The 10 Greatest Westerns of All-Time

It's a crime how under-appreciated this film was upon its initial release (ZERO Oscar nominations). This is the iconic John Ford-John Wayne collaboration at its very peak. It's flawlessly directed, acted, shot (Monument Valley has never looked more magnificent), edited, and is also beautifully rich in undertones that only heighten the viewer's interest. If ever there were evidence of the supremacy of The Admiral and The Duke in the genre of the Old West, it lies with this film.

A tense Cold War allegory and claustrophobic thriller set a against a hot, stark Western town where all hope for a better future lies with one determined man, High Noon is a grounded, especially gritty, unconventional (for it's time) Western that, to this day, remains one of the gutsiest films ever made.

It's amazing how such an iconic film can have such a simple, accessible story with such easily identifiable characters as a solemn anti-hero, a cocky bandit, a humble widow, and a corrupt, menacing villain. The beauty of this film lies with the way this plot unfolds. As the quintessential Spaghetti Western, it does not waste dialog but instead use it sparingly and carefully to present an awesome aura of grit and ruthless Old West mentality.

This was the first great sound Western, as well as the first notable collaboration of John Ford and John Wayne, and first majestic view that 1930s audiences got of Monument Valley. Stagecoach is rich in political subtexts, succeeding as a dynamic allegory for the Great Depression, centering on a mix of lovable (as well as loathsome) characters.

Clint Eastwood's swan song to the genre that transformed him into a bankable star is also his most layered, grounded, and overall human venture into the Old West. Here, he's an aged, flesh-and-blood shell of his former ruthless self, and his slow transformation into the legendary gunfighter of an earlier time, with its ups and downs, is heartbreaking to watch, but the end result is a frightening joy for any enthusiast of the gritty Western.

From one swan song to another, as this film represents the last great John Ford-John Wayne collaboration after more than two decades of being the undisputed champions of the genre. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance represents one last victory for the Ford-Wayne school of the Old West before the emergence of the new generation of outlaw tough-guys like Lee Marvin (appearing in what was his star-making turn in this film), and effectively evokes the emotion of the passing of the Old West in the face of the welcome, yet crushing, transition to a new class of civilization.