The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Americans have always been obsessed with the idea of the Old West. Rife with myth, it’s analogous to Europe’s age of chivalry or Japan’s feudal samurai period, just with more spittoons and gunplay. Undoubtedly, the genre has given us some of the toughest hombres ever to grace the big screen. John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Gary Cooper and others have taught generations of guys what it means to be a stoic, emotionally stunted man who lives by a code and won’t shy away from violence when necessary. Below are 15 of the most indispensible examples of the form. Far from exhaustive, it’s merely a survey course in Western appreciation, but it’s as good a place to start (or restart) as any.
The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Eastwood Sanction
The Good the Bad and the Ugly (1966): Clint Eastwood made an assload of Westerns in his early days, perhaps none as well known as this 1966 Sergio Leone epic. Its enduring popularity is due partly to an iconic theme song, but perhaps equally important is the climactic four-minute long Mexican standoff. It rivals Roddy Piper and Keith David’sback-alley rumble in They Live and John Wayne’s tussle in The Quiet Man for the most superfluously long fight scene in cinematic history. Eastwood’s character is pretty quiet himself, but when he talks, it’s best to listen: “You see, my friend, there’s two kinds of people in this world,” he tells Eli Wallach. “Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig.”
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976): The first probably three-quarters of Josey Wales is my favorite stretch in all Eastwooddom. There’s a lot of useful, folksy wisdom in here. There are lessons for overcoming adversity. There are tips for dealing with silver-tongued politicians. And there are cautionary tales about the dangers of a slow economy.
Unforgiven (1992): Widely considered to be one of the greatest Westerns of all time, this cowboy version of Wild Hogs was written by and starred Eastwood. It really is an incredible film, though, and it concludes with one of the more cathartic showdowns of all time. When Eastwood walks out of the rain and into the saloon, lowers his shotgun and growls at the mob, the tension is palpable. One man against dozens might seem like long odds, but this is a old school-style reckoning, and Eastwood has plenty of bullets for everybody.
The Searchers
The Ford Supremacy
The Searchers (1956): This is probably the closest John Wayne ever did to actual acting, and it’s the undisputed high point of his long and fruitful collaboration with John Ford. When Duke’s semi-estranged family is attacked by Comanches and his young niece is carried off and adopted into the tribe, it sends him on a years-long odyssey that might be rescue or might be revenge. The Searchers forgoes the usual black-and-white morality of traditional Westerns. Wayne’s character—a retired Confederate soldier—isn’t particularly sympathetic, and his real motivations are a mystery even to himself. The whole thing is near-perfect, and the wonderfully quiet final scene is pretty much how I try to model my exit from any social function.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence (1962): Hollywood tough guy Lee Marvin goes up against Hollywood tougher-guy John Wayne, with Jimmy Stewart stuck in the middle.
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