Hondo (1953)

I chose this from my YouTube list partly for its short runtime, 84 minutes. Imagine my surprise to see "Intermission" about halfway through. No, there's no several-minute segment for music, much as I like the John Williams-esque scoring.

In an unspecified Old West setting, unhorsed, somewhat notorious soldier Hondo Lane (John Wayne) arrives at a remote homestead to fuel up and buy a horse. He meets Angie Low (Geraldine Page) and her young son, Johnny (Lee Aaker), but not her long-absent and unaccounted-for husband, Ed (Leo Gordon). Hondo warns that local Apaches are gearing up for war on the frontiersmen. Angie feels confident that if a recent treaty doesn't dissuade the Apaches from attacking her, her benevolent past will, but Hondo wisely disagrees. He keeps a close watch, gradually hoping to fill the void Ed left behind.

Desperado (1995)

I watched most of El Mariachi in junior high Spanish class and the rest in young adulthood. It didn't particularly grab me, but it worked pretty well on $7,000. When Netflix suggested the immediate sequel, I got curious how different it would be with a budget 100 times higher.

EM had ended with the unnamed title character (subsequently played by Antonio Banderas) killing drug lord Moco (Peter Marquardt), who had killed the guitarist's love interest and shot him in the left hand. Alas, his thirst for vengeance has not been quenched; he now seeks Moco's boss, Bucho (Joaquim de Almeida). El Mariachi's buddy Buscemi (yup, Steve Buscemi) discovers compelling evidence of which small town holds Bucho's base of operations. It doesn't take long for a trail of destruction to put Bucho on high alert. Meanwhile, El Mariachi must have a type, because he falls for yet another drug lord affiliate, bookstore owner Carolina (Salma Hayek, paired with Banderas for the first time), who tends his wounds.

How the West Was Won (1962)

I'd seen this title many times over the years, thanks primarily to its all-star cast. For a profitable epic, it's had a pretty middling reception on rating sites, but it did net some Academy Awards. I chose to watch it not long after my last John Wayne western because I knew no better way to kill 164 minutes last night.

No other western I know takes place over such a long period. It's divided into five chapters, spanning from 1839 to 1889. The focus is on the westward-moving Prescott family, including but not limited to patriarch Zebulon (Karl Malden), matriarch Rebecca (Agnes Moorehead), and daughters Eve (Carroll Baker) and Lilith (Debbie Reynolds). Eve takes a shine to wandering fur trader Linus Rawlings (James Stewart), while Lilith falls for gambler Cleve van Valen (Gregory Peck). Their lives are partly affected by the California Gold Rush, the War Between the States, and other armed conflicts.

Chisum (1970)

It's been more than a year and a half since my last western, and that was a peculiar anthology. A John Wayne title promises something more traditional. This one isn't treated as much of a classic, but I got curious when YouTube suggested it.

Only after watching did I know about its basis in the Lincoln County War in 1878 New Mexico. John Chisum (Wayne) has had many rustlers coming after his cows and horses. He's also annoyed at Lawrence Murphy (Forrest Tucker) for buying up as much land as possible and attempting a high-price monopoly on general stores and banks. Chisum's friend Henry Tunstall (Patric Knowles) and conscientious attorney Alex McSween (Andrew Prine) give him a hand at countering these moves, but the bribed Sheriff Brady (Bruce Cabot) makes it hard to get justice by legal means. Throw in Billy "The Kid" Bonney (Geoffrey Deuel), Pat Garrett (Glenn Corbett), and bounty hunter Dan Nodeen (Christopher George), and the town becomes a real powder keg.

White Fang (2018)

This French-produced animation has more modest ratings than I usually go for, but it seemed my best bet for getting acquainted with another Jack London classic. The 1991 adaptation isn't as popular, and I wasn't likely to make time for the book. If nothing else, the Netflix cover image promised a cute puppy.

The pup lives in the 1890s Alaskan wild with his stray wolf-dog mother, until desperation drives her back to her owner, Grey Beaver (Eddie Spears), from an unspecified tribe. GB dubs the pup White Fang and raises him to lead a sled team. When the tribe's land is set to be sold out from under them because of the Klondike Gold Rush, GB sees little choice but to sell now-adult WF to shady Beauty Smith (Paul Giamatti), who makes a lot of money in dog fighting. Marshal Wheedon Scott (Nick Offerman) puts an end to that, and he and his wife (Rashida Jones), despite their fear, do right by WF. But Beauty and his thuggish comrades (Armando Riesco and Dave Boat) aren't finished with Wheedon or WF....

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

I liked the Coen Brothers' remake of True Grit, tho I later learned to prefer the original. This other western has sat on my list for a while; I hesitated because it's only moderately popular and these guys are a gamble to me. Kind of an ugly title, too. But the continuing use of the "First time?" meme increased my curiosity.

Buster (Tim Blake Nelson) actually doesn't appear for long, because this is an anthology of six stories, each with completely different characters and actors (among them Liam Neeson, Tom Waits, James Franco, Stephen Root, Clancy Brown, Tyne Daly, and Brendan Gleeson). Two of them are based on literary short stories. The others seem to pay more homage to movies. Apart from the Old West setting, the main unifying theme is death.

Rio Grande (1950)

It is by sheer accident that I have watched all of John Ford's Cavalry Trilogy in chronological order, the first two entries being Fort Apache (which I didn't review for some reason) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (which I remember better than I predicted). I also didn't intend to watch two Victor McLaglen movies in a row, but oh well.

In 1879, Lt Col. Kirby Yorke (John Wayne), owing largely to military obligations, has not seen his wife, Kathleen (Maureen O'Hara), or their son, Jeff (Claude Jarman, Jr.), since the Valley campaigns of 1864. Then they both show up at his Texas fort at once -- Jeff to serve as a trooper and Kathleen to try to get him out of it. This is not an ideal environment for a reunion, especially when the regiment has to defend settlers from a string of Apache raids.

The Hateful Eight (2015)

I previously mentioned my friend's interest in this movie. He had seen the first maybe half of it before. Now he would know that it wasn't all predictable from there.

In an 1877 Wyoming blizzard, former Union soldier Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) hitches a ride on the stagecoach of fellow bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and John's captive, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), toward the nearest town to collect rewards. Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), who claims to be the town's imminent sheriff, joins later. They and their driver, O.B. Jackson (James Parks), seek shelter at a haberdashery already occupied by Señor Bob (Demián Bichir), Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and former Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). Marquis smells something fishy, and John is sure that at least one man there plans to either help Daisy escape or claim the bounty himself.

The Harder They Fall (2021)

I would not have thought to see this if my friend hadn't asked to while visiting. I'm not sure I'd even heard about it before, despite a few familiar names involved (he knew the cast better). Some rating sites score it highly; others deem it fair to middling. At worst, we could enjoy snarking together, but we both hoped it wouldn't come to that primarily.

On-screen text warns up front that the story is fictitious, but the main characters -- seven of them, at least -- are not. The lead is Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), a late-19th-century outlaw who makes a point to target fellow outlaws, as by robbing robbers. Marshal Bass Reeves (Delroy Lindo) ostensibly arrests him but means to enlist his help against a mutual foe: Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), who had killed Nat's parents in front of preteen Nat and carved a cross on his forehead. Buck has just been released, and while his intentions for the town of Redwood might be honorable, he will stop at nothing to acquire the money to fix it up, even at the citizens' expense.

Dodge City (1939)

The year after The Adventures of Robin Hood, Warner Bros. wanted another Technicolor picture directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. But to call it a companion piece or a spiritual successor would be a stretch. Flynn, at least, had never done a western before, nor had he practiced much with an accent appropriate for one. Nevertheless, the formula intrigued me.

Wade Hatton (Flynn), a cowhand and comrade of Col. Grenville M. Dodge (Henry O'Neill), visits the young namesake town for the first time in years, partly to escort westward settlers, including Abbie Irving (de Havilland). Little did he know that the gang of Jeff Surrett (Bruce Cabot) effectively runs the place. It takes a few tragic violent crimes to convince Wade to put on a sheriff badge and deputize his buddies, Rusty (Alan Hale) and Tex (Guinn "Big Boy Williams"), aware that things didn't work out for the last few guys who tried it. (Ann Sheridan gets third billing, but her character does little more than sing and dance on a stage.)

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Ah, my first western viewing this calendar year. The timing felt right to me, since I was getting tired of foreign and indie flicks.

Shortly after Custer's Last Stand, Frontier Army Captain Brittles (John Wayne) is six days away from retirement. On screen, that can only mean that something eventful is going to happen first. Specifically, he receives orders to escort the commanding officer's wife, Abby (Mildred Natwick), and niece, Olivia (Joanne Dru), to a coach heading back east. Since several tribes are on the verge of war against the cavalry, this mission will require a larger party than usual.

The Cowboys (1972)

I hadn't meant to watch this so soon after my last '70s western. But when I read the Netflix jacket, the timing seemed vaguely appropriate: chasing a controversial western that John Wayne hated with Wayne's most controversial western from late in his career.

The title may sound generic for the genre, but the emphasis is on the last syllable: In the 1870s, when gold fever has taken all the usual local candidates for drovers out of the running, Wil Andersen (Wayne) resorts to recruiting 11 boys no older than 15 to help him drive cattle 400 miles. Yes, their parents approve. The only other adult on the journey is the cook, Jeb Nightlinger (Roscoe Lee Browne). Some other adults do offer their services, but Andersen rejects them for their initial dishonesty regarding their background. Those men, led by one Asa Watts (Bruce Dern in a well-done yet surprisingly reviled role), decide to stalk the party in the hope of rustling.

High Plains Drifter (1973)

Sometimes a movie sounds interesting based on negative reviews -- by virtue of highly contrary criticisms rather than extreme ones per se. In this case, some say it's too derivative, yet John Wayne refused to work with Clint Eastwood afterward because it's too far removed from traditional westerns. I was not aware of these opinions when I chose to watch; I just knew it was popular overall. In retrospect, neither opinion surprises me. It was an era for experimentation, after all.

The new frontier mining town of Lago is worried about what three outlaws who just finished serving time will do when they return. A mysterious sharpshooter (Eastwood) holds promise for dealing with them, but he acts uninterested in sticking around, until the local authorities agree to give him whatever he wants -- and coerce their neighbors to follow suit. His demands, including literally painting the town red, get increasingly outrageous, to the point that some citizens would rather take their chances without him. But even with his guidance, they're all clearly incompetent shots....

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Hmm, only three months since my last western and five since my last serious one. But this is a bit rarer: a serious western from the late '70s. Well, Clint Eastwood never was one for comedy.

After Union guerrillas under Captain Terrill (Bill McKinney) murder the wife and son of Missouri civilian Josey (Eastwood), he joins a Confederate bushwhacker gang. They become among the last postwar holdouts, until most of them pursue a promise of amnesty that turns out to be a lethal trap, care of Terrill. Josey, of course, is too badass to go down that easy, so a massive manhunt ensues.

Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)

Gee, I saw my previous western comedy only about six months ago. But this was made 30 years later, near the time of more offbeat westerns, so I expected it to feel pretty different.

Jason McCullough (James Garner), a drifter with plans to move to Australia, stops at the fictitious young town of Calendar, Colorado. As a gold rush town, it's very expensive for the time, so he opts for a temp job -- as sheriff. Why, especially in a brawl-happy town where sheriffs have never stuck around long enough to collect pay, thanks to the Danby clan? Well, for all his casual air, he'd hate for Joe Danby (Bruce Dern, the only surviving actor today) to get away with the murder McCullough witnessed. Besides, he has a quick and accurate draw, which he's kept under wraps to avoid the wrong kind of attention until now.

The Horse Soldiers (1959)

It had been a while since my last John Wayne picture and longer since my last John Ford picture. As you may have guessed, this gets labeled a western in part, at least on IMDb and Wikipedia. That said, it's set in Mississippi. I'm not even sure that any characters are supposed to be from out west. It just...kinda has that feel to it.

Wayne plays Col. Marlowe of the Union Army, leading a raid deep enough into Confederate territory to worry his men. That does not provide as much internal conflict as his philosophical differences with appointed surgeon Maj. Kendall (William Holden) and would-be leader Col. Secord (William Bouchey). The plot thickens when the brigade seeks hospitality from plantation mistress Hannah (Constance Towers) and slave Lukey (Althea Gibson -- yes, that one), only to find that they would gladly spy on Yankees. Wanting as few kills as possible, Marlowe opts to take both women along.

Lonely Are the Brave (1962)

In the 1980 Sam Shepherd play True West, aspiring screenwriter Lee calls this the last great western, but his description makes it sound awkward if not ridiculous. When I noticed that the movie was popular anyway, I decided to find out whether he was accurate or just foolish as usual.

In modern New Mexico, cowhand Jack (Kirk Douglas) deliberately goes to jail in order to bust out a friend, Paul (Michael Kane), only to find that Paul would rather stay. Jack breaks loose within the day and flees to the mountains on horseback while authorities, most notably Sheriff Johnson (Walter Matthau), hunt him.

Legends of the Fall (1994)

No, it has nothing to do with The Fall. Reportedly, the title refers to the biblical Fall, but I'd hardly know from the movie itself: The characters aren't particularly religious and never say anything about the events of Genesis. Maybe the relevance is clearer in the Jim Harrison novella from which this is adapted.

The Netflix description makes it sound primarily like a war movie, but that's only for the first act. In 1914, Montana rancher William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins), despite having served as a colonel, is disillusioned with the government and doesn't want his three sons to fight in World War I, but Samuel (Henry Thomas) and Alfred (Aidan Quinn) insist. Tristan (Brad Pitt) feels obliged to come along to protect Samuel, not least for the sake of Samuel's intended, Susannah (Julia Ormond). Since Netflix hinted as much, I might as well tell you he fails. The rest of the story is shaped by this failure.

Destry Rides Again (1939)

Just as I thought, this is the earliest western I've reviewed on this blog. I thought wrong about it being a sequel, tho.

In an unspecified state and decade, the fictitious town of Bottleneck is a regular Dodge City, where men frequently fire guns in the air when celebrating -- and at each other when slightly provoked. It's an open secret that Mayor Slade (Samuel S. Hinds) is in the pocket of Kent (Brian Donlevy), who's been gathering land thru swindles and force; and Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich), whose wiles help beau Kent with crimes. When Bottleneck abruptly needs a new sheriff, Slade appoints former deputy turned town drunkard Washington Dimsdale (Charles Winninger). But Dimsdale, nostalgic for the late Sheriff Thomas Jefferson Destry, summons Tom Destry Jr. (James Stewart, playing a Jefferson twice in the same year) to be his deputy, hoping to turn things around.

They Call Me Trinity (1970)

I mentioned in my last review of a spaghetti western that it came close to comedy. Now I've seen one that actually has comedy among its genres listed on IMDb and Wikipedia.

The title character (Terence Hill), who's never called by any name except in the first scene, wanders into a town where his brother, Bambino (Bud Spencer), happens to be impersonating a sheriff while waiting to reunite with a fugitive gang. Bambino resents Trinity's laziness and proclivity to fights, but he'll take what help he can get to settle a conflict involving pacifistic Mormon settlers (who seem more like Amish to me), a land-grabbing major (Farley Granger), and some Mexican bandits out to take undue advantage of hospitality.