The Western III Hall of Fame

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The thing isolated becomes incomprehensible
Did you read what I and others said about the ending? It was forced onto Hawks by a threat of legal action. Originally the ending was to be much darker. I agree with you that the ending how it is, is weak.
Didn't know that! Damn suits, ruining cinema since 1888...



The trick is not minding
Did you read what I and others said about the ending? It was forced onto Hawks by a threat of legal action. Originally the ending was to be much darker. I agree with you that the ending how it is, is weak.
Didn't know that! Damn suits, ruining cinema since 1888...
Specifically Howard Hughes in this case



Women will be your undoing, Pépé



The Grey Fox



There are times that a blind grab brings forth a thoroughly enjoyable experience; which is why I continually thank @Holden Pike every time I mention this film since it was one of his recommendations in the Westerns Countdown Thread and its only right and only fair, no matter HOW redundantly repetitive I may be.

While the Gentleman Bandit is a bit of trope when it comes to modern films, seeing a film based on an actual Gentleman Bandit and portrayed BY a gentleman himself was an utter delight.
A seasoned thief with a strategic mind and the patience to see things through - properly, Bill Miner was a person, and in this film, a character, I very easily got behind from the get go and cheered for to the end.
A well made film who's pacing equaled the genteel demeanor of it's major character, and getting the job done when called upon we have a wonderful story played out with some great actors doing a splendid job across the board.

Will this be on my Voting List for the Countdown??

That's a plumb darn silly-ass question.
Course it is!
__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
~Mr Minio



Women will be your undoing, Pépé



Bone Tomahawk

Chicory: Mr. Brooder just educated two Mexicans on the meaning of Manifest Destiny.

Now, I've pretty much seen just about every kind of Western and cross-over there is throughout my life. Even more so in these recent years being a part of this diverse website. And while I was a bit hesitant about this one, I was very much pleased by it all. Even the incredibly gory ending which was incredibly done and kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire time of the remaining act of this film.

While everyone did a really great job, I thought Richard Jenkins did an even more exceptional job with some great nuances involving gestures, expressions and dialogue. I have seen him in countless films where he usually played a more cowardly, almost weasel-like character but here he really embraced and ran with the "back up assistant deputy" with such sincere flair and a genuine tip of the hat to the old sidekick while creating his own rendition at the same time. I really loved him in this.
The matching of him along with the hard-nosed sheriff played by Kurt Russell who, in my opinion, while doing what he's already known for countless times before, really put in the effort on this one; the old film caricature of a dapper gunslinger done with actual depth by Matthew Fox and, finally, the tenacious rancher (Patrick Wilson) who struggles with a bad leg and refuses to give up trying to rescue his wife, who also brings a lot more than the usual damsel in distress by a very beautiful Lili Simmons; is a great blend of western characters done well.
Their trek through the plains is a credit to many past traveling plots of past westerns with a great mix of inner conflicts and begrudging respect.
All of which climaxing in a tense, truly gory ending that stays with you -- whether you wish it to or not.

Quite the intense and very well done western nomination, @Siddon. BRAVO!!



The Big Gundown




I wasn't expecting much from this and the opening few minutes did nothing to change my mind. Then suddenly it just got good. That had a lot to do with Tomas Milian and the support he would provide the always reliable Lee Van Cleef. Milian's character first appeared as an annoying sleaze bag but he grew into quite the likable character. I enjoyed the back and forth between the two, and also how the movie never stayed in one place and was always on the go. The movie looks good and has a great score and I just really enjoyed it.



The thing isolated becomes incomprehensible
The Scalphunters (1968)

You know Hollywood had moved on from Westerns when they do this.
I get the ideia: to introduce a new sense of morality to an old style with some comic elements. The thing is, the jokes didn't work, and I didn't care for the bad guys. The dynamic between Lee and Bass is pretty much the only thing good here and even that has some boring moments.
It's a shame because I had high expectations for this one, being Burt Lancaster one of my favourite actors.

-



I imagine I should make this my next watch just to find out
When you watch The Scalphunters try to put yourself in the mindset of a mid 1960s audience where civil rights were on the fore front and movies that covered that topic were fresh and poignant.



The thing isolated becomes incomprehensible
The Big Gundown a.k.a. La resa dei conti (1966)

This was my first spaghetti western not directed by Sergio Leone. It's by another another Sergio - Sollima. Although the style changes a little bit, what I like the most about this whole genre is how much so many films have so much in common. And that's usually because of one man: Ennio Morricone, in my opinion, the greatest soundtrack composer of all time, and still almost criminally underrated, and the biggest name of the spaghetti western.
I got to know this film due to one of Morricone's biggest embassadors - Tarantino. He used at least two of songs from this in Unglorious Basterds in 2 of the best scenes in his movie.
In The Big Gundown, this two songs also frame 2 amazing scenes, two duels, very similar to regular duels in spirit but quite original in its execution. In the first one, Cuchillo refuses a pistol to face the stand off, choosing a knife instead. Then, we arrive to the second duel, at a bigger distance, in which Lee van Cleef's character is shot first but rolls over and shoots again, killing his opponent. Right after it, we have a 3rd smaller duel, that Cleef resolves fast with a rifle. The most amazing thing about all these duels is that they happen in the same 8 minutes, one after another.
The movie ends how it started, with yet another amazing piece of music. This film is in fact, one of the best works by Morricone.

The characters are all extremely cool, with a great mixture of nationalities, making justice to the nature of spaghetti westerns, films that were shot by Italian directors, in Spain, with German money and often American movie stars. Globalisation at its finest.

You probably have guessed by now how much I love these films and, not surprisingly, my list to the Western Countdown will be, without a doubt, composed mosty by them.




Women will be your undoing, Pépé



The Scalphunters

Joe Bass: You ever fight twelve drunk Indians?
Joseph Lee: No, sir, but I'd like to see it done.

That was actually kind of fun; sort of reminded me of The Frisco Kid in style and character content. Though this one had a more comedic approach to its drama while Frisco had a dramatic approach to its comedy, they seem to have the same focus on switching up the racial relations.
Scalphunters doing it in a more subtle avenue that mixes some clever witticisms along with changing up the usual tropes and, at times, adding a little satire to those tropes.
Such as Savalas as the somewhat henpecked villain that has more bark than bite. I also kept seeing Lancaster consistently going into preacher mode that continually reminded me of my recent watch of Elmer Gantry . That's merely an observation only.
And of course, Ossie Davis was a great watch as he did his best, being passed along as a captive throughout the film and using his wits to obtain some sort of ground as he went along.

@Citizen Rules suggested that: "When you watch The Scalphunters try to put yourself in the mindset of a mid 1960s audience where civil rights were on the fore front and movies that covered that topic were fresh and poignant." and its an excellent perspective to watch, and more thoroughly enjoy this film. THANKS!