The Western Writers of America recently posted their list of the 100 Top Westerns. You just know I had to use their top 100 to come up with my top 20:
- The Searchers
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
- The Wild Bunch
- The Outlaw Josey Wales
- Tombstone
- Open Range
- The Cowboys
- True Grit
- Shane
- The Magnificent Seven
- Dances with Wolves
- Stagecoach (1939)
- Unforgiven
- The Ox-Bow Incident
- High Noon
- The Shootist
- Red River
- Silverado
- The Long Riders
After The Searchers a lot of the order is subject to change depending on my mood. Also some of the movies that made their top 100 didn’t fit my definition of a “western.” Sure, “Blazing Saddles” is a great COMEDY set in the west, but is it really a western? “The Last of the Mohicans” is a great adventure/romance, but where are the cowboys? In other words, I left off what some might consider to be classics because to me, a western is cowboys and Indians.
– A tip of the hat and a hearty “Hi Ho Silver!” to Bill Crider for the link!