I judge this by movies that I've actually sat and watched multiple times, own the DVD or I'm willing to watch again if I was channel surfing and it was on.<br /><br />Magnificent Seven- One of my all time favorites: love Steve McQueen trying to steal the scene from Yul by shaking shot gun shells near his ear or taking in hat off and wiping sweat and knowing that it was actually beginning to irritate Yul such that he threaten Steve during a scene makes it all the more fun to watch. Lot of great lines in there too and Calvera is a great bad guy, scratch that Eli Wallach is awesome as Calvera.<br /><br />Lonesome Dove- love the cast Tommy Lee Jone, Robert Duval, Danny Glover, and more. super well defined characters, true to the time in costumes and manners and the by-play between Robert Duval and just about anyone else he's acting with in the movie is a joy to watch. I cant help but feel that it was a good thing that John Wayne, James Stewart and Henry Fonda never made it. Doesn't matter that this was a four episode mini series I just love it and the characters. So often the emotion on screen is gripping and compelling. Like the hanging scene, Robert Duval said that in that scene he had been in the moment and the emotion of it overwhelmed him and it shows on screen.<br /><br />The following are all guilty pleasures, perhaps they shouldn't be favorites but they are<br />The Good, The Bad and the Ugly; Outlaw Josey Wales; High Plains Drifter<br />Love the byplay between Eastwood with Eli Wallach and Eastwood and the old indian in Josey Wales and the running gag in High Plains Drifter; "What did you say your name was?" "I didn't."<br /><br />Open Range- Costner and Duval- damn and double damn I like this movie and the fact that Costner did a western without indians in was kind of cool. I just like the pacing of this movie and how it starts slow and then the the violence almost takes you by surprise at the end <br /><br />Dances With Wolves- i catch myself stopping to watch this every time its on TV waiting for certain scenes and I fell in love with Mary McDonnel in this movie, I would have dance with wolves for her.<br /><br />Honorable mentions: John Wayne in Red River and Angel and the Bad Man. As a kid I really liked True Grit (another film with Duval and one of the few times that you ever see on film that the tip of one of his fingers is missing) but having learned that the John Wayne True Grit has a crappy Holywood ending as opposed to the better one in the Coen Brothers its lost some shine for me. I however am not as compelled to watch the Coen Brother's True Grit again but could get sucked in to watching John Wayne one again.<br /><br />Pale Rider is an honorable mention as I've only watched it 1.5 times over the years but when I think about westerns I sometimes find myself thinking about this movie. Plus I have a thing for the passage in The Bible that is referenced in this movie and perhaps thats why it comes back to mind so much.<br /><br />Interestingly Westerns with Gene Hackman didn't make my list of favorites, which strikes me as odd since I like Gene Hackman a lot but The Quick and the Dead is just awful and while I did enjoy the scenes of Hackman taunting the "Duck of Death" in "Unforgiven" i think some people have not yet forgiven Eastwood for making it.<br /><br />I think I would have rate Duval as my all time favorite cowboy.<br /><br />EDIT: Young Guns and Young Guns 2 deserve some mention on this list as Rock N Roll westerns- not so historic but fun.
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