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James Stewart starred in a number of Anthony Mann films, and The Naked Star is usually considered the their best collaboration. One of the early examples of revisionist Westerns, it is far removed from the good guy-bad guy story-lines typified by Classic Westerns. Stewart here plays Howard Kemp, bounty-hunter who isn’t just laconic but also prefers to be a lone wolf. He is forced to enlist the assistance of an old brusque prospector and a young dishonourably discharged soldier, in order to catch hold of Ben (excellently played by Robert Ryan), a notorious and maniacal fugitive, take him to the concerned authority, and collect the ransom that has been declared by the state. None of the characters in the film is flawless, consequently the journey of the group is made as much perilous by the harsh, arid landscape they must travel to, but also the intense psychological rivalry between the trio (on account of their inherent lack of trust towards each other) – the psychotic captive makes full use of the latter by continually supplying more and more fuel into the fire. Meanwhile, also tagging along with them is a hotheaded beaut (Janet Leigh) who happens to be Ben’s girlfriend; only that, over the course of their journey, she and Kemp start developing mutual feelings for each other. The crisp, violent film is therefore more about psychological warfare than actual fights, though it still boasted of some memorable action sequences culminating in a brutal climax.
Director: Anthony Mann
Genre: Western/Psychological Western/Action
Language: English
Country: US
Though the likes of Sergio Leone, Sam Peckinpah et al are revered for their Westerns, when it comes to one name vis-à-vis this quintessential American genre, the choice is usually very simple – John Ford. And his My Darling Clementine, along with his The Searchers, Stagecoach and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, rank among the greatest Westerns ever made. One of the many retellings of the Wyatt Earp legend that eventually led to the legendary shootout at OK Corral, the film had Henry Fonda playing the role of the iconic former lawman-turned-cattleman. Upon reaching a shanty town called Tombstone, his cattle are stolen and his youngest brother is murdered. He quietly vows to avenge, and takes the job of Marshall to take the notorious, smooth-talking Old Man Clanton and his sons down – one way or the other. The film is however not just about the feud, as it was enriched through the inclusion of some fine characters, not the least of which being a fatalist, self-destructive, Shakespeare-quoting loner called Doc Holiday, and the two women in his life – the hot headed beaut Chihuahua and the beautiful lady from his past, Clementine (who Earl starts developing a soft corner for). The film opens with the soulful ballad “Oh My Darlin’ Clementine”, and maintains a sense of poeticism and light-heartedness throughout its crisp length, despite the harsh, rugged and unforgiving terrain where the story is set. Lovingly paced, filled with well-delineated characters and great off-the-cuff deadpan humour, this gorgeously photographed film on how the West was won, remains one of the great American masterpieces.
Director: John Ford
Genre: Western/Traditional Western
Language: English
Country: US
Once Upon A Time in the West has been called by many as Sergio Leone’s greatest masterpiece. Though I wouldn’t go that far (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly still remains my favourite), I must however concede that this would rank among his most ambitious ventures. Like Once Upon A Time in America, this too is appropriately named as it chronicles the demise of the West and forms a love letter to the iconic American frontier. When a family residing in the ironically named locale called Sweet Water is brutally slain by the vicious Frank (played brilliantly against his type by Henry Fonda) and his gang, an enigmatic loner forever playing an eerie tone on his harmonica and an unstoppable gunfighter (Charles Bronson) and an oddball but equally capable outlaw (Jason Robards) take it upon themselves to protect the newly arrived bride (Claudia Cardinale) of the dead head of the family and her piece of land. Virtually given a carte blanche by the producers, Leone turned the elegiac film into mythic proportions. As with all his films, the harsh and unforgiving landscapes have been majestically captured, the Ennio Moricone score, though not his best, nonetheless elevated the epic to the next level, and the languorous pacing helps the film to grow on the viewers. Arguably the most fascinating part of the film, though, is the elaborate and the absolutely riveting opening sequence.
Director: Sergio Leone
Genre: Western/Spaghetti Western/Revisionist Wester
Language: English/Italian
Country: Italy
That this movie doesn’t belong to the genre of suspense thrillers is amply clear from its title. Yet, such is the successful culmination of the director’s audacious vision and the beauty of the addictive screenplay, that despite the title also serving as its synopsis, the movie manages to make one watch every frame with bated breath. Courtesy its lazy pacing, elegiac tone and the breathtaking splendour of the vignettes captured on screen, this epic revisionist Western about the assassination of the legendary outlaw by a greasy wannabe manages to be brooding, contemplative and insightful look into violence, brutality, death and man’s obsession with celebrity culture. Mesmerizing in its ability to slowly grow on the viewers (even after the end credits have rolled) and incredibly haunting to look at, the movies has been as generously helped by its splendid recreation of the wild West days that is almost nostalgic in its intonation, as by its talented motley crew of actors. Brad Pitt, as one of the fist icons of America, is especially brilliant in his powerful portrayal of an enigmatic man whose mournful exterior masked a psychotic gunman within; Casey Affleck, too, is really good as the queasy and complex young man whose hero worship of Jesse James is gradually replaced with cold jealousy that leads to what the title informed us well in advance.
Director: Andrew Domonik
Genre: Drama/Western/Epic
Language: English
Country: US
The Proposition, in the modern tradition of revisionist or (as some fellahs like to put it) deconstructionist Westerns – a sublime example of which is Unforgiven – is a disconcerting and unforgiving work of astonishing visual clarity and fascinating storytelling. The movie has covered the entire spectrum, ranging, as a reviewer neatly summed up, from the beautiful to the brutal, and from the mesmerizing to the menacing. At its heart lie the themes of loyalty, revenge, justice and redemption. Set against a harsh and turbulent Australian landscape, the movie starts off with a bloody gunfight following which a weary British cop gives a proposition to an Aussie outlaw – he must kill his deranged older brother in order to save his naive younger sibling from the gallows. Aided by a brilliantly laid out script, stunning photography, and a melancholic soundtrack that manages to lend an evocative air to the moments of chilling carnage, the movie is an explosive masterstroke where terrific acting performances have coalesced with a very potent message of hope amidst lawlessness and desolation. This harrowing yet profoundly lyrical tale, with its barely concealed simmering rage as well as its exceedingly disturbing depictions of loneliness, brutality, honour and conflicting conscience, is a visceral poetry on violence; in that sense another brilliant movie of recent times comes to my mind, Cronenberg’s “mainstream” masterpiece A History of Violence.
To read a more detailed review of the movie by me, click here.
Director: John Hillcoat
Genre: Western/Psychological Drama
Language: English
Country: Australia
One of the most enjoyable and loved movies ever made, this Segio Leone masterpiece is his brilliant tribute to the quintessential Ammerican genre of the Westerns – what with its arid and bleak landscapes infested with gold-digging gun-slingers and crack-shots. This also happens to be the final chapter of Leone’s outstanding thematically linked “Dollars” Trilogy. An astonishing tale of fortune hunting, set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, the movie pits three completely contrasting characters against each other – the Good (the iconic Clint Eastwood’s most famous role as the laconic, enigmatic loner – the Man With No Name), the Bad (Lee Van Cleef in the role of a sinister and scheming “Man of the Law”), and the Ugly (Eli Wallach, as a foul-mouthed opportunist, in what is easily the most fascinating character of the movie). This Spaghetti Western (known so because in a beautiful variation of the more morally upright Western movies, here the heroes are deliciously amoral) has everything that there can be – stylish direction, unforgettable characters, stunning visuals, Ennio Moricone’s haunting score that has entered movie lore, fabulous gunfights, great dialogues punched with wit and humour, and an explosive climax.
Director: Sergio Leone
Genre: Western/Spaghetti Western/Epic
Language: Italian
Country: Italy
