Klavan’s analysis on movies and literature is my favorite thing he does. I wish he’d do a second podcast just dedicated to that

After listening to Klavan I want to drop everything and go watch these movies. I truly love this man.

“She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” is simultaneously one of the best westerns and one of the best military films ever. John Ford was a genius.

I used to feel as you did about the Searchers, that the domestic scenes are hokey and out of place, but having since immersed myself in the art of John Ford, I've come to appreciate him as American cinema's version of Shakespeare, the way he juxtaposes these lighthearted scenes with the heavier drama. Through such scenes, he doesn't just create a story, he creates a living, breathing community, with secondary and tertiary characters who, granted, are specific types, some might say stereotypes, the hard-drinking doctor for instance, or the village idiot, but who nonetheless add richness and humor and on occasion even wisdom to the proceedings, just as Shakespeare was able to do with his minor characters.

Lee Marvin did a terrific performance in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. I also loved his part in Cat Ballou.

In the closing shot of The Searchers, Wayne grasps one arm. That was an ad lib homage to actor Harry Carey, who often made that gesture. The cast was watching from behind the camera and, knowing why Wayne did it, were reportedly moved to tears.

One of my favorites is “Once Upon A Time In The West” by Sergio Leoni. It has a young Charles Bronson, who plays a really cool mysterious character. Also the score is amazing. It’s a long movie, but it is definitely worth it for any western fan.

William Wyler’s Big Country is a masterpiece. Musical score a triumph. Gregory Peck. Carleton Heston. Burl Ives. Jean Simmons. Transcends the standard good guy v bad guy dynamic.

“Broken Trail” with Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden was another awesome western . Never gets old .

It's so hard to narrow it down to five. But these are some of my favorites: 1. A Few Dollars More 2. Death Rides a Horse (a very underrated film, but it's insanely good and stars Lee Van Cleef) 3. The Outlaw Josey Wales 4. Tombstone (I love Val Kilmer who plays Doc Holiday) 5. The Hateful Eight (Quentin Tarantino) 6. The Cowboys (John Wayne) 7. The Shootist (John Wayne) 8. 3:10 to Yuma (the new one with Russell Crowe) 9. Once upon a time in the West, with Charles Bronson (badass)

After reading the comments I was surprised that no one mentioned 'Red River' ... Montgomery Clift and John Wayne in the classic cowboy epic. The films music was Dmitri Tiomkin at his best.

I loved all of these growing up. I have a life sized cutout photo of John Wayne in my office. One of my favorites is “The Shootist” , John Wayne was brilliant in it.

Love the Virginian, Shane, high noon, the man who shot liberty, Hondo, the searchers & back to the future 3 😆 loads of westerns out there to learn from and enjoy!

I was hoping Liberty Valance would make the cut. Not only my favorite Western, but one of my top five films. I believe the quote is, When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

For me the Outlaw Josie Wales should be in any top 5 westerns. A film that again portrays the transition from "wild west" to civilised west. And a great portrayal of Indians.

Long live westerns! I’m 62 and watching Little House on the Prairie for the first time and loving it. Eastwood is still the king of westerns

"How the West was Won" is another excellent western movie. Staring Gregory Peck, Jimmy Stewart, Debbie Reynolds, and many other great actors.

The two westerns that are on my top 10 favorite movies is "The Wild Bunch" and "Unforgiven." I'm not sure how they square up with Klavan's take on westerns, but I'll always watch them when they'er shown.

As a modern day Western, I really like Bad Day at Black Rock starring Spencer Tracy.

I was born in’46. Hopalong was the first western I can remember. I learned what sort of “man” I wanted to be by watching/emulating the strong men of the West.

The cinematography of the searchers and Shane is amazing. The all star cast of high noon and the shootist really makes these movies awesome picks. For once I agree with your solid picks.

I’m an old lady. I grew up watching cowboys on tv. I so miss honorable, masculine, chivalrous men. And I can’t understand women who don’t want to be treated like ladies. They don’t know what they are missing.

I can see that I am alone, but I love the John Ford retelling of the Magi story, The 3 Godfathers. It's lesser known, but it has a stellar cast, a touching story of faith, and I think, very nice cinematography. Harry Carrey Jr's crooning of The Streets of Laredo is an added bonus. Too mature for kids though. If you want a Western around Christmas, this is a good choice.

Open Range is one of the best “modern” westerns, but “Old Henry” (2021?) is a modern classic. A serious hidden gem.

The algorithm SUCKS! I should have been notified immediately when this video came out!

'Once upon a time in the west' is simply a masterpiece

Magnificent Seven, great film. Every time one of them dies it still chokes me up

I join others in praising "The Big Country" as one of the greatest westerns of all. Gregory Peck, Charleton Heston, Jean Simmons, Chuck Conners, Burl Ives, Charles Bickford, all with perfect performances and a great story. I consider it an excellent treatise on how to be a man.

I have yet to see Terror on the Prairie, but the best recent western I've seen is RDR2, and it is one of the best stories I've ever seen.

I never saw Shane like the other characters in Hondo or Glenn Ford in 3:10 to Yuma. I always felt that Shane was the representation of the Noble American Past, almost an angelic intercessor.

Man what an incredible video Andrew! I really appreciate your thoughts on your top five westerns and you’ve convinced me to watch all of them. High Noon sounds really cool and innovative being in realtime. One of my favorites is Stagecoach, an oldie from 1939 directed by John Ford and starring a very young John Wayne.

I am doing an English camp for middle school students and after reading Tucker by Louis Lamour I thought I would highlight the western. And then you do this little gem of a video striking the keynote. Thank you so much. Also I just watched The Searchers with my dad; it's one of his all time favorites. I am so thankful for your voice these days. Thank you for perspective and insight. You do both exceptionally.

Surprised you didn't mention The Big Country. One of my faves. Love your stuff. God bless.

I loved Hondo, it was the first Louis Lamour book I read in 6th grade, my favorite Western was Silverado, it may not have the depth that Klavan is looking for, but I loved it

"Ride the high country" is one of top 10.

Andrew great list. Those films all show masculine self sacrifice but only The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance shows three different versions of it. We have Rance who is prepared to lay down his life for the woman he loves and stand up for want he believes is right. Tom knows he will live but in shooting Liberty he loses everything. He does this for the woman he loves. And we have Pompy who stays with Tom and looks after him though Tom becomes a drunk and an outcast. I can watch it over and over again.

My five favourite "Westerns" are "The Oxbow Incident" ( 1943 ) "The Shootist" ( 1976 ) "The Gunfighter" ( 1951 ) "The Wild Bunch" ( 1969 ) "Ride The High Country" ( 1962 ) . P.S. I had to wrestle between "High Noon" and "Ride The High Country" .

When it comes to Westerns there is one that above all: Once upon a time in the west. The story, the characters, the music, the photography and Claudia Cardinale.

I love westerns. Great list My favorites in no order Rio Bravo Shane Magnificent Seven Wild Bunch The Big Country Vera Cruz Unforgivin Logan High Noon The Searchers

There is something very comforting about watching a good western

"True Grit" is probably my all-time favorite western movie. Have you seen this? Staring John Wayne. Excellent movie.

Possibly my favorite western, and there were so very many I liked, was "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon". And it explicitly supported your idea. I fell in love with the colonel's wife, Abby, because she was such a good woman. The Searchers is also one of my favorites; I'm always dismayed at people who think Ethan Edwards was a bad guy. I would like to think I would have behaved exactly as he did, had my family been butchered as his had. (and Comanches were notoriously evil among the other tribes). I also very much liked "The Three Godfathers". Men who had let themselves somehow be led astray, but deep down were still decent men, worthy and capable of redemption.

I absolutely adore Rio Bravo, with John Wayne and Dean Martin and just _gallons_ of other stars. I also love El Dorado, the other Rio Bravo, with John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and James Caan. They're pretty much the same story with some embellishments. Both were directed by Howard Hawks, which could explain the similarity. They're very Jedi vs. Sith in today's terms. The bad guys are evil personified, and the good guys try real hard to personify good, but show human frailties along the way. That's because surrendering to evil is easy, while adhering to good is hard. That's because all evil has to contend with is dominating others. That's chiefly done through fear, and simple violence can achieve that. But a good guy fights with himself, a far worse judge than the bad guys face. He has to work hard to be virtuous, which can only be achieved through mastery of oneself. And my top Western favorite has to be _They Call Me Trinity,_ with Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer. _Trinity is Still My Name_ is a decent sequel, but IMHO not quite as good as the original. These films are the quintessential Spaghetti Westerns, cowboy movies made in Italy. They're funny and entertaining as all get out, with some of the greatest slapstick fight scenes ever filmed.

I unashamedly admit that my values were formed from watching Westerns. Both cultures played near equal roles in affecting my moral and ethical development but these great stories never failed to leave their residue of lessons to ponder until the next epic came along.

i love "Shane", i grew up in the 60s and grew up with cowboy hats and toy guns and holsters - and dreaming i was Shane. to be the hero of the west, it made me want to be good and do good things

Once Upon A Time In The West, The Wild Bunch, Man Of The West, Rio Bravo, The Ox Bo Incident.

What… no “Blazing Saddles”!?!?

I paused it right at the start, if the "The Outlaw Josey Wales" isn't in this list I'm going to be disappointed. Now, on to enjoy this vid!

Andrew I wholeheartedly agree with your top picks , just to add a personal western favourite “My Darling Clementine”

Tombstone is my favorite western...even though it's a more modern one.

Open Range is a favorite of mine.The gunfight is epic.

Bravo Klavan!

'Once Upon a Time in the West', Sergio Leon, best western for me.

I think that " Shenandoah " with James Stewart is a terrific film, wether it is actually a western is perhaps debatable because it's about a father trying to keep his family out of the American civil war. I think it's a great film.

One other movie I would like to mention is "The Shootist" (1976). Set in 1901, the hero, played by John Wayne, an aging gunfighter that is dying of cancer but was "never an outlaw," rides into town. The town is civilized, and the hero knows his time is over. All the things he fought for, killing over 30 men in the process, have come to pass. Now, it's time for him to pass.

Ah! My favorite western movie was left out! I, too, grew up watching westerns; more tv series than movies. The Virginian was the very best of them IMHO, and secondly, Gunsmoke. But the movie you overlooked is The Big Country, with Gregory Peck and a cast of the very best actors of the 50s. The acting, direction, cinematography, storyline, dialogue-everything!-is outstanding. I have watched it countless times and see something new in it every time. Check it out!

*"Shane" is my favorite in this genre, but I also recommend "The Big Trail," one of John Wayne's earliest movies, and "Firecreek," with Jimmy Stewart. And finally, from a much more recent crop, I really like Kevin Costner's "Dances with Wolves."*

I love all of these movies. And hundreds more! The classics truly have the best story lines.

Some good choices Andrew. A guilty pleasure of mine is Rio Bravo for pure western entertainment. Another pioneer type of western is The Big Sky and one of the best "modern" ones is Lonely Are the Brave.

Western Movies give me a hopeful entertainment have always Loved them Cheers from Pennsylvania Blessings 🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

I don’t know how you could not include Unforgiven on this list. Not only is it my favorite Western but it is Clint’s best movie.

I saw “The Big Country” when I was about 10. My stepdad showed me; he really liked the scene where Gregory Peck confronts Chuck Conners and they go out and fistfight all night. He thought that was how men should resolve their differences; one on one, no hype men, no spectators, no crew. Just the two rival parties. And not only did they gain a certain respect for each other, Gregory effectively disarmed Chuck, whose character relied on the energy of his crew. Removed, he was far less cocky. Also, Burl Ives was great in it. And solid soundtrack as well. Edit: Charlton Heston vs. Gregory Peck, thank you for the correction!

Please give us Andrew’s list of Ten Must Watch Films of all time!

Call me crazy but I love westerns of all types but I never get tired of young guns 1 and 2 and tombstone as for newer movies.I could list many more.

Lonesome Dove and The Cowboys. THE BEST WESTERNS EVER!!!!

Andrew, all great movies. I hope you will watch Open Range with Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall if you haven't already seen it. Has the good vs evil, innocent romance and Charlie and Boss displayed good moral character and values.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance! I love that movie ❤️

Well said Andrew, I hope many of the younger generations see this and decide to watch those great westerns. Bless you.

No one is wrong here… but my all time favorite is “Unforgiven”… the performances of Harris, Hackman, Freeman, and Eastwood (and all the supporting actors) are just so good.., it’s a near-perfect” film. And the story of looking at how it’s a very thin line between right and wrong (good/evil) and the character study of Eastwoods’ “William Money” trying to come to terms with his past… just spectacular!

Agree with a lot of your commentary, but not totally. For me, the humor in “The Searchers” is what completes the daily life of their times. In all times there is the deadly serious that is also sprinkled with some humorous moments. That is the complexity and the mastery of Ford and Wayne in this film.

I could just listen to Klavan talk about westerns all day.

I will pay 'A Few Dollars More ' to watch a good Western.

I love Westerns! Thanks for the recommendations!

I watched a film called 'Belfast' recently about the troubles in Northern Ireland. I would say it fits into the Western genre. Highly recommended.

Cmon Andrew…Good list but you have to do a Top Ten! W/ honorable mentions 1) Tombstone 2) The Magnificent Seven 3) Searchers 4) She Wore a Yellow Ribbon 5) Outlaw Josey Wales 6) Unforgiven (w/Burt Lancaster 7) Shane 8) The Big Country 9) Lonesome Dove 10) Open Range Honorable Mentions 11) Hostiles 12) Geronimo (with Wes Studi) 13) High Noon 14) The Horse Soldiers 15) Unforgiven (w/Clint Eastwood) 16) Gunfight at OK Corral (Burt and Kirk at their best and best western score ever sung by the great Frankie Lane) 17) The Good, Bad & Ugly 18) 3:10 to Yuma (w/Glen Ford and another great score by Frankie Lane) 19) Quigley Down Under 20) The Wild Bunch

Bud Boettticher and Anthony Mann westerns are highly recommended also.

I agree with much of what Mr. Klavan had to say about Westerns (which I greatly admire myself) and I share many of my favorite Westerns with him. Certainly the "Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "the Searchers", "Shane" of course and "High Noon" (which John Wayne did not like) to mention a few. Where I depart from Klavan somewhat is his claim that the legend of the West is not true. I would say that even if not all the details of the legend of West are literally true much of it is and enough of it was true and credible enough to create the legend. I think of Wyatt Earp as an example. At different points in his life he was a horse thief, the town drunk, a pimp, a bouncer, a fornicator and some would say, a murderer. His friends however like Bat Masterson (another legend) also knew Earp to be the most physically courageous man he ever met. At certain points in his life Earp transcended his limitations and became something greater. During his time of being a town Marshall in Dodge City, Kansas, where he built his reputation, and later in Tombstone Arizona at the 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral', Earp rose to the occasion so to speak and consequently stepped into history and immortality. What was true about Earp was his courage under fire. That courage was Earp's truth and thus the legend that was built upon the courage was equally true.

This is my TOP TWELVE LIST of favorite Westerns. It is not based on reviews, production value, or box office success. It is based on how much I like the movie and how much I want to see it again. Totally subjective! These are all movies I’ve watched more than once. These are enjoyable! 1 Red River 2 Support Your Local Sheriff 3 The Magnificent Seven (1960) 4 Stagecoach (1939) 5 Hombre 6 Open Range 7 How the West Was Won 8 Little Big Man 9 The Big Country 10 Dances with Wolves 11 Quigley Down Under 12 Cat Balleu

Agree 👍🏼 and have seen them all more than once . . . many more times

I LOVE the comedy in the Searchers! It's a GREAT movie, just as it is. It's one of my favorites of all time.

Here is an alternative list of great westerns that aren't quite as well-known: 01. Lonesome Dove (1989) 02. The Professionals (1966) 03. The Quick and the Dead (1995) 04. Quigley Down Under (1990) 05. Destry Rides Again (1939) 06. The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) 07. Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) 08. Bad Company (1972) 09. Open Range (2003) 10. Westworld (1973)

Andrew, I love your content. It always makes me THINK whenever I watch your videos. Speaking of the lie that we build our civilization on...that parallels another line "History is written by the Victors" and another one "Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story"

Thanks for this Andrew! I would almost suggest that this should be listed as top 5 classic westerns. There are some really fantastic modern ones as well. One of my favorites is Silverado, though I think I can understand why that wouldn't be on your list when looking at the theme that runs through your choices :)

My FAVORITE genre. Here are my favorites. #1. The Proposition (2005) #2. Unforgiven (1992) #3. 3:10 to Yuma (2007) #4. Ravenous (1999) #5. Brimstone (2016) #6. No Country for Old Men (2007) #7. There Will be Blood (2007) #8.Hell or High Water (2016) #9.Revenant (2015) #10. Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Only started watching westerns a few months ago. My favourites so far, " For A Few Dollars More", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", " The Man From Laramie", " One-Eyed Jacks", "Gunfight At The O.K. Corral".

"The Magnificent Seven" basically tells this story as well, right up to the last speech about who really wins. Interesting that it also resonates with the Japanese (who wrote the original), who rapidly transitioned from a samurai order to an industrial order. Gotta love the way the Japanese put in their own storytelling, where Americans would have whittled down the characters for brevity's sake. Each samurai explores a facet of why these men are warriors -- for justice, for adventure, for their art, for glory, for honor, for courage, and to become a man. There's a thoroughness to these character studies that American editors sacrifice to the tightness of the pacing, and I think we're poorer for it sometimes.

This was such a well put together segment.

God bless you Klavan i love your reviews.

Hang Em High is my favorite western.

Andrew. Shane is my favorite Western, then Lonesome Dove. Liked what you said about High Noon. The scene that moved me was when Gary Cooper walks out of his office alone. There is no one there to support him, Even his wife and past Mexican girlfriend ride by forsaking him as well. Yet he still walks forward to meet the violent men. As he walks to his apparent demise, the director moves the camera up above the town's buildings. That camera shot showed the utter abandonment and loneliness the hero had to endure. It moved me to tears.

No top 5 can exist without The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly! Come on man!

Van Heflin (who plays the Dad in Shane), was a good actor. He always got the "father" part which he also played in "3:10 to Yuma".

I’ll sometimes watch “Grit” TV for a few days. Can’t get enough of Westerns

Great List !!!

My Western favorites begin and end with High Plains Drifter The rest of them I turn on to play Red Dead Redemption alongside but High Plains Drifter is a captivating experience everytime

I like those but The Outlaw Josey Wales is right up there with them

Three-way tie for best Western. The original “Magnificent Seven.” The original “True Grit” and the marvelous “Tombstone”.

These are all must-see films. All of them. Klavan is too harsh on The Searchers lol these are all 10/10.

I love Wister’s The Virginian - it’s a great book. “When you call me that, smile!” It has everything.

Three others that I think are great are: Broken Arrow with James Stewart, dealing with the Apaches. The tragedy of clashing civilizations that didn't come to peace terms in the "I walk away' scene can move a man to tears. Hang 'em High with Clint Eastwood, also tells that quintessential Western story about creating civilization, but this time it's twisted through the motive of a revenge movie, but overcomes that by the end in a great character arc that is missing from Eastwood's other popular westerns like The Good the Bad and the Ugly. The Shootist, John Wayne's last movie, and one of his best, also very Shane like, but civilization has already moved on at this point, and he has no place in it except to show the idolizing youth played by Ron Howard that the glorious and manly violence , though necessary, is ultimately ugly and not something to aspire towards. This one is like a bookend to the entire western genre, and after that, westerns became mostly post-modern deconsteuctional flips that are more miss than hit.