelle (played by Jodie Foster) and Angel (played by Alfred Molina) in a preliminary card game to win the money he needs, making enemies of both players. While trying to evade Annabelle and Angel, the crafty Maverick realizes a cunning marshal (played by James Garner) is also on his tail. Maverick has a rating of 67% on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite westerns and what do you think of my list? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard
Jonah Sparks
10. (20) Appaloosa
While this is a more modern western it does give a lot of homages to classic westerns of yesteryear. Virgil Cole (played by Ed Harris) and his longtime friend and partner Everett Hitch (played by Viggo Mortensen) travel the 1880s Southwest, bringing justice to lawless towns desperate enough to hire them. In the mining town of Appaloosa, malevolent rancher Randall Bragg and his cronies ride roughshod over the frightened citizens. As Cole and Hitch work to end Bragg's reign of terror, an unconventional widow (played by Renee Zellweger) arrives, complicating the job and threatening their bond. Appaloosa has a rating of 77% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. (19) The Alamo (1960)
This is a real gritty look at one of the bloodiest wars in the history of the world and it has a lot of great performances. In 1836, the Mexican army, led by General Santa Anna, is invading Texas. Hoping to create a diversion for Santa Anna's forces, General Sam Houston (played by Richard Boone) orders Colonel William B. Travis (played by Laurence Harvey), joined by Colonels Jim Bowie (played by Richard Widmark) and Davy Crockett (played by John Wayne), to lead a small, heroic band of American and Texican fighters in a resistance battle at the Alamo mission. The carnage at the Alamo further spurs the Republic of Texas toward freedom. The Alamo was nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Score and Best Film while winning the award for Best Sound Mixing and it has a rating of 50% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. (18) True Grit (2010)
While the original film is an all-time classic, this film is almost as good as the original and some may consider it to better. After an outlaw named Tom Chaney (played by Josh Brolin) murders her father, feisty 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross (played by Hailee Steinfeld) hires Rooster Cogburn (played by Jeff Bridges), a boozy, trigger-happy lawman, to help her find Chaney and avenge her father. The bickering duo are not alone in their quest, for a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (played by Matt Damon) is also tracking Chaney for reasons of his own. Together the unlikely trio ventures into hostile territory to dispense some Old West justice. True Grit was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing and it has a rating of 96% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. (17) The Missing
This is a film that will leave on the edge of your seat with and it has some great performances from Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett. When rancher and single mother of two Maggie Gilkeson (played by Cate Blanchett) sees her teenage daughter, Lily (played by Evan Rachel Wood), kidnapped by Apache rebels, she reluctantly accepts the help of her estranged father, Samuel (played by Tommy Lee Jones), in tracking down the kidnappers. Along the way, the two must learn to reconcile the past and work together if they are going to have any hope of getting Lily back before she is taken over the border and forced to become a prostitute. The Missing has a rating of 58% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. (16) For a Few Dollars More
While I rank it third in the trilogy, I still think its an almost perfect film much the other films in the trilogy. In the Wild West, a murderous outlaw known as El Indio (played by Gian Maria Volonte) and his gang are terrorizing and robbing the citizens of the region. With a bounty on El Indio's head, two bounty hunters, Monco (played by Clint Eastwood) and Col. Douglas Mortimer (played by Lee Van Cleef), come to collect the prize. Upon their first meeting, the two men view each other as rivals, but they eventually agree to become partners in their mutual pursuit of the vicious criminal. For a Few Dollars More has a rating of 94% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. (15) A Fistful of Dollars
This was the film that basically started the spaghetti western genre and turned Clint Eastwood into a star. The Man With No Name (played by Clint Eastwood) enters the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among the three Rojo brothers (played by Antonio Prieto, Benny Reeves and Sieghardt Rupp) and sheriff John Baxter (played by Wolfgang Lukschy). When a regiment of Mexican soldiers bearing gold intended to pay for new weapons is waylaid by the Rojo brothers, the stranger inserts himself into the middle of the long-simmering battle, selling false information to both sides for his own benefit. A Fistful of Dollars has a rating of 98% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. (14) The Magnificent Seven
This is an all-time great western with a tremendous ensembles cast. A Mexican village is at the mercy of Calvera, the leader of a band of outlaws. The townspeople, too afraid to fight for themselves, hire seven American gunslingers to free them from the bandits' raids. The professional gunmen train the villagers to defend themselves, then plan a trap for the evil Calvera. The Magnificent Seven has a rating of 93% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. (13) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
This is a brilliant film and it has two of the most underrated performances of all-time from both Casey Affleck and Sam Rockwell. Infamous and unpredictable, Jesse James (played by Brad Pitt), nicknamed the fastest gun in the west, plans his next big heist while he launches pre-emptive strikes against those looking to collect the reward the law has placed on his head. Jesse's newest recruits, Robert (played by Casey Affleck) and Charley Ford (played by Sam Rockwell), grow increasingly jealous of the outlaw. When they sense an opportunity to kill Jesse, they gun him down, but their actions backfire when Jesse's fame is elevated to near mythical status. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actor and Best Cinematography and it has a rating of 76% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. (12) 3:10 to Yuma
This is an amazingly underrated film with a lot of underrated performances. Ben Wade (played by Russell Crowe) is a desperado whose accomplices stage an ambush after he is taken into custody by a determined local sheriff. 3:10 to Yuma was nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Sound Mixing and Best Original Score and it has a rating of 88% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. (11) Maverick
This is an absolutely hilarious film and it's due to the chemistry between the main trio of actors. This film update of the "Maverick" TV series finds the title cardsharp (played by Mel Gibson) hoping to join a poker contest with an impressive payoff. In order to enter, Maverick must first put up a large cash sum. He scams hopeful contestants Annabelle (played by Jodie Foster) and Angel (played by Alfred Molina) in a preliminary card game to win the money he needs, making enemies of both players. While trying to evade Annabelle and Angel, the crafty Maverick realizes a cunning marshal (played by James Garner) is also on his tail. Maverick has a rating of 67% on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite westerns and what do you think of my list? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard
Jonah Sparks
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