+12
I thought I'd pinned Hombre to the tail-end of my ballot, but guess not. It was one of several westerns in contention for the last couple spots on my list. Depending on which way the whim blows, it could easily make the cut any other day. Great movie that feels like a gritty, cynical update to Stagecoach. Wonderful dialogue (no surprise given that it's an Elmore Leonard adaptation) and an excellent love-to-hate him villainous performance by Richard Boone. Pretty sure I nominated the film for one of those movie tournaments we did in the past.
The Unforgiven is the only other western to appear so far that was in contention for my list. It's a strange movie (Audrey Hepburn, though very good in the role, is a distracting choice to play a Native American; the racism message feels muddled and hypocritical, likely from production tug-of-wars; and I'm unsure how audiences are expected to react to the bizarre incestuous love angle), but I found the movie enormously entertaining. In a sense, the "flaws" only make it more interesting and memorable.
Shirley MacLaine makes Two Mules for Sister Sara worthwhile. (I still chuckle anytime I think of the reveal regarding her true profession.) Not too impressed with Siegel as a director, however, and he lacks the stylish chops to successfully pull off the spaghetti imitation. Surprised this made the countdown at all considering it's likely Eastwood's least popular western.
Once I got over the disappointment of not seeing any actual sorcery in Warlock, I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, as I'm a big fan of Henry Fonda, Anthony Quinn and Richard Widmark. It'd likely play better for me on a re-watch, as I felt like the movie perhaps tried to juggle too many storylines and themes at once. Slow West looks pretty and has a very strong last act, but overall I thought the film felt too episodic, both in plot and tone. Also felt to me like a western made by people who don't like westerns. It's easily my least favorite of the entries so far.
The Misfits is in dire need of a re-watch. Remember liking it, but don't recall many details. Saw it over ten years ago, before I was well acquainted with Gable, Monroe or Clift. Might've even been my first John Huston, who seems to ascend the ranks of my favorite directors with every new film from him I watch. Duck, You Sucker! is another in need of reappraisal. Enjoyed it, but was underwhelmed at the time considering how much I revere Leone's other films (minus The Colossus of Rhodes, of course). Support Your Local Sheriff! was consistently amusing, and I appreciate that the humor isn't so broad and silly to overrule everything else, as is the case with most western parodies. The Hanging Tree and The Naked Spur are both very good films, though neither was in consideration for my list. The former boasts one of the best opening tunes of the genre, while the latter is my second favorite of the many Mann/Stewart collaborations.
Seen: 10/16.