Not Again!

In honor of the Time article I read today, I'm going to list a few of my favorite westerns. I hope you enjoy.

* The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - No surprise here, huh? The final - and in my opinion, the best - of the "Man with No Name" trilogy, GBU is a classic and not just because of Clint Eastwood. Sergio Leone did a great job casting Eli Wallach as Tuco and Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes. Without them, this movie doesn't work as well.

* The Magnificent Seven - a remake of Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven cannot be touched by most of the crap imitators that came out of the time period.

* The Searchers - Sort of a revisionist western before they were cool, The Searchers takes a different look at the whole "Cowboys and Indians" angle, molding irony, regret, and a little bit of emotion into a genre that could be a little bland and heartless at times. John Wayne plays (sort of) a different character in this one. Well, he plays John Wayne, but he also realizes what the movie attempts to accomplish and plays up his part as an ironic play on a few of his former roles. Also, John Ford is a BA director.

* Unforgiven - Clint Eastwood at his best. This movie manages to be sad and funny simultaneously, with Eastwood taking on the conventions of the old west in his own brooding, moody style. And the final scene is one of the best in cinema history, even if it is meant to be horrifying.

* Tombstone - Do I really need to say why? Okay, admittedly, parts of it are a little corny, but all of the flaws are washed away by the gun fights and such. I wouldn't call it a good movie, but it's probably the most entertaining and gratifying western I've ever seen. Besides, did you ever see Wyatt Earp?

These are just a few of them - five actually - and if you like, you can send me a list of your favorite westerns at t_blake_braddy@yahoo.com . I'd like to hear from you.