Greatest Westerns where the leading actor never got his due, nor, did the movie.

LionJim

Heisman
Oct 12, 2021
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Here's another. One of my all time favorites. A River Runs Through It. Not a single award won by actors. Just phenomenal acting. Only an Oscar for best cinematography. "Oh, brother, I'll never leave Montana." "I am haunted by waters."
Great Quotes from "A River Runs Through It" - 2 Guys and A River https://share.google/AD42N1En3WGwLj479
Yes, there’s no more gorgeous a movie than “A River Runs Through It.”
 

bbrown

Heisman
Jul 26, 2001
11,315
23,344
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For Jewish guy from Brooklyn, Wallach played basically the same Mexican bandit four times in "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," "The Magnificent Seven," "Ace High," and "Don't Turn the Other Cheek."

As for a movie, I'll go with "Silverado." It seldom drags and has a great ensemble cast: Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, Brian Dennehy, Jeff Goldblum, John Cleese, James Gannon, Linda Hunt, Jeff Fahey, and even a brief appearance by Sheb Wooley.

I'll thrown in any of the Sackett TV movies with two of the greatest mustaches in western history: Sam Elliot and Tom Selleck.
Silverado is an excellent choice.
 

olelion

Senior
Jun 10, 2001
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Lonesome Dove- Duval and Jones
Ah yes. Even though a television "series", it was the greatest western I've personally ever have seen. A few anecdotes. This movie took Australia by storm. When we moved to Australia back in the eighties, people I worked with asked where we were from (we had been living in Colorado prior to the Aussie assignment), Id say Australia, then get queried as to whether it was near Montana. I'd say sort of and that was it.......my name forever at the mine was "Montana" and my wife was named "Paradise". After Australia move to Wyoming. Some ranchers from Texas duplicated the cattle drive from Texas to Montana and were passing through where we lived/worked. A fiend and colleague of mine hosted a big bash at his ranchette for the Texans and we were invited. Quite the party
 

Jerry1972

Redshirt
May 29, 2001
38
25
18
Forgot one: Last Train From Gun Hill with Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn.

Kirk is a sheriff whose wife, an Indian woman, is raped and murdered by the son (and his friends) of powerful rancher Anthony Quinn who lives in Gun Hill, down the road a good bit, and happens to be an old compadre of Kirk's but honestly has no idea that any of this happened.

Kirk rides to Quinn's ranch, puts 2+2 together, and then, with the whole town against him -- Quinn feels no choice but to protect his kid -- attempts to put the son on, well, The Last Train From Gun Hill. Lots of fireworks follow. Won't give away the ending but it does not run against the grain of Westerns of the 1950s.

This is a great movie...totally underappreciated...with dynamite performances from Hollywood superstars Douglas and Quinn.
 

Jerry1972

Redshirt
May 29, 2001
38
25
18
Ah yes. Even though a television "series", it was the greatest western I've personally ever have seen. A few anecdotes. This movie took Australia by storm. When we moved to Australia back in the eighties, people I worked with asked where we were from (we had been living in Colorado prior to the Aussie assignment), Id say Australia, then get queried as to whether it was near Montana. I'd say sort of and that was it.......my name forever at the mine was "Montana" and my wife was named "Paradise". After Australia move to Wyoming. Some ranchers from Texas duplicated the cattle drive from Texas to Montana and were passing through where we lived/worked. A fiend and colleague of mine hosted a big bash at his ranchette for the Texans and we were invited. Quite the party

Except Lonesome Dove...and some others mentioned here...not only "got their due" but were recognized as some of the great Westerns of all times.

For my money, Lonesome Dove is the best television ever done.
 
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Jerry1972

Redshirt
May 29, 2001
38
25
18
I mean, if we're ditching "underappreciated" and just going for greatest Westerns ever, eezy-peezy...top-5, in no particular order:

Shane, The Searchers, Red River, Once Upon A Time In The West, and The Good The Bad And The Ugly...
 
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randyl

Redshirt
May 29, 2001
12
25
13
The Last Sunset makes me think Kirk Douglas was perhaps the finest actor of his generation.
And very young Carol Lynley never looked so good again.
 
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Wow

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Feb 3, 2022
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I haven't seen is since the 80s but, I really enjoyed The Long Riders. Easily the movie with the most siblings in the cast. David Carradine, Keith Carradine and, Robert Carradine. James Keach and Stacey Keach. Dennis Quaid and Randy Quaid.

 

Jerry1972

Redshirt
May 29, 2001
38
25
18
Can't believe I forgot this one: The Culpepper Cattle Company...1972

Young kid grows up quickly when he's taken on as a cook's assistant on a cattle drive. Low-budget great Western.

The shoot-out scene near the end is dynamite.

Also, in the same vein as kids growing up, maybe somebody mentioned this one, but The Cowboys is also great.

The Duke drives a herd to market with a bunch of kids hired on to do the work...until they are all ambushed by a gang of rustlers led by Bruce Dern in a classic villainous role.

The confrontation between Dern and Wayne near the end is gut-wrenching. Wayne gives his life for his adopted boys who grow up in that moment and become men...and then get revenge...with a little help from the Black cook played memorably by Roscoe Lee Browne.

I'm a sucker for Westerns.
 

Jerry1972

Redshirt
May 29, 2001
38
25
18
Can't believe I forgot this one: The Culpepper Cattle Company...1972

Young kid grows up quickly when he's taken on as a cook's assistant on a cattle drive. Low-budget great Western.

The shoot-out scene near the end is dynamite.

Also, in the same vein as kids growing up, maybe somebody mentioned this one, but The Cowboys is also great.

The Duke drives a herd to market with a bunch of kids hired on to do the work...until they are all ambushed by a gang of rustlers led by Bruce Dern in a classic villainous role.

The confrontation between Dern and Wayne near the end is gut-wrenching. Wayne gives his life for his adopted boys who grow up in that moment and become men...and then get revenge...with a little help from the Black cook played memorably by Roscoe Lee Browne.

I'm a sucker for Westerns.

Couldn't find the final shoot-out from Culpepper but linked below, to give a flavor for the flick, is a confrontation in a bar between the company and a bunch of horse rustlers.

The whole movie is a hidden gem:

 
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SNRIV

Freshman
Nov 22, 2021
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I haven't seen is since the 80s but, I really enjoyed The Long Riders. Easily the movie with the most siblings in the cast. David Carradine, Keith Carradine and, Robert Carradine. James Keach and Stacey Keach. Dennis Quaid and Randy Quaid.


Fantastic Ry Cooder soundtrack to that movie
 
Jul 1, 2025
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Fantastic Ry Cooder soundtrack to that movie
Ry Cooder teamed up with Director Walter Hill (and Keith Carradine) on Southern Comfort as well. Was a Deliverance rip off but still pretty good. Extra bonus having Powers Boothe in it who was good in everything
 

Hotshoe

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Feb 15, 2012
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Here's one, no one has mentioned, and one of my very favorites. Conagher, with Sam Elliott.
 

Roar More

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Oct 30, 2021
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I haven't seen is since the 80s but, I really enjoyed The Long Riders. Easily the movie with the most siblings in the cast. David Carradine, Keith Carradine and, Robert Carradine. James Keach and Stacey Keach. Dennis Quaid and Randy Quaid.


Nicholas and Charles Guest.
 

OptionBob

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Oct 12, 2021
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This is a great thread, for I love Westerns.

Glenn Ford starred in some excellent Westerns, as did one of my personal favorites Randolph Scott.
 
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Woodpecker

All-American
May 29, 2001
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This is a great thread, for I love Westerns.

Glenn Ford starred in some excellent Westerns, as did one of my personal favorites Randolph Scott.
 

Calabrin

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Oct 16, 2022
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Not the lead, but Eli Wallach should have gotten an award as Tuco.

Rod Steiger in A Fistful of Dynamite.
In terms of quantity of dialogue, Tuco is absolutely the main character. He was also Sergio Leone's favorite character, and Leone kept coming up with more and more for Wallach to do during production.
 
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Calabrin

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Oct 16, 2022
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If you are a fan of westerns and haven't watched Deadwood, do yourself a favor.

Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, Powers Booth, Keith Carradine, Brad Dourif, Anna Gunn, and many, many more. One of the most talented ensemble casts ever assembled.

Fair warning, though: the show is bursting at the seams with profanity.

 
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