The Finest Westerns Ever Made
While I love westerns, it is unfortunate that a lot of westerns tend to over-glamorize drinking, gambling and prostitution, all of which are destructive to families and ultimately can destroy society. That being said, one must not forget that there were many westerns made that had better stories to tell. And these are finest ever made.
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- DirectorRussell RouseStarsGlenn FordJeanne CrainBroderick CrawfordIn the western frontier town of Cross Creek, storekeeper George Temple is a polite and soft spoken man with a secret past. When 3 bank robbers on the lam stop in town to change horses, George's past comes back to haunt him.Glenn Ford was perfectly cast as the fastest gun, as he was THE fastest gun ever filmed in a movie - a record no one anywhere in the world has ever topped! Excellent movie!
- DirectorDelmer DavesStarsGlenn FordVan HeflinFelicia FarrBroke small-time rancher Dan Evans is hired by the stagecoach line to put big-time captured outlaw leader Ben Wade on the 3:10 train to Yuma but Wade's gang tries to free him.Not to be confused with the inferior remake, this one is a classic!
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJames StewartJohn WayneVera MilesA senator returns to a Western town for the funeral of an old friend and tells the story of his origins.A great political, romantic and western drama.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneJeffrey HunterVera MilesAn American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.Without being graphic or pornographic, this film deals with the issue of rape probably better than any other movie. This film pulls on every heart-string, but does not abuse the audience nor leave you emotionally exhausted. Instead it leaves you feeling like you were fulfilled, having been told an immensely entertaining and yet serious story. You definitely get your money's worth.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsJames StewartShelley WintersDan DuryeaA cowboy's obsession with a stolen rifle leads to a bullet-ridden odyssey through the American West.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsGregory PeckJean SimmonsCarroll BakerA New England sea captain in the 1880s arrives at his fiancée's sprawling Texas ranch, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land.
- DirectorDelmer DavesStarsGlenn FordErnest BorgnineRod SteigerA new foreman rejects the sexual advances of a frustrated rancher's wife, which leads to conflicts that could get him killed.
- DirectorBudd BoetticherStarsRandolph ScottGail RussellLee MarvinA former sheriff blames himself for his wife's death during a Wells Fargo robbery and vows to track down and kill the seven men responsible.
- DirectorBurt LancasterStarsBurt LancasterDiana LynnDianne FosterA Kentucky widower bound for 1820's Texas with his young son is thwarted in his efforts by a corrupt constable, a long-standing family feud, and a beautiful indentured servant.A great movie for the whole family!
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsRobert TaylorRichard WidmarkPatricia OwensMarshal Jake Wade aids outlaw Clint Hollister escape jail but Clint wants to know where Wade hid an old hold-up loot taken while both men were outlaws in the same gang.Richard Widmark is, as always, incredible.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsRandolph ScottEsther RalstonJack La RueIn Kentucky just after the Civil War, the Hayden-Colby feud leads to Jed Colby being sent to prison for 15 years for murder. The Haydens head for Nevada and when Colby gets out of prison he heads there also seeking revenge. The head of the Hayden family tries to avoid more killing but the inevitable showdown has to occur, complicated by Lynn Hayden and Ellen Colby's plans to marry.One of the only "B" movies ever made that should have been an A movie. Randolph Scott and Shirley Temple are the most famous stars of this movie, but it is an excellent movie about two families who are killing each other due to a long family feud.
- DirectorTom GriesStarsCharlton HestonJoan HackettDonald PleasenceAging cowboy Will Penny gets a line camp job on a large cattle spread and finds his isolated cabin is already occupied by an abandoned woman traveler and her young son.
- DirectorRalph NelsonStarsJames GarnerSidney PoitierBibi AnderssonIn Apache territory, a supply Army column heads for the next fort, an ex-scout searches for the killer of his Indian wife, and a housewife abandons her husband in order to rejoin her Apache lover's tribe.Not for everyone, and probably not for small children - the violence can be a bit graphic - mainly the depiction of some of the horrible tortures that Native American Indians used to use. The story of redemption and revenge - with a little romance, but not enough to ruin it - is made even better by the fine performances of Garner, Sidney Poitier and the ever-lovable and sympathetic Bill Travers who is the moral force of the movie.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsBurt LancasterAudrey HepburnAudie MurphyThe neighbors of a frontier family turn on them when it is suspected that their adopted daughter was stolen from the local Kiowa tribe.There are many films with the same title, but I am referring to the 1960 version with Audrey Hepburn. While admittedly there are parts of this movie that are absurd; scenes that could have been edited out and wouldn't be missed; and while the direction doesn't flow very well, the overall message of family and Audrey's performance in a Western makes it worth watching. Ultimately it is a tale of how your family is those who you were raised with and love you and not necessarily those who are blood-related or biological.
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsYul BrynnerSteve McQueenCharles BronsonSeven gunfighters are hired by Mexican peasants to liberate their village from oppressive bandits.This one should go without mentioning, but no list of the best westerns would be complete without it.
- DirectorRobert MulliganStarsGregory PeckEva Marie SaintRobert ForsterU.S. Army soldiers round up a group of Apache, mostly women and children. Surprisingly, they find among them a white woman and her half-Apache son.What a movie! The suspense is chilling and incredibly captivating!