# Best Western (movie) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237 "2010-03-21T15:46:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/21 "2010-03-21T16:34:06Z")
> [@halfliquid](#): > > Blazing Saddles. Amen! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/22 "2010-03-21T16:37:28Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Speaking of, have you seen _Rancho Deluxe_? I’ve never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/23 "2010-03-21T16:44:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’ve never heard of it. [Rancho Deluxe (1975)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073605/) Now you have. I can’t recall if it was a Henry or a Sharps, ([Plot Keywords](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073605/keywords) don’t help) but they blew holy hell out of a Lincoln with it from a mile away. Jeff Bridges and Sam Waterston are exceptional as are Richard Bright, Harry Dean Stanton and Slim Pickens. A movie to own! “Modern” Western. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/24 "2010-03-21T16:45:49Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’ve never heard of it. With music by Jimmy Buffett. (Not really in the period specified, however). ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/25 "2010-03-21T16:46:36Z")
I know it’s not a movie, but screw it - Deadwood is the best western I’ve ever seen, in _any_ medium. As far as movies go, my top five would be Unforgiven, The Searchers, Heaven’s Gate (yes, Heaven’s Gate), Pale Rider, and Dances With Wolves. But again, Deadwood stands head and shoulders above all the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/26 "2010-03-21T16:52:20Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I can’t recall if it was a Henry or a Sharps From the quotes on your link: > [@](#): > > **Henry Beige:** [digging a bullet out of a dead steer] If I wasn’t so dad-blamed old, I wouldn’t know what this is. > **John Brown:** What is it? > **Henry Beige:** It’s a fifty-caliber bullet! > **John Brown:** From what kind of gun? > **Henry Beige:** A Sharps buffalo rifle! This is gettin’ downright romantic! A already have a Sharps. 😉 But I’ve never fired it and want to sell it. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/27 "2010-03-21T16:53:43Z")
What, no love for _Tombstone_? It certainly belongs in the top ten, if not five. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/28 "2010-03-21T16:53:51Z")
> [@MTCicero](#): > > I know it’s not a movie, but screw it - Deadwood is the best western I’ve ever seen, in _any_ medium. > > As far as movies go, my top five would be Unforgiven, The Searchers, Heaven’s Gate (yes, Heaven’s Gate), Pale Rider, and Dances With Wolves. > > But again, Deadwood stands head and shoulders above all the rest. I agree 100% on _Deadwood_. I’ve yet to see _Heaven’s Gate_ but it reminds me of another Peckinpah worth seeing: [Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070518/) I happen to love _Pale Rider_ as well, and were it not for the _Shane_ comparisons (and the fact that _Shane_ came first and set the stage for most good Westerns since) I would have it above Josey Wales. It’s a tough task to select the best Eastwood Western! (I’m just now noticing the irony here. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/29 "2010-03-21T16:55:01Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > From the quotes on your link: > > A already have a Sharps. 😉 But I’ve never fired it and want to sell it. Swap it for a Henry, then! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/30 "2010-03-21T17:01:05Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > What, no love for _Tombstone_? It certainly belongs in the top ten, if not five. Oh, yeah. I love it, too. The problem becomes picking the best version of that Wyatt Earp situation. There are dozens. My pick would be _Tombstone_, too, but the Costner version that year was also good. and then you have to go all the way back to the early movies to see tham all. The Fonda-Mature [My Darling Clementine (1946)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038762/) even enters the picture. But Kurt Russell cinches it for me, although I like Quaid’s Doc Holliday better than KIlmer’s. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/31 "2010-03-21T17:02:39Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > With music by Jimmy Buffett. (Not really in the period specified, however). I had forgotten that! One more reason to see it. A real sleeper that’s been on cable quite a bit lately. ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/32 "2010-03-21T17:02:41Z")
Crap! I can’t believe I forgot McCabe and Mrs. Miller! That might actually give Unforgiven a fun for its money. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/33 "2010-03-21T17:05:02Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I’ve yet to see _Heaven’s Gate_… Nobody likes _Heaven’s Gate_ – except for me. There are two parts I hate. The first is at the beginning; the graduation from Harvard(?). Way too long, I didn’t like the dancing, and the audio sucked. The other is the roller skating scene. Again, way too long; and also fairly pointless. (Not totally pointless, but still…) Aside from those, I loved the film. The attention to detail in the costuming and accouterments was impressive. The film is based on the real-life lynching of [Ellen ‘Cattle Kate’ Watson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Watson) and the [Johnson County War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_County_War). Vilmos Zsigmond provided the stunning cinematography. And you get to see Isabelle Huppert nekkid. 😃 . ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/34 "2010-03-21T17:06:15Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Swap it for a Henry, then! 😃 Only, the Sharps is worth about $600-$800 more than the MSRP of an Uberti Henry. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/35 "2010-03-21T17:06:38Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Oh, yeah. I love it, too. The problem becomes picking the best version of that Wyatt Earp situation. There are dozens. My pick would be _Tombstone_, too, but the Costner version that year was also good. and then you have to go all the way back to the early movies to see tham all. The Fonda-Mature [My Darling Clementine (1946)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038762/) even enters the picture. But Kurt Russell cinches it for me, although I like Quaid’s Doc Holliday better than KIlmer’s. Thirded on the love for Tombstone. And I’ve yet to see Wyatt Earp (I’d always heard that it was more bloated and ponderous than the crackling Tombstone), so I guess Val Kilmer gets the nod as my favorite Doc Holiday. (I can’t help myself, I’m sorry: “I’m your huckleberry.”) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/36 "2010-03-21T17:20:03Z")
The Grey Fox The Long Riders . ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/37 "2010-03-21T17:22:25Z")
To undermine the serious Westerns, watch [Rustlers’ Rhapsody](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rustlers%27_Rhapsody). “Ummm…good root!” ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/38 "2010-03-21T17:23:23Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > The Grey Fox > > The Long Riders > > . Seconded on the love for _The Grey Fox_. Richard Farnsworth was sublime in that role. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/39 "2010-03-21T17:24:12Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Speaking of, have you seen _Rancho Deluxe_? You weren’t asking me, but my wife and I have loved that movie for 35 years. One of our all-time faves, and the first time we ever saw Sam Waterston. “She’s like … Bambi” . ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237/40 "2010-03-21T17:25:53Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Amen! Don’t you mean “Ditto!”, you provincial putz? . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western-movie/533237.md?page=3)