creekdipper

No arguments with some of the most popular choices (Tombstone, Unforgiven, True Grit), and glad to see someone finally mention The Long Riders, which barely made the cut (1980). Also glad to see Appaloosa listed since it's not that well-known. Wish Harris & Mortenson would continue with the other books.

Surprised not to see Dances With Wolves, though. I know some consider it overrated, but it's a splendid, epic adaptation of the novel & has one of the all-time best soundtracks.

As much as Heaven's Gate is disparaged, it has some captivating moments that linger in the memory & gets better on each viewing.

Others worth considering:

Tom Horn
Barbarosa
Wild Bill
The Proposition
The Missing
The Homesman
Blackthorn
Hidalgo (does this qualify?)
The Quick and the Dead
Geronimo

TV movies:

Purgatory
The Sacketts
The Shadow Riders
You Know My Name
The Tracker
The Jack Bull
Broken Trail

Some recent "foreign westerns" worth watching:

Dark Valley
The Salvation

And would include Pharaoh's Army & Ride With the Devil since they have a "western flavor" although set in Civil War, but maybe they belong in that category.

johnnysd

I think it is one of the Top 5 scripts ever written. The dialogue is magical.

To the OT,

Tombstone
Open Range
Unforgiven

with honorable mention for modern of "Hell or High Water" this years best movie so far.

OldBoy

Just recorded this. Saw it a couple times I think, didn't remember loving it, but I want to give it another shot...

hasslein

I imported the UK blu ray with the extra scene (sex scene) and it felt way out of place. I need to purchase the US cut because it really didn't belong in the movie and I don't like that version. I find it amazing though, that Sharon Stone basically put the whole thing together (or so I've read.) I believe her performance inspired Lucy Lawless' choice of Xena's Eastwood persona.

mrhan

There was talk about it over a decade ago with Keanu Reeves supposedly starring in it but nothing ever happened.

Osiris3657

Nothing stimulated my imagination as a kid quite like the old American West...cowboys, indians, sheriffs, outlaws, duels, saloons...love that stuff. Anyway, I actually went to Tombstone last weekend to see where some of the most legendary figures of that time made their names. While that trip was cool and well worth it, I had to of course rewatch the movie when I got back home.

I'd say it's been like 20 years since I last watched it...and unfortunately, it didn't age well. It's kinda hokey, honestly. The performances of Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday are still good though, and it's got some fun scenes and decent action. But the writing is subpar, the music was so cliche and the villains were cheesy. I'd be down for a remake.

E Unit

Too many remakes of the Wyatt Earp story already. I’d be down for something completely new when it comes to westerns.

And I agree, Tombstone did not age well. I thought it was silly from the get go. Still has some fun parts, but has equal parts that are just plain silly. A lot of Eastwood 80’s films hold up very well.

GoldenJCJ

I know this thread was created before it was released but for those of you looking for a good newer Western I’d recommend Hostiles. It’s probably my favorite movie of 2017.

Goonies85

I love the original 3:10 to Yuma, and I absolutely love the remake by James Mangold. Ben Foster is the best part of the movie, in my mind, but Christian Bale and Crowe are also great, as is Peter Fonda...

Goonies85

That one grew on me. At first I thought it was okay, but the next time I watched it I loved it. And it's another Western that I absolutely loved Ben Foster in...He's still underrated in my mind...And Wes Studi was great...

dom56

While it not a movie but I enjoyed watching Godless on Netflix while back, plus we get to see Michelle Dockery's tits.

Giantrobo

Always felt Costner's "Wyatt Earp" was a better though less flashy film. That said I love both movies. It's kinda like how "Armageddon" was the flashier cooler meteor film compared to "Deep Impact" .

ddrknghtrtns

Gotta go with Lonesome Dove. Read that the original idea, was envisioned as a western movie staring Wayne, Fonda, and Stewart. Because of Red River, I could easily see Wayne nailing the Woodrow F. Call role under Hawks or Ford's direction. Because of movies like Once Upon A Time In The West and Firecreek, Fonda would of portrayed Jake Spoon. Only problem, just can't imagine Jimmy Stewart as Gus McCall.
For the rest of the cast:
Woody Strode-Deets
Charles Bronson-BlueDuck
Maureen O'Hara-Claire
Jan Michael Vincent-Newt

​​​​​

Goonies85

I agree. If I'm looking for a more "pop" version of the Wyatt Earp story, I check out Tombstone (which I love). If I'm looking for a more serious, nuanced version, I watch Wyatt Earp. And I'll say this for the Kasdan film, I thought Costner was very good but Gene Hackman was the standout in the cast. I thought he was terrific.

Hokeyboy

I'm alone over here not understanding all the love for Tombstone. I mean, I like it just fine, a cool action movie set in the West. But it's so beloved by many as a masterpiece. I guess I'm the odd man out.

I prefer Westerns as dramatic slow burns. Unforgiven is pretty much flawless in my book. I also enjoyed Wyatt Earp, Open Range, the 3:10 To Yuma remake (although it remains eclipsed by the shadow of the original). and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

Giantrobo

That's because "Tombstone" always had that pop culture mass appeal in a day and age when Westerns were/are supposed to be boring shit for Old Dudes.

B5Erik

For me, Wyatt Earp totally failed in presenting the villains in any memorable way. The villains in Tombstone were memorable and you knew who was who. In Wyatt Earp they were just kind of generic actors playing bad guys. No one really stood out much. I mean, look at Curly Bill vs Curly Bill. The character was much better developed in Tombstone, and Powers Boothe was fantastic in the role. I hardly even remember Curly Bill from Wyatt Earp.

Wyatt Earp was really good in a lot of ways, but the supporting cast once you got past Costner, Quaid, and Hackman was really underwhelming, and a lot of the characters outside of Wyatt and Doc were woefully underdeveloped.

I still like the movie, but Tombstone is a lot better.

CyberpunkCentra

Logan.

OldBoy

i don't think i've ever heard Tombstone be called a masterpiece. a fun, Western romp for sure, but who says it's a masterpiece in cinema? i love the movie don't get me wrong, but it really is just Western macho, gunfight fun fluff film...

Traxan

I find the lack of "Longmire" disturbing.

Paff

I'll check Hostiles out, but it would have to go a long way to be my favorite movie of 2017. That was just a year for amazing movies. The Florida Project, Three Billboards..., Colossal, Brigsby Bear, Good Time, Ingrid Goes West, The Little Hours, The Square, The Killing of a Sacred Deer,

Goonies85

I'll agree with that. The cast in Tombstone was just insane. Like, in almost every scene I was noticing this actor or that actor...It's definitely a funner movie to watch than Wyatt Earp, and every single time I catch it on TV, no matter what part it is, I always end up watching...I'd still call it kind of a "pop movie", but it's one of the best pop movies out there...