Top 10 Westerns: Part 2

My Top 10 Westerns list concludes today with my Top 5! And here is Part 1 if you missed it.

5: The Magnificent Seven

As you may know from my recent Versus post, The Magnificent Seven is based on the Japanese film Seven Samurai, and if you want to read a comparison of the films, click here. For the film itself, it tells the classic story of seven gunmen hired to protect a village from bandits, and of all the remakes, this is, undoubtedly, the finest. From the all-star cast to the fun action and adventure, The Magnificent Seven is a classic that should never be forgotten.

4: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Arguably Humphrey Bogart's best film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is an enduring tale of greed and gold and how it can turn friends against one another. Unlike the other westerns on the list, the film does not have gunfights, traditional cowboys, or the other tropes, but it a film about the thing that drove people to go west: gold! John Huston's direction creates a sense of tension as the characters begin to distrust each other and Bogart's role as Fred Dobbs is one of his most layered and complex. If you have yet to see this classic, what are you doing!? Go watch it!

3: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is not like other westerns. In fact, it is almost similar to many modern day flicks with its witty script and chemistry between the leads. Paul Newman and Robert Redford played one of film’s first "Bromances," although I don't like that term. If the old fashion westerns in John Wayne's error do not appeal to you, check out Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; you just might enjoy it.

2: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

After watching Sergio Leone's other Spaghetti Westerns, which, while good, were a little disappointing, my expectations for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly were rather low. To my surprise, however, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly turned out to be one of the best westerns and films of all-time. Sergio Leone used his unique directorial style to great effect throughout the film by creating the sense of tension between these witty outlaws. Clint Eastwood’s cool demeanor and humorous wit added to the film as well. 

1: The Outlaw Josey Wales

One of Clint Eastwood’s earliest directorial efforts, The Outlaw Josey Wales is my favorite western of all-time. Following a Confederate soldier directly after the end of the Civil War, The Outlaw Josey Wales is the pinnacle of revenge flicks, and a unique spin on the western genre. Sure, it might not be everyone’s favorite, and that’s fine, because there are so many fantastic westerns. Unfortunately, they are rarely watched by today’s audiences. 

*Warning: Despite the PG rating, it would be R by today's standards.*

What are your favorite westerns? Please comment below and let me know!

Honorable Mentions: Unforgiven, Hondo, The Westerner, Destry Rides Again, High Noon, The Naked Spur, Pale Rider, Rooster Cogburn, True Grit (2010), 3:10 to Yuma, A Fistful of Dollars, Dances with Wolves

While this list concludes today, my westerns posts are not over! A "5 Unconventional Westerns" is on the way to continue Emma, Plain and Tall's Legends of Western Cinema week on her blog A Lantern in Her Hand & Meanwhile, in the River....

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Good, the Bad, the Weird Review

The Good, the Bad, the Weird puts an Asian spin on the classic Spaghetti Western with a lot of stunning action and hilarity.

As the name suggests, The Good, the Bad, the Weird is heavily inspired by Sergio Leone's classic, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and while not necessarily a remake, the film shares several similarities. Regardless of whether or not you are a fan of the original, The Good, the Bad, the Weird is likely to please action, comedy, and western fans alike with the film's plethora of expertly choreographed and filmed action set pieces that rely on practical effects and impressive stunts rather than computer graphics.

Directed by: Kim Jee-woon
Genre: Action, Western, Action Comedy, Comedy
Release Date: July 17, 2008
Running Time: 139 minutes
MMPA rating: R

The Good: Awesome action scenes throughout, Strong performances all around, Impressive stunt work, A homage to classic American action flicks, Fun soundtrack, Unique cast of characters, A few unexpected plot twists, Kept me laughing throughout, Tons of entertainment value,

The Bad:

Warning: This film is rated "R" for mature content and is not recommended for younger audiences.

Plot: 8.3/10- The Good, the Bad, the Weird tells the story of three gunman, Park Do-won (The Good), Park Chang-yi (The Bad), and Yoon Tae-goo (The Weird) as they all try to find and steal the map to treasure from each other.

Along their journey, many other factions ranging from the Japanese to local gangs become involved resulting in an insane race with everyone trying to obtain the map. While not the most complex plot, the film delivers enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. In addition, the movie is well paced considering that almost half the movie is an action scene. Also, the film does not take itself too seriously, and providing the audience knows that the film is an action comedy, the lack of seriousness is most definitely a positive.

Characterization: 8.5/10- Just like the film that inspired it, the three main characters are all very fun and entertaining to watch. Tae-goo is positively hilarious with his comical antics providing much of the film's humor. Park Do-won is essentially the Clint Eastwood type character, and while he is not given as much characterization as the others, he is well realized enough to be a memorable character.

Park Chang-yi is an excellent antagonist with a menacing presence that is even better than his counterpart in the original. Aside from the three main characters, no other character is particularly fleshed out, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Action: 9.9/10- The action scenes in The Good, the Bad, the Weird are all around phenomenal! Aside from one of the early action scenes having a tad too much shaky-cam, every action set-piece is filled with superb choreography and excellent direction. The film takes the typical western shootouts and adds a lot of Asian flare and style that makes for some of the most entertaining and inventive gunfights that I have seen. Along with the impressive gunfights, there is a great chase scene that is reminiscent of Indiana Jones in many ways. In the chase scene, there is a lot of stunt work and use of practical effects with little to no CGI being used, which is always great to see. The only possible complaint that some viewers might have is that the action scenes are too long, and while some of the action set-pieces are upwards of 20 minutes in length, the film manages to insert just enough humorous moments and occasional witty dialogue to keep things from getting bland.

Acting: 9.2/10- Being a Korean film, the entire film is in Korean (with a small amount of Japanese), and therefore is subtitled. Song Kang-ho's performance is positively hilarious as Tae-goo! His expressive performance is able to convey what he is saying regardless of the language barrier. Lee Byung-hun's menacing presence is perfect for the antagonist of the film! In fact, he is one of my new favorite actors after seeing him in the recent American films Red 2 and G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which is one of the main reasons I decided to check out the film in the first place. Jung Woo-sung gives the most subtle performance of the three, and it works for the type of character he plays.

Soundtrack: 9.3/10- Dalparan and Jang Yeong-gyu's score is weird and wacky in the best way possible. It takes a few minor cues from Ennio Morricone's iconic work, but adds in some oriental flare and a generally fun tone that results in a score that works great in the action scenes, as well as on their own.

Humor: 9.710- The Good, the Bad, the Weird is one of the best action comedies ever made, therefore it is loaded with plenty of humor throughout! In general, the film does not take itself too serious and that is one of its strongest aspects. Often, the humor comes from the character Tae-goo, and his hilarious antics. The type of comedy ranges from physical, to situational, with a little bit of witty dialogue and fun jokes that kept me laughing throughout. Also, the film manages to insert comedic moments into the action scenes that do not lessen the excitement of the action.

Entertainment Value: 9.9/10- From the opening scene to the credits, I was thoroughly entertained! The movie is just pure fun! However, the film does slow down a bit in the middle, but thanks to the fun dialogue, it did not bore me.

Overall: 9.2/10- Overall, The Good, the Bad, the Weird is fun from start to finish. It has loads of expertly executed action scenes, plenty of humor that kept me laughing, and pays homage to some of my favorite westerns and action films; what more could you ask for?

Closing comments: Even if you are not a fan of Asian cinema, this is a great place to start (providing you are old enough) due to its easy accessibility for any audience. Heck, even my brother enjoyed the movie just as much as I did.

Recommended for: Action fans, Western fans, Action Comedy fans, Comedy fans, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly fans,

Note: The Good, the Bad, the Weird was my first forte into Korean films, and it was a great place to start. You should still be able to find it on Netflix and Amazon Prime users.

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Review.

You voted for it, so here it is, my review for “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” the legendary western that many consider to be the best in the genre.

At the time of watching of “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” my opinion of Sergio Leone's other iconic westerns like "Once Upon a Time in the West" was that they were good, but a little overrated, particularly "Once Upon a Time in the West." To my surprise however, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” is anything but overrated because it is not only one of the best westerns ever made, but one of the best films ever made.
As with Leone’s other movies in the “The Man With no Name” Trilogy, the film follows Clint Eastwood’s character, who actually has a name this time, on a western tale of epic portions about three men’s quest for gold. “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” is truly a western epic with a runtime of nearly three hours, the film is not for the impatient. Aside from a few points where some audience members could perceive the film as being slow, the only noticeable flaw is the complete lack of history accuracy with the technology of the era. The film takes place during the American Civil War and some of the things used are not from the correct era. Since the movie is made by an Italian, hence the term “Spaghetti Western,” and that it was filmed in Spain, these inaccuracies can be overlooked due to the high quality of the film.

Directed by: Sergio Leone
Genre: Western, Adventure,
Release Date: 15 December 1966 (1966-12-15) (Italy)
Running Time: 177 minutes
MMPA rating: R (would be PG-13 today)


The Good: Original story, Unique characters, Best western soundtrack, Tuco is a great character, Memorable lines, Surprisingly hilarious, Many clever plot twists and turns, Perfect ending,

The Bad:

Note: Because the film's trailer is terrible and even mixes up the characters' names, I would recommend not watching the trailer and just watch the movie because it is fantastic. It also spoils some great moments of the film, which is why I have not posted it below.

Plot: The following plot summary is copied from Wikipedia.com.
In a desolate ghost town during the American Civil War, bandit Tuco Ramirez ("The Ugly," Eli Wallach) narrowly shoots his way past three bounty hunters to freedom, killing two but only badly wounding the third. Miles away, Angel Eyes ("The Bad," Lee Van Cleef) interrogates a former soldier called Stevens (Antonio Casas) about a missing man named Jackson who has taken on the name "Bill Carson" (Antonio Casale) and a cache of stolen Confederate gold. He brutally guns down Stevens and his eldest son afte the interrogation, but not before Stevens pays Angel Eyes to kill Angel Eyes' employer, another former soldier named Baker. Angel Eyes later collects his fee for Stevens' killing from Baker, and then shoots and kills him, too.
Meanwhile, during Tuco's flight across the desert he runs into a group of bounty hunters who prepare to capture him when they are approached by Blondie ("The Good," Clint Eastwood), a mysterious lone gunman who challenges the hunters to the draw, which he wins with lightning speed.
Watch the movie to see what happens next.

Plot: 9.6/10- There are few better western tales out there than “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” After a somewhat slow and odd first 10 minutes, the movie picks up the pace. There are many twists and turns throughout the film, which are all handled well. Leone’s directorial style was fortunately toned down, and when used in moderation, his style works brilliantly!

Characterization: 9.0/10- Despite the film lacking much actual development from the characters, all of the characters are memorable and absurdly entertaining to watch!

Action: 7.6/10- “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” is not an action-packed western; however, it does have a few great shootouts, particularly the final stand-off. Also it is one of the first films to actually show bullet wounds and have some blood and damaged faces, granted, it is rather tame by today’s standards.

Acting: 9.2/10- While some of the minor background voice acting could have been better, overall the acting was excellent. Even the later re-dubbed character of Tuco was excellent, and of course Clint Eastwood was him usual awesome self.

Special effects: N/A- While the explosions and sets looked great, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” is not a effects film.

Soundtrack: 10/10- No doubt the best soundtrack ever composed for a western, it added suspense and an epic feel to many of the scenes. It was also used perfectly to highlight key parts of the movie; it is a true masterpiece of music. Listen to the iconic theme below.

Comedy: 9.1/10- As said above, I was surprised by how humorous it was, while it is far from a comedy, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments throughout. Using situational irony and sarcastic humor through the witty dialogue deliver most of the laughs, but it never felt cheap or over used at any point. Most of the humor came from the character Tuco, who was my favorite character from the film, as well as Eastwood's humorous one liners.

Overall: 9.5/10- Not only is “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” more than worthy of its iconic legacy as one of the best westerns of all-time, it is one of the best films ever and the best to come out of the 1960s.

Closing comments: If you consider yourself a western or classic film fan, this film is an absolute must watch.

Recommended for: Western fans, Clint Eastwood fans, Film fans,

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If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.