11. Bone Tomahawk (2015) - Call this number 10A, but immediately upon seeing it on Video On Demand I was inspired to add it to the list.  Some might say it's as much horror/thriller as western.  Fair enough, as there is a palpable sense of dread in the final thirty minutes that creates a strong horror vibe. Well-acted (Kurt Russell in a much-welcome return to top-billing status; Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox and the great Richard Jenkins) and slow-of-pace (as all westerns should be to some extent, in my opinion) it is also brutal in its portrayal of frontier violence.  Very highly recommended.  

10. 3:10 From Yuma (2007) – Fine remake of the Glenn Ford original. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe are in top form, while Ben Foster’s psycho assassin almost steals the show. Box officer returns should’ve paved the way for more quality westerns…apparently not.

9. The Quick and The Dead (1995) – A fast-gun competition to the death, courtesy a great cast (Hackman, Stone, Henriksen, DeCaprio, Keith David) and a director (Raimi) better known for his horror past (Evil Dead) and comic-book hero future (Spider-Man’s 1 through 3).

8. The Alamo (1960) – John Wayne as Davey Crockett…Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie. The doomed and damned souls fighting the good fight. I recreated said final battle countless times as a kid of six or seven after that initial viewing. Forget the bland remake of a few years past…this still holds up as the ultimate testament to human courage and sacrifice when faced with the harshest of odds.

7. Jeremiah Johnson (1972) - Robert Redford shed his pretty-boy image as the naïve soldier turned mountain man slash legendary Indian slayer. Here’s hoping a ‘reimagining’ of this particular classic never transpires.

6. The Shootist (1976) – The Duke’s swan song just years before his own death. Fitting he saved one of his finest on-screen performances for last. Featuring a great supporting cast (Scatman Crothers, Jimmy Stewart, Ron Howard (during his ‘Happy Day’s’ prime), Lauren Bacall and the always-welcome Harry Morgan), it serves as the perfect character study for a legendary gunfighter while simultaneously doing the same for the iconic movie star playing the part.

5. The Outlaw Josey Whales/High Plains Drifter/Unforgiven/Pale Rider – Call it the ‘Eastwood’ collection. ‘Nuff said.

4. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) – Redford and Newman in the ultimate ‘buddy’ flick before such a genre even existed.

3. Tombstone (1993) – Kurt Russell as Wyatt-Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday-a supporting cast to include the great Charlton Heston, Michael Biehn, Powers Boothe, Michael Rooker, Bill Paxton. Again, this should have birthed a new era of old west sagas. Instead, the Kevin Costner-led snooze-fest ‘Wyatt Earp’ effectively washed away such potential just a few short months later.

2. True Grit (1969) and True Grit (2010) – Equally entertaining-surprisingly so being that I personally held great trepidation upon hearing of the remake. While not even attempting to ape the Duke (a very smart decision indeed), Jeff Bridges provides a fresh twist on the legend of Rooster Cogburn.

1. Blazing Saddles (1974) - Baked beans around the campfire. ‘Matthew, Mark, Luke, and …duck!” Mongo’s punchout. “Howard Johnson is right!” …just to name a few….’nuff said. The brilliant ‘Young Frankenstein’ aside, this was to me Mel Brook’s crowning achievement.

Honorable mention: Little Big Man, Dances with Wolves, The Proposition, The Wild Bunch, The Magnificent Seven, The good, the bad, and the ugly, Trinity is my name, They call me Trinity, Hang 'em High, The Last of the Mohicans, A Man Called Horse, Mackenna’s Gold, Ravenous (also on my ‘all-time’ zombie flick list), Glory, Quigley Down Under, Maverick, The Wild, Wild West (the TV show, NOT the movie), A Man Called Slade, Wild Bill.