Here was another good old-fashioned Western for the countdown, and a Clint Eastwood movie to boot! This was the first role I'd ever seen Clint in, and as the dark, gritty antihero of the film, he made quite an impression.
Now, before I saw the film, my dad (big fan of this movie) called it "the greatest Western ever made." To his credit, I haven't seen many Westerns, but I still don't think I enjoyed it as much as he does. I'm not entirely sure why. The characters are compelling. You have Morgan Freeman as the likable sidekick and old friend, Ned, who was probably my favorite character in the movie. Then you have Jaimz Woolvett as the young, arrogant and slightly annoying punk with something to prove. Clint Eastwood steals the show as the conflicted ex-criminal on the verge of slipping into old ways again. For a change of pace, the sheriff is actually the bad guy, and he plays bad pretty well. Beyond the main characters, this movie has everything a good Western needs: guns, horses, a brothel, plenty of whiskey and a revenge plot.
Maybe the revenge plot was my issue: maybe the grounds for revenge didn't seem good or plausible enough for me. Maybe it was just the pacing of the movie that seemed to drag at times. Or maybe it was just that Westerns will never really be my thing. Because of this, I can't award the movie any higher than A- in good conscience, however I did still enjoy it and for any issues I may have with the film's pacing, the shoot-up scene at the very end is not to be missed. If you haven't seen it, do at least once (even us girls). And if you DO like Westerns, you could very well agree with my father and end up thinking it is the best Western ever.
Sincerely,
Sarah :)
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