Henry Fonda is back again in this Wellman-directed western. This time he stars as a powerless hero trying to intervene as three men are set to be lynched for a crime they did not commit.
Why does this affect Fonda more than the average person? Unfortunately, our hero witnessed a lynching as a kid. There’s heaps of social commentary in this one.
Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)
In true western tradition, our favorite sheriff, John Wayne, faces a gang of baddies with only a rookie gun-slinger, a cripple, and a drunk to help him. Does he succeed? Well, he is John Wayne.
Did we mention that Dean Martin stars in this too? He even gets to sing! It's a real good time flick, and Walter Brennan is simply a delight to boot.
My Darling Clementine (John Ford, 1946)
This is considered to be a super romanticized version of events involving Wyatt Earp at the OK Corral. Henry Fonda stars as Earp in this highly stylized and even poetic western.
The film is filled with long iconic scenes such as a Fonda on his porch surveying the surroundings, as well as his stiff-legged dance with the "lady fair."
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (George Roy Hill, 1969)
A buddy film that's laden with Oscars depicts the great "bromance" between these two legendary western characters played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
Willian Goldman's writing shines, and Burt Bacharach's soundtrack makes this an irresistibly cool 60s Western.
The Gunfighter (Henry King, 1950)
In essence, this is a Greek tragedy dressed up as a western. Not surprisingly, the film went on to pave the way for the western trope of the aging gunslinger for years to come.
The film follows Gregory Peck as he tries to bury his ugly past. Unfortunately, his effort proves futile when he discovers that there is one more kid to outdraw.