My Top Favorite Modern Westerns, Pard'ner

554   7.9   8.3 

"That's right. I'm Will Munny and I've killed women and children. I've killed everything that walks or crawls at one time or another. And I'm here to kill you, Little Bill......"



This film could've also been called The Final Chapter Of The Man With No Name, But Now We've Given Him A Name, Punk.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

725   7   7.9 

If you were to take all the things wrong with Waterworld & the Postman, irradiate them with the energies that bind, compose & allow the Bizarro world to exist (i.e. "the opposite"), then you would get this movie.
No, seriously....
you would.
I tried it once.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

181   7.4   7.8 

Y'know, there may be cowboy movies that are better filmed, with stories that are better written, that capture the western history more accurately, that have an impact that is more poignant or even have characters that are more iconic.
But very few other cowboy flicks (those being a couple of them that were made with a dash of spaghetti sauce on 'em) were more bad-ass than this one.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

383   7.8   8.2 

The first example of the lightning captured in a bottle that is the Newman & Redford combo. I like Newman's character more though in this movie than in the Sting. We get to see more of him as Butch Cassidy & the relationship with his fellow bank robber, Harry Longabaugh. A really unique western that is both lotsa of fun & tragic at the same time.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

163   7.9   8.3 

Real time in the Old West.
A simple tale of suspense building tension, as a newly wed marshall must make a decision between a new life by flying the Coop, or staying and standing as a "lone star" until the strike of twelve, in a town that has turned its back against him.



High Noon is a film that for me, falls under the category of being based more on sentimental value than anything else since it was one the first black & white cowboy flicks I saw & enjoyed as a kid.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

748   8.4   9 

At the outset of the first western movies, the cowboy characters had been categorized between two basic types: Those who wore the white hats, & those who wore the black ones.
As time passed though, the hat colors began to blur between who was bad, who was bad, & then to eventually who was just plain ugly.
Though the final film in the "Man With No Name" trilogy, IMO, the best & most definitive one of the three.
It's almost impossible to think of the genre of the spaghetti western, let alone this particular series & not think of the iconic trio of Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef & Eli Wallach.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

352   7.6   8 

Fueled with the advent of the spaghetti westerns, the icon of the cowboy had begun to evolve into a more complex figure, of the quiet lone wolf who's only identity traits were marked by the mystery of his identity & by the grit of his character.
Thus began this particular sub-genre within a genre, which eventually lead to A Fistful Of Dollers, & even more later on, to a memorable trilogy of an non-American telling of an American icon.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

330   7.8   8.3 

The Man With No Name returns, but now, he comes with a name, ("Manco"....?), teams up with a partner (Col. Mortimer) & this time around, is out for more than just a fistful of dollars.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

111   6.7   7.5 

Kevin Costner & Robert Duvall make a patnership that is the center of Open Range. Just a good solid cowboy flick that feels like a genuine modern update of the genre that has become an American classic.
I remember that when I went to go see Open Range, after watching so many films at the time, which while on average were pretty good, were still of the standard genres that seem to occupy the majority of screens in theatres these days,
So when a "period piece" like a good solid western comes into my life, it tends to feel like a good shot into my movie-viewing system,
pard'ner.

307   7.4   7.7 

Mostly because of Val Kilmer's performance than anything else. As Doc Holliday, he steals every scene that he occupies in this movie account of Wyatt Earp & Co.'s shootout at the O.K. Coral (a depiction, from what I understand, that allows itself plenty of liberties). Kilmer's portrayal as a sureshot who alcoholism doesn't seem to affect his aim too much, remains memorable in this film as one of the coolest cowboys in recent film history. Sure, he might not be the kind of doctor you'd expect to make house calls,
but he'll be your huckleberry.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

117   7.4   7.8 

Typical Clint Eastwood western fare, but now with an American Native sage-like partner.
However, despite being forced to side up with a "Social-Conscious National Regret" themed quota filler that had seemed to become a fixture of the modern cowboy flick at this time,
Eastwood still manages to carry an 1870's machismo chip on his shoulder, talk thru incessantly gritted teeth, & wield a couple of long-ass six-shooters like they were just a natural extension of what makes Josey Wales such an outlaw to begin with.

The Mighty Celestial's rating: