The Shootist (1976, Dir. Don Sigel)

“The old days are gone and you don't know it...”
 
Much as we love The Searchers, our favorite John Wayne film is his last, The Shootist.

It's about the last famous gunslinger, preparing to die at the dawn of the Twentieth Century, portrayed by Wayne while he himself was sick and dying. An absolutely brilliant Western, directed by Don Sigel who just a few years earlier helped re-invent the image of Spaghetti Western icon Clint Eastwood via Dirty Harry and Play Misty for Me.

Despite John Wayne's traditionalism and his loathing of what he saw as ‘anti-Westerns' such as The Wild Bunch, the film itself does represent a transitional film from traditional Westerns to the more modern films we enjoy today. 

Say what you want about John Wayne's personal politics or acting skills, as a movie star he is without parallel.

Previously:
Rockstar Recommends: "Unforgiven"
Rockstar Recommends: "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre"
Rockstar Recommends: "The Proposition"

Unforgiven (1992, Dir. Clint Eastwood)

“We all have it coming.”

Clint Eastwood’s last Western and possibly his greatest film. A perfect cast in a fantastic meditation on the possibility of salvation and the illusions people have about both the West and themselves. “I’ve killed just about everything that walks or crawls at one time or another.”

Previously:
Rockstar Recommends: "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre"
Rockstar Recommends: "The Proposition"

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948, Dir. John Huston)

John Huston's 1948 adaption of the curious and elusive B. Traven's 1927 novel is perhaps not really a Western at all. It takes place exclusively in Mexico and is set in 1920, even later than Red Dead Redemption. But we love it for its great script, its treacherous characters and its cynicism. It is one of the first Westerns to begin to challenge the myth of the West as a place in which good routinely overcame evil, and civilization thankfully defeated savagery.

The Proposition (2005, Dir. John Hillcoat)

"I will civilize this land" announces Ray Winstone, as the justification for making a man kill his brother. The Proposition is a fantastic Western set in Australia, with an unbelievably atmospheric soundtrack and incredible cinematography.  It's a beautiful film that stands alongside the 2007 remake of 3.10 to Yuma as our favorite Western of the last decade.

Along with Straw Dogs, it's our favorite Western that is not set in the traditional "West", although you could also make a strong case for Fort Apache, The Bronx.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969, Dir. George Roy Hill)

The Wild Bunch transformed the way violence is depicted in movies forever. In much the same way, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid invented the buddy film in this incredible homage to a dying breed of outlaws.  The triumvirate of George Roy Hill, Paul Newman and Robert Redford only made two films together - this and The Sting.

Previously:
Rockstar Recommends: "High Plains Drifter"
Rockstar Recommends: "The Wild Bunch"

High Plains Drifter (1973, Dir. Clint Eastwood)

Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this visually stunning, morally ambiguous and at times bizarre tale of a nameless gunman protecting a small town.  A film that could only have been made in the 1970s, and that so offended John Wayne, he wrote to Eastwood complaining that stories like this were against the spirit of the West.  Eastwood never looked more menacing than as the nameless drifter.

Previously:
Rockstar Recommends: "The Wild Bunch"

In the lead up to Red Dead Redemption we'd like to highlight a few of our favorite westerns.
If you haven't seen them, these movies will definitely entertain you and get you in the mood for the game.
They are in no particular order and the list of films we'll be posting is incomplete.  That being said, this first film may well be the greatest western of them all.

The Wild Bunch (1969, Dir. Sam Peckinpah) completely changed the portrayal of violence in cinema.  Pekinpah's masterwork changed westerns forever - and its influence can still be seen in any shooter you are playing today.  An incredible script and ground-breaking cinematography round out this classic.

Check out the original trailer: