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I said WESTERN. Why something so 'corny'? Ah, poor souls. Where do you think every action picture for the last 40 years gets their inspiration? The lone hero, facing incredible odds, dragged into a fight because he discovers he DOES have a sense of honor. This could be Han solo. It could the Rock's character in 'The Rundown'. It could also be Alan Ladd in 'Shane' or Clint Eastwood in 'Fist Full of Dollars'. This list could be very, very, VERY long, so I'm just hitting a few highlights that stick in my head. And to the traditionalists, I have left off 'The Searchers'. Don't throw any produce, ok?
1. 'Stagecoach'. You still gotta have John Wayne and John Ford somewhere on this. Yes, this is black and white, and it can be kinda corny. Just the same, it's a classic film. The movie follows the journey of a stagecoach carrying a motley crew of passaengers. Amongst them is John Wayne, a gunfighter who wants to hang it up. The passengers are mostly those who Don't Associate with Those Types of People. The film establishes many archetypes you still see in action pics; the anti-hero and heroine, the Final Standoff, even the way certain victims get picked-off in slasher movies.
2. 'Silverado'. A more recent piece, and a very interesting cast; Danny Glover, Scott Glenn, Kevin Kline, and a SMILING Kevin Costner. The film is a classic bad-guys/good-guys piece. Did it lead to a renaissance of the western? Nope. However, movies like 'Unforgiven' went from a long shot to being accepted by contemporary audiences.
3. 'The Magnificent Seven'. Ok, technically this is an Akira Kurosawa movie set in Mexico, but nonetheless Bushido applies to gunfighters as well as samurai. Yul Brenner is amazing as the cool, lethal shootist leading a bunch of mercenaries to take on a maniac over-running a small Mexican village. Like Kurosawa's piece, this isn't just another action film; this is about what drives a gunfighter, and the price they pay for their 'glamorous' life.
4. 'The Shootist'. John Wayne's last film and an appropriate ending to his career. Wayne is a gunfighter trying to die in peace after discovering he has cancer. He rents a room in a small town and wants a quiet, final days... but no one will let him. His old enemies are gunning for him, the local sheriff wants him to die fast, and Ron Howard is a precocious teenager dying to be a gunfighter. It's an awesome look at the waning days of the west, and the last stand for the epitome of a cowboy.