The Last Western You Watched ?

[Phantom Stranger]

Howdy Everyone,

Nice new site you have here, so I think I'll move this thread over here from the old place. So, plain and simple what was the last western movie you watched? Here's mine:

"Appaloosa"(2008)
-Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen

Plot Synopsis: IMDB

New Mexico.Territory.1882. Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are itinerant lawmen, hired by desperate towns as marshal and deputy. The city fathers of Appaloosa hire them after Randall Bragg, a newly-arrived rancher with money and a gang of thugs, disrupts commerce and kills three local lawmen. Cole and Hitch contrive to arrest Bragg and bring him to trial, but hanging him proves difficult. Meanwhile, a widow has arrived in town, Allison French, pretty, refined, and good-natured. Virgil falls hard, and it seems mutual, but there may be more to Allie than meets the eye.

Phantom's Review: I loved this movie ! Great acting from all the stars, beautifully filmed and a nice balance of action and humor. A wonderful western.

[Jim Holden]

This weekend, watched "The Cimarron Kid" with Audie Murphy, 1952 vintage.  I remember always liking this movie, being a kid from OK, since it featured the Daltons, Doolin, Dynamite Dick, etc.  And just as a Saturday Morning Western it's still entertaining with performances from James Best, Noah Beery Jr, Hugh O'Brian, and a host of other character actors.  Of course it mangles the whole Dalton Raid on Coffeyville, and the resulting Doolin "Wild Bunch" afterwards, with Doolin finally getting sent to jail, rather than killed as in real life.  The great Budd Boetticher (of Randolph Scott movie fame) directed so the action scenes are good and the story tight.  Here's the IMDB Synopsis:

Audie Murphy comes into his own as a Western star in this story. Wrongly accused by crooked railroad officials of aiding a train heist by his old friends the Daltons, he joins their gang and becomes an active participant in other robberies. Betrayed by a fellow gang member, Murphy becomes a fugitive in the end. Seeking refuge at the ranch of a reformed gang member, he hopes to flee with the man's daughter to South America, but he's captured in the end and led off to jail. The girl promises to wait.

Seeing this movie just makes you think what a great movie could be made about these events, including the Coffeyville Raid, the later Gunfight at Ingalls, and the treachery of an outlaw being betrayed and killed by his girlfriends brothers for the money!  Plus you would have the Three Guardsmen, as characters in the movies as the greatest law enforcement trio of their time.  Great potential for us interested in the Oklahoma/Kansas Badmen!

[Murray A. Gewirtz]

Another intriguing aspect of the story to me is the unlikely affection between one of the Guardsmen---Bill Tilghman, and the outlaw Bill Doolin.

[Jim Holden]

A public apology to Cowboys & Aliens! I finally watched it this last weekend and enjoyed it immensely! Well acted, yes funny, and really entertaining which is about all I ask of a good movie. Harrison Ford was a hoot as the crusty old rancher -a great takeoff on the stereotypical Cattle King from a myriad of Westerns. Also loved Walt Goggins (Justified) as the " dumb crook". I laughed out loud at the antics in this movie, and how many times can you say that? Great!

[jimpickens]

Big Money Rustlas kind of like a low rent version of Blazing Saddles.

[Bat]

I justed watched Wyatt Earp's Revenge, and wondered why I wasted time and money on it! Other than Val Kilmer role is was utterover acted naf to be polite! The main villan charactor over playing Spike Kenedy was dressed like a 1990's CW singer with a white hat.

Why have Doc H. helping interogate a prisoner of Wyatt, and Bat M. shot in the hand when he was'nt. Trace Atkins part was again marred by bad clothing choice!!!! why why?

The opening of the box containing the alleged "buntline" along with Peter Sherayko's line as sheriff went something like "I don't want it this way" all very much ala Tombstone 1993, who shadow its not in!!

With information so easily avaiblable why do they get it so wrong, when they could get it soooo right?  check out this link and see the facts

http://www.historynet.com/the-killing-of-dora-hand.htm

[Murray A. Gewirtz]

That links to a very engrossing, well-told account about the life and death of Dora Hand in Dodge City, and the capture --- and release--- of her killer, Jim Kenedy. Thanks.

[Dave McGowan]

Bat;

That sorta thing really upsets me. If they plan on makeing a "feel good" movie, take a lesson from Roy and Gene, use some fancy duds and tack and (other than the clothes, tack and horses) spend a few bucks and have a good time.

If you plan on making an actual movie with some credibility, spend some money on a script, clothing consultants and historians.

Tack? I've a saddle you can borrow.

[Bat]

Hi Dave exactly my point if you are going to name true charactors and their part in history. Get it Right at least.

If you are making a spoof then don't use actual charactors names. Look at the films by the Duke & Clint etc etc all mostly spoof but enjoyable entertainment because they never tried to emulate true charactors or their part in history. Just take the number of films made about the gunfight near the OK Coral over the years, hardly none of them told the true tale!

 I know 'ollywood has to make money, thats achieved with bums on seats nothing wrong with making entertaining films but once they cross the line naming names then they should do as you say consult historians, props & clothing experts following the history as near to the letter as possible.

Some recent westerns; Open Range, Broken Trail, 3.10 to Yuma & Appaloosa, True Grit all fictional all very good entertainment

[anthony martin]

 Quite some time back  when a friend of mine(Doc's torture victim) was telling me about the script and day to day action in the making of this movie I was resigned to the film being a trite load of nonsense.I saw it and thought a good deal of the story and acting weak but did enjoy seeing Kilmer again.

  As many of you know ,I am a serious authenticity maven.Production designers and costumers get paid a substantial amount of salary and the budget allows for more careful authenticity than is all too often evident.It's not all that hard to get it right if one actually does real research and truly works at it.As for weak scripting and bad acting that is quite preventable too but so many times a project takes on a momentum that skirts past fixing the problems while they are repairable and there is all too often a bottom line thinking that isn't in the least concerned with structural or artistic integrity.

[Phantom Stranger]

"The Last Of The Fast Guns" (1958)
-Jock Mahoney

Plot: IMDB

-- A rich, dying Easterner hires gunfighter Brad Ellison to find his brother and heir in Mexico. En route, it becomes clear to Ellison that his is a dying profession. At a remote rancho, Ellison enlists ranch foreman Miles Lang to help him search the hills where the missing man is rumored to have lived. They find nothing ...except that someone wants to kill them; and Ellison becomes wrapped in a maze of double crosses.

Phantom's Review: I don't know about anybody else, but I like Jock Mahoney. I think he was a very underrated actor, His films weren't classics, but most of them were solid well made films. "The Last Of The Fast Guns" is a perfect example. plenty of good western action, solid plot good acting and lots of familiar character actors in supporting roles. If you like a good western, this is fun viewing.

[Stan H]

They Came to Cordura (1959)

Gary Cooper and Rita Hayworth

 

An army major, himself guilty of cowardice, is asked to recommended soldiers for the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Mexican Border Incursion of 1916.

 

What a great study in human nature.

 

 

 

[Vito Fashoda]

Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but I can watch "Tombstone"(1993) over and over again.