Favorite Westerns, No. 41

 


Do you like a good Western? It's a classic genre in film and this year I've decided to look at some of my favorite Westerns. So, join me each Friday as I count down my favorite Westerns from No. 50 to No. 1.

Maggie: Why didn't you stay.
Samuel: [long pause] There's an Apache story about a man that woke up one morning and saw a hawk on the wind. Walked outside and never returned. After he died he met his wife in the spirit world. She asked him why he never came home, he said "Well, the hawk kept flying". [pause] There's always the next something, Maggie. And that will take a man away.

The Missing (2003)
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Tommy Lee Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Val Kilmer, Evan Rachel Wood, Elisabeth
Moss, and Eric Schweig
Director: Ron Howard
About: Howard probably isn't the first person you think of when it comes to Westerns, but he's had a varied career. And he delivers an engaging film here that works on two levels. When her daughter (Wood) is abducted, a woman (Blanchett) sets out to retrieve her. This is a story about hunting down a captive and battling a gang of bad guys. But it's also about a daughter and her estranged father (Jones) re-connecting. It works on both levels, and both are equally important to the execution here. I enjoy the performances and the story, which is part of why it ended up on this list.

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