The Hanging Tree features Gary Cooper as a righteous gunslinger and a bunch of morally questionable townsfolk. Similar to High Noon, the story at its core is about the indescribable bonds between people in a wretched world.
Maria Schnell, who plays a stagecoach victim of a robbery, is totally as captivating.
Compañeros (Sergio Corbucci, 1970)
The greatest Spaghetty Western comedy you're ever likely to see, Compañeros features some major heavyweights of the time, including Franco Nero and Tomás Milián.
The film revolves around a Swedish arms dealer and a rowdy revolutionary leader. Together they go up against the one-handed feind, Jack Palance.
The Indian Fighter (André De Toth, 1955)
This revisionist Western features Johnny Hawks (Kirk Douglas) attempting to stomp out fires after Wes Todd (Walter Matthau) dupes the Sioux.
This breath of fresh air takes a pro- Native American stance. Set in the gorgeous Oregon Trail, Ande de Toth turns this film into a visual delight.
My Name is Nobody (Tonino Valerii, 1973)
This Western comedy stars the brilliant Henry Fonda back in Leoneland. Trading in his villainous scowl for some respectable spectacles, the actor plays an aging gunfighter who just wants peace.
Unfortunately, he finds that he is cornered at just about every turn by young up-and-comers trying to prove themselves. There's one young upstart in particular named Nobody (Terrence Hill), and he is hell-bent on seeing the legendary gunfighter finally meet his demise.
The Naked Spur Director (1952, Anthony Mann)
Director Anthony Mann steers away from the typical Western terrain of arid deserts and tumbleweeds and sets up this tale in the foresty mountains of California. Here, Howard Kemp (Jimmy Stewart) plays a gloomy bounty hunter in desperate need of the reward on the head of an outlaw.
We can begin to see the seeds of the dark, brooding personality that cemented his career in Vertigo.