Heroes, villains & outlaws
Advertiser Staff
| |||
 |
|
||
| |||
|
|
||
| |||
|
|
||
| |||
|
|
||
The Western is making a comeback — or is it?
It's possible that "3:10 to Yuma," starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, and an upcoming Brad Pitt flick about outlaw Jesse James will ignite more interest in the film genre, but whether movie fans and Hollywood follow the trail remains to be seen.
Until then, you can have yourself a Western roundup of classics in your own living room, on DVD. Here's a list of 10 must-sees from critic Rick Bentley of The Fresno (Calif.) Bee.
• • •
| Catch a classic or 10 before Hollywood jumps on bandwagon 1. "High Noon" (1952): Gary Cooper stars in this tension-filled story of honor and love. Cooper plays a sheriff who discovers who his real friends are when a gang of killers arrives on the noon train. 2. "Stagecoach" (1939): This is one of the best examples of director John Ford's uncanny ability to combine sweeping venues, interesting characters and very human stories to make first-rate films. John Wayne stars. 3. "Unforgiven" (1992): Clint Eastwood shows that Westerns can be full of action and still have time for strong dialogue in this film about a retired gunslinger who takes on one last job. 4. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966): There is a certain amount of campiness to Italian director Sergio Leone's spaghetti Westerns. But his works certainly give the genre a kick in the saddle. Clint Eastwood stars. 5. "Lonesome Dove" (1989): The CBS mini-series is an epic Western that works because of strong performances by Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones and Danny Glover. 6. "My Darling Clementine" (1946): Henry Fonda turns in a sterling performance in this story of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. 7. "The Magnificent Seven" (1960): The film has a great cast, great action and one of the best soundtracks in film history. 8. "Blazing Saddles" (1974): Mel Brooks proves that the old West can be funny. Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder star. 9. "The Wild Bunch" (1969): Director Sam Peckinpah puts the spurs to the violence in this story of an aging group of outlaws who want one last big score. William Holden stars. 10. "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr." (1993): Bruce Campbell brings his dry sense of humor to this Fox television series that is part Western, part science fiction and tons of fun. |
