# Best Western **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 11, 2001, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784 "2001-09-11T00:39:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sparteye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Sparteye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparteye)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/1 "2001-09-11T00:39:35Z")
[sub]and no, I’m not talking about the motel chain [/sub] 🙂 Do you love movies that leave you choking in the dust? Can’t resist a film if it has a horse running through it? Which is your favorite? My husband and I have debated the best western movies ever made. My list has to begin with (1) Unforgiven (2) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (3) Dances with Wolves My husband would add Silverado in there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/2 "2001-09-11T00:58:54Z")
Try “The Wild Bunch”, Sam Peckinpah’s violently disturbing tail of aging outlaw anti-heroes. “Silverado” is almost a spoof of westerns, except that it took itself seriously, and isn’t a bad movie, all-in-all (though I found myself hoping Costner’s character would get killed). A good contemporary western is “Last of the Dogmen”. Or, if you’re more action oriented, “Extreme Prejudice” (judging by your picks, I’d guess not). ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/3 "2001-09-11T01:18:40Z")
I’d have to go with 1. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly 2. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 3. Unforgiven 4. The Magnificent Seven (side comment: if you like this movie and get a chance to see Akiro Kurosawa’s _Seven Samurai_ - WATCH IT!) 5. Does _Treasure of the Sierra Madre_ count as a western? If so, slide this up to the #2 spot. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/4 "2001-09-11T01:20:04Z")
John Wayne did make some pretty good westerns. **The Searchers** the one where he spends the whole movie looking for Natalie Wood and killing Indians. **The Shootist** was his last movie and I think one of his best. **Cowboys** was one of my favorite he made and I’m still mad at Bruce Dern for shooting the Duke in the back. **Rio Bravo** with Wayne and Robery Mitchum was also entertaining. Let’s not forget a few others such as **Shane, High Noon, and Rustlers Rhapsody.** Marc ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/5 "2001-09-11T01:26:59Z")
Of course it’s **Blazing Saddles** …🙂 Actually…I have to go with any of Clint Eastwoods spaghetti westerns. Although High Noon is way up there too. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/6 "2001-09-11T01:27:49Z")
One candidate not mentioned yet - Little Big Man. Unforgiven High Noon The Shootist The Good, the Bad and the Ugly also get my votes. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/7 "2001-09-11T01:30:10Z")
Didn’t we just have this discussion a couple of months ago? My list. 1. **Magnificant Seven** -Starring Yul Brenner, Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, Charles Bronson. 2. **My Darling Clementine** -John Ford directing, starring Henry Fonda, Ward Bond, Victor Mature, Walter Brennen and Tim Holt. 3. **Red River** -John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennen and John Ireland. 4. **Cowboy** -Glen Ford, Jack Lemmon and Anthony Quinn. 5. **Destry Rides Again** -James Stewart, Marlena Detrich. 6. [B}Stagecoach\*\*-John Wayne, John Caradine, Andy Devine, Claire Trevor and directed by John Ford. 7. [B}The Outlaw Josie Wales\*\*-Clint Eastwood, Iron Eyes Cody. 8. **Silverado** -Kevin Kline, Kevin Cosner, Danny Glover, Linda Hunt, Jeff Goldblum. 9. **Barbarosa** -Gary Busy and Willie Nelson. 10. **Cheyenne Social Club** -James Stewart and Henry Fonda. 11. **Ride the High Country** -Sam Peckanpah’s masterpiece with Randolph Scot and Joel McRae. honerable mention to: **Valdez Is Coming, Wild Bunch, Judge Roy Bean.** ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/8 "2001-09-11T01:35:44Z")
I forgot about _High Noon_! Ok, so go back to my list and put High Noon where _Unforgiven_ is, and take _Magnificent Seven_ off. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/9 "2001-09-11T01:47:10Z")
My faves: 1 - _ **Unforgiven** _ 2 - _ **Unforgiven** _ 3 - _ **Unforgiven** _ _it’s that good_ Then I’d go with … 4 - _ **Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid** _ 5 - _ **The Long Riders** _ - I can’t get enough of this Peckinpah-ish passion play about the James Gang (no, not Joe Walsh’s old group). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/10 "2001-09-11T01:54:45Z")
And I thought this was about hotel chains. 😉 I’d go with: 1. Stagecoach 2. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon 3. Yojimbo (so what if it’s set in Japan) 4. Support Your Local Sheriff 5. Fort Apache ---
**Author:** ![GENE\_STONER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/2bfe46/32.png) [@GENE\_STONER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GENE_STONER)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/11 "2001-09-11T02:04:58Z")
In no particular order 1.Unforgiven 2. Shane 3. The man who shot Liberty Valence 4. Old yeller. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/12 "2001-09-11T02:24:59Z")
I think I’ve seen about six Westerns, so I’m probably not qualified to answer this question. However, I did want to mention that we just rented **The Magnificent Seven** on DVD, and I enjoyed it tremendously. The special features include a trailer that has lyrics to the Magnificent Seven song, which we have been singing around the house for days now. I was surprised to see **Dances With Wolves** on your list, **Sparteye** , mostly because I’m very ignorant about this genre, and I don’t think I would have thought of **Dances With Wolves** as a Western. I realize it is set in the “west” (the Dakotas, I believe) and has Indians and horses and people wearing dusty clothing. But what else makes something a Western? Here’s your chance to fight some ignorance today! ---
**Author:** ![xanakis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/7bcc69/32.png) [@xanakis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanakis)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/13 "2001-09-11T02:44:50Z")
My choices for top five: 1. **Any of the three Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns** 2. **Once Upon A Time In The West** 3. **El Dorado** 4. **Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid** 5. **Bad Day At Black Rock** ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/14 "2001-09-11T02:52:24Z")
_My Name Is Nobody_ _The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly_ _The Unforgiven_ _Red Sun_ _Blazing Saddles_ ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/15 "2001-09-11T03:07:57Z")
The Shootist Silverado Tombstone [Because Sam Elliot was born to be a cowboy, dammit] ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/16 "2001-09-11T03:28:33Z")
_Unforgiven_ is right up there. Of the “Man With No Name” three by Sergio Leone, I often find myself in the minority opinion that _For a Few Dollars More_ edges out _The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly_. The latter has the more instantly-memorable theme song, of course. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/17 "2001-09-11T04:08:11Z")
1. Unforgiven 2. The Searchers 3. High Noon 4. The Magnificent Seven 5. A Fistful of Dollars ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/18 "2001-09-11T04:11:43Z")
**Tombstone** , no doubt in my mind. Although Sam Elliot was great, my favorite was Val Kilmer. ---
**Author:** ![Zaphod\_Beeblebrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/0ea827/32.png) [@Zaphod\_Beeblebrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zaphod_Beeblebrox)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/19 "2001-09-11T04:14:52Z")
1. _For a Few Dollars More_ 2. _The good, The Bad, and the Ugly._ 3. Any other Eastwood Spaghetti Western. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784/20 "2001-09-11T04:32:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jack Batty \* > \*\*My faves: > 5 - _ **The Long Riders** _ - I can’t get enough of this Peckinpah-ish passion play about the James Gang (no, not Joe Walsh’s old group). \*\* No, if you meant them the western would be _Zachariah_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-western/80784.md?page=2)