Category: Western

Alvarez Kelly: William Holden as the charming Irish Senor caught between Unionists and Richard Widmark in this Civil-war-era Western

Alvarez Kelly (1966), directed by Edward Dmytryk, is a big scale Western adventure set during the Civil War and stars William Holden and Richard Widmark in lead roles. “In every war, in every age, the forgotten weapon is food… a herd of cattle is as vital as a herd of cannon.” Edward Dmytryk's 1966 Civil-war … Continue reading Alvarez Kelly: William Holden as the charming Irish Senor caught between Unionists and Richard Widmark in this Civil-war-era Western →

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The Great Locomotive Chase: Disney’s live action Civil War Western featuring Fess Parker and Jeffrey Hunter is an exciting, edge-of-the-seat adventure

"The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)," starring Fess Parker and Jeffrey Hunter, was the second live action film produced by Walt Disney. The film tells the real story of the Andrews Raid that took place during the early days of the American Civil war. James J. Andrews was a Kentucky-born civilian serving as a secret agent and … Continue reading The Great Locomotive Chase: Disney’s live action Civil War Western featuring Fess Parker and Jeffrey Hunter is an exciting, edge-of-the-seat adventure →

The Proud Ones: Robert Ryan is superb as the proud marshal in this classic ’50s Town Western inspired from ‘High Noon’

The Proud Ones (1956), directed by Robert D. Webb and starring Robert Ryan, Jeffrey Hunter and Virginia Mayo in lead roles, is a solid Western dealing with the archetypal theme of an upright marshal cleaning up a corrupt old west town. "Pride can kill a man faster than a bullet" As the title and the … Continue reading The Proud Ones: Robert Ryan is superb as the proud marshal in this classic ’50s Town Western inspired from ‘High Noon’ →

Two Rode Together: John Ford attempted a small-scale, satirical reworking of ‘The Searchers’ starring James Stewart and Richard Widmark

Two Rode Together (1961), directed by John Ford and starring James Stewart and Richard Widmark in lead role, finds the great American director attempting a satirical, quasi-sequel to his classic Western, "The Searchers (1956)." The 1956 film, "The Searchers," is perhaps the greatest Western ever made, and certainly one of the greatest American films ever … Continue reading Two Rode Together: John Ford attempted a small-scale, satirical reworking of ‘The Searchers’ starring James Stewart and Richard Widmark →

Duel at Diablo: Sidney Poitier is one dandy broncobuster and James Garner is the tough frontier scout in this thrilling ‘Cavalry Vs Indians’ Western

Duel at Diablo (1966), directed by Ralph Nelson, is a thrilling, action-packed Western starring James Garner in his first Big screen Western,, Sidney Poitier in his first Western and Bibi Andersson in her first American film. There are three things that immediately strike you once you start watching Ralph Nelson's "Duel at Diablo (1966)." First, … Continue reading Duel at Diablo: Sidney Poitier is one dandy broncobuster and James Garner is the tough frontier scout in this thrilling ‘Cavalry Vs Indians’ Western →

Shenandoah: James Stewart stars as the family patriarch driven to rescue his young son from the Yankees in this fine Civil-war-era family saga

Shenandoah (1965), directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, stars James Stewart in the lead role of a politically neutral Virginian farmer who gets caught up in the civil war and loses most of his family during the 1864 campaign by the North to capture the Shenandoah valley. The Shenandoah Valley, or the Valley of Virginia, was, … Continue reading Shenandoah: James Stewart stars as the family patriarch driven to rescue his young son from the Yankees in this fine Civil-war-era family saga →

Cat Ballou: Lee Marvin runs riot in an Oscar winning duel role in this whimsical Western

Cat Ballou (1965), starring Jane Fonda in the title role and Lee Marvin in a duel role is a whimsical Western that at once parodies Western tropes as well as manages to become a classic Western in its own right. The best actor Oscar is more often than not given to very serious performances; performances … Continue reading Cat Ballou: Lee Marvin runs riot in an Oscar winning duel role in this whimsical Western →

The Tall T: Richard Boone excels as the charismatic villain opposite Randolph Scott in this lean, mean Western from Budd Boetticher

The Tall T (1957), directed by Bud Boetticher and written by Burt Kennedy, is the Western that Boetticher made with Randolph Scott immediately after the success of "Seven Men from Now"; and it's the first of the five Westerns made by Scott's company, 'Ranown.' The film stars Richard Boone and Maureen O'Sullivan alongside Scott and, … Continue reading The Tall T: Richard Boone excels as the charismatic villain opposite Randolph Scott in this lean, mean Western from Budd Boetticher →

Broken Lance: Spencer Tracy is majestic as ‘King Lear’ of the West in this family saga dealing with pride, racism and sibling rivalry

Broken Lance (1954), directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Jean Peters, Richard Widmark, and Katy Jurado, is a family saga set in the old-West that bears a strong resemblance to Shakespeare's Tragedy, King Lear. Spencer Tracy is perhaps the greatest naturalistic actor from Hollywood's golden age.  Tracy, who was nominated nine times, was the first actor (Tom Hanks being … Continue reading Broken Lance: Spencer Tracy is majestic as ‘King Lear’ of the West in this family saga dealing with pride, racism and sibling rivalry →

Bend of the River: James Stewart stars as an ex-raider seeking redemption in this unusually optimistic and colorful Anthony Mann Western

Bend of the River (1952) was the second Western that Anthony Mann directed with James Stewart in the lead. Though pretty optimistic and colorful in its tone, the film, co-starring Rock Hudson and Arthur Kennedy, is a worthy addition to the series of top class psychological Westerns that Mann and Stewart made together in the … Continue reading Bend of the River: James Stewart stars as an ex-raider seeking redemption in this unusually optimistic and colorful Anthony Mann Western →

Garden of Evil: Gary Cooper and Richard Widmark comes to Susan Hayward’s rescue in this lush Western scored by Bernard Herrmann

Garden of Evil (1954), directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark and Susan Hayward, is a handsomely mounted character-driven Western that explores the evil effects of gold on men. if the earth were made of gold, men would die for a handful of dirt. Another Western that deals with greed, gold lust … Continue reading Garden of Evil: Gary Cooper and Richard Widmark comes to Susan Hayward’s rescue in this lush Western scored by Bernard Herrmann →

The Naked Spur: James Stewart’s embittered Bounty-hunter pursues Robert Ryan’s wild killer in this definitive Anthony Mann Western

The Naked Spur (1953) is the third Western that director Anthony Mann made with star, James Stewart. The film, also starring Robert Ryan and Janet Leigh, is the best of the Mann-Stewart collaborations and the definitive Anthony Mann Western. Howard Kemp was a rancher in Abilene, Kansas before he went off to fight in the … Continue reading The Naked Spur: James Stewart’s embittered Bounty-hunter pursues Robert Ryan’s wild killer in this definitive Anthony Mann Western →

A Fistful of Dynamite (Duck, You Sucker!): Sergio Leone’s spectacular ‘Zapata’ Western starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn was also his most political film

Duck You Sucker (1971) aka Giù la testa aka A fistful of Dynamite is the final Western from spaghetti western maestro, Sergio Leone. The film starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn in lead roles is set during the Mexican revolution of the 1910s. Opening with a quote from Mao Zedong that describes Revolution as violence & … Continue reading A Fistful of Dynamite (Duck, You Sucker!): Sergio Leone’s spectacular ‘Zapata’ Western starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn was also his most political film →

Comes a Horseman: James Caan and Jane Fonda saddles up for a moody ’70s Western from Alan J. Pakula

Comes a Horseman(1978) is a moody, meditative, revisionist Western directed by Alan J. Pakula. The film stars Jane Fonda, James Caan, Richard Farnsworth and Jason Robards. Alan J. Pakula, Gordon Willis, James Caan, Jane Fonda, these are not names one usually associate with the Western genre. Director, Pakula, is more famous for his paranoid thrillers … Continue reading Comes a Horseman: James Caan and Jane Fonda saddles up for a moody ’70s Western from Alan J. Pakula →

Flaming Star: Elvis Presley at his very best as a dramatic actor in Don Siegel’s dark & violent Western

Flaming Star(1960), directed by Don Siegel, is a dark & violent Western that deals with racism and culture-clash in the old-West. The film has Elvis Presley, in a full-fledged dramatic role, giving a terrific performance as a half-breed torn between his white father and Kiowa mother. Apart from being the 'King of Rock & Roll" … Continue reading Flaming Star: Elvis Presley at his very best as a dramatic actor in Don Siegel’s dark & violent Western →

Warlock: Henry Fonda and Anthony Quinn are fantastic together in this literate, Law & Order Western Drama

Warlock (1958), directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Anthony Quinn and Dorothy Malone, is an intelligently crafted Western drama that deals with issues of vigilantism and Law & Order Edward Dmytryk is one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, who started his career in films as early as the 1920s. Never to … Continue reading Warlock: Henry Fonda and Anthony Quinn are fantastic together in this literate, Law & Order Western Drama →

Wyatt Earp: Kevin Costner attempted an ambitious, ‘The Godfather’-like sprawling epic on Old-West’s most legendary lawman

Wyatt Earp (1994), co-written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan is an epic Western starring Kevin Costner as legendary Frontier Marshall, Wyatt Earp, and Dennis Quaid as Earp's friend 'Doc' Holliday. The film attempts to be a definitive biopic on Earp, as it traces his growth from a young Iowa farm boy into the most legendary … Continue reading Wyatt Earp: Kevin Costner attempted an ambitious, ‘The Godfather’-like sprawling epic on Old-West’s most legendary lawman →

Will Penny: Charlton Heston gives one of his greatest performances as the aging, aching cowboy in this gritty, melancholic Western

Will Penny (1968), written and directed by Tom Gries, is a gritty, melancholic Western starring Charlton Heston as the titular hero. The film features Heston, who usually plays larger-then-life roles, as a very down to earth, aging cowboy. From Moses to Michelangelo, and from El Cid to Gordon of Khartoum, Charlton Heston specialized in playing epic, … Continue reading Will Penny: Charlton Heston gives one of his greatest performances as the aging, aching cowboy in this gritty, melancholic Western →

Dances with Wolves: Kevin Costner directs and stars in this grand, gorgeous & ‘going native’ Western epic

Dances with Wolves (1990) is a sweeping Western epic directed by, and starring Kevin Costner. This was Costner's directorial debut and this Oscar winning film was adapted from a novel by Michael Blake. Kevin Costner, by his own admission, does not make cutting-edge movies. His films are all 'right down the middle.' His ambition as … Continue reading Dances with Wolves: Kevin Costner directs and stars in this grand, gorgeous & ‘going native’ Western epic →

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid: Bob Dylan’s heavenly music elevates Sam Peckinpah’s final Western into a haunting elegy on the death of the old-West

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson and Bob Dylan is legendary director, Sam Peckinpah's final Western. Dylan also provided the music for this film, which includes the very popular song, "knockin' on heaven's door." There's guns across the river about to pound youThere's a lawman on your trail like … Continue reading Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid: Bob Dylan’s heavenly music elevates Sam Peckinpah’s final Western into a haunting elegy on the death of the old-West →