One-Eyed Jacks

Advertisements “Now let’s see the kinda stuff you’re made of.” The most famous role Marlon Brando played—years before Don Vito Corleone or Colonel Walter E. Kurtz—was that of Terry Malloy, a poor dockworker, in Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront. Brando portrays Malloy as…

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Unforgiven

Advertisements Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven arrived at a time when audiences were slowly saying goodbye to classic and revisionist Westerns in favor of high-octane blockbusters driven by special effects. This makes it a perfect candidate to nail the coffin closed on September’s Horsepower Month…

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The Wild Bunch

Advertisements “It ain’t like it used to be, but it’ll do.” One of the greatest slices of western Americana you’re ever bound to find, The Wild Bunch is, in many ways, a series of goodbyes. A goodbye to the good old days, to…

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Johnny Guitar

Advertisements I was first introduced to Johnny Guitar the way I assume a lot of people my age were: patrolling the Mojave Wasteland in Obsidian Entertainment’s modern roleplaying classic, Fallout: New Vegas. It’s one of my all-time favorite games, but considering its…

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Red River

Advertisements Seventy years ago today, a motion picture was released immortalizing the drama and danger of the rancher. Howard Hawks directing with John Wayne and Montgomery Clift starring, this tale of betrayal, action, and lots and lots of cattle has since become…

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Jeremiah Johnson

Advertisements Ride due west as the sun sets; turn left at the Rocky Mountains . . . With this simple advice, Jeremiah Johnson sets forth on a brutal course toward life anew. Robert Redford is the titular hero recently returned from the…

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Brokeback Mountain

Advertisements In the 2000s era, I have cherished and admired romantic dramas like Before Sunset, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and, of course, In the Mood for Love. Now, I believe Brokeback Mountain deserves a spot among the outstanding creations of…

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