Open Range
Mack: Shame what this town's come to.
Charley Waite: You could do something about it.
Mack: What? We're freighters. Ralph here's a shopkeeper.
Charley Waite: You're men, ain't you?
Mack: I didn't raise my boys just to see 'em killed.
Charley Waite: Well you may not know this, but there's things that gnaw at a man worse than dying.
My nomination and on my list of Countless Rewatches to the point I will come across it and just watch a good 30-40 minutes of it, just to watch it, at any given point of the movie.
For me, this is the ultimate Tip of the Hat to Old Time Westerns. Which could explain a lot of the familiar plot points; but, then, it's kind of like having a Sword & Sorcery film WITHOUT having the lead character being The Chosen One and a special item or weapon is sought after to prevent an evil presence from destroying the hero's world.
Still, this film draws deeply from the Well of Western codes, ideologies and basic beliefs in what's right and when it comes to take a stand for it without being a mere copycat.
And, like a good ole western, the scenery and town are shown with an almost poetic beauty.
The same can be said about the props, costumes and the list of characters that inhabit and bring such life to this Western.
It's all done with love and respect for the Western genre and in so doing, makes it my #1 favorite of all time, Western. And d@mn pretty high on all time favorites, period.
Duvall and Costner's characters are en route with a large herd of cattle when they bypass a town with a rancher who vehemently hates "free grazers" and things go sideways until things get settled, out in the street with six-shooters and shotguns.
Now, that is the very basic premise of this, but it is the people of the town, the interactions of our two protagonists and the "conversations" that we traverse through as the final showdown eventually comes to play that truly shine in this film.
And it's the reason why I can pop into any spot in this film, sit back, and enjoy it all. Due to the countless "moments" throughout this film. Moments that make me smile, and one in particular that brings a tear to my sentimental eye, every single time. (And once enough folks watch this, and should there be an interest, I'll share that moment.)