The Top 10 Best Movie Gunslingers
These Movie Gunslingers are Quick on the Draw
One of the best things about Westerns is getting a chance to see movie gunslingers facing off at high noon. This week, I’ve decided to head back in time and honor the best sharpshooting cowpokes to grace the silver screen. Keep in mind that this isn’t supposed to be a list of the best Westerns or movie cowboys, but the most impressive quickdraw artists and riflemen from the good old days. Now, that means I’m not going to be including gun-fu masters on this, because none of them actually use six-shooters. No, this list is just for those movie gunslingers that fought to tame the wild west. So, if they didn’t (primarily) get around on horseback then they’ve got no place here. I also mainly stuck with good guys, since, well, they tend to always win in the end. So, get ready to draw, because this list of the best movie gunslingers is ready to showdown.
10. Kid Shelleen- Cat Ballou
First up on this list of movie gunslingers is one of the best drunks in cinema history. Lee Marvin pulled double duty in this film as both hero and villain, and his hard work ended up earning him an Oscar. Right now though, we’re only concerned with his heroic character in Cat Ballou. Despite being pretty much trashed 100% of the time when we first meet him, there’s a reason why Kid Shelleen is a legendary gunfighter. His adventures ended up making him a literary sensation as tales of his deeds spread far and wide in 10 cent novels. Of course, no one in their right mind would operate a gun while drunk. So, Kid Shelleen has to get sobered up before he can be a hero once more. Oddly enough, he’s not the only drunk to appear on this list of movie gunslingers. I guess the Wild West must have been pretty enabling.
9. The Sundance Kid- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and The Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) were two of the most well-known outlaws in the history of the West. Bank robbers by trade, the two managed to find themselves in plenty of trouble more often than not. While Butch might have been “the brains” Sundance was the muscle with his incredible accuracy and lightning-fast hands. It soon became clear that no bank was safe from the two of them. That being said, people tend not to like it when you steal their hard-earned cash. So, while the outlaws were trying to ride off into the sunset one last time, the locals were rounding up a posse to give chase. Not only does Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid have one of the best movie gunslingers of all time, but it also has one of the best chase scenes of all time (clocking in at 30 minutes!).
8. Ellen AKA The Lady- The Quick and the Dead
One of the most common themes in Westerns is revenge. Someone kills somebody else and next thing you know, their kin is coming for justice. That’s why The Lady (Sharon Stone) has managed to earn a respectable spot on this list of movie gunslingers. After her “pa” is murdered, she devotes her life to hunting down the man responsible. Along the way, she learns her some pretty impressive gunfighting skills. So, when Ellen does stumble across the killer in a town hosting a duel tournament, she enters with her sight set on something more than just the grand prize. She faces down plenty of worthy adversaries working her way up to the big boss himself and proves that she’s not to be taken lightly just because she’s “a lady.” A gun doesn’t care what someone’s gender is, just how fast they are.
7. Paden- Silverado
They say that the west was a lawless place. That just meant that it was also a place where men could prove that good can always triumph over evil. Kevin Kline slapped some six-shooters to his hips for the 80s Western Silverado. In it, he teams up with a few like-minded cowpokes as he makes his way towards the titular town. There they find nothing but corruption as an evil cattle baron has managed to buy the law there. Fortunately for the fine folks of Silverado, help has arrived. Outmanned and not exactly sporting stellar reputations of their own the comrades set about ridding the town of corruption. As impressive as Kevin Costner and Scott Glenn were in this film, Paden earns a spot on this list because he has an actual showdown with the corrupt sheriff. Not to ruin things for you, but I did say that the good guys tend to win these sorts of things.
6. Will Munny- Unforgiven
When it comes to Westerns one of the biggest names in the genre is Clint Eastwood. Back in his Spaghetti Western heyday, he was arguably one of the most famous gunslingers to grace the screen. He didn’t lose a step in his old age though, and at 62 years old he played the infamous Will Munny. A former outlaw and gunfighter, Will agrees to take a bounty on two men that killed a prostitute in the sleepy town of Big Whiskey, Wyoming. A corrupt sheriff decides to let them off with a slap on the wrist, but the other sex workers want justice and pool their money to place a bounty. Having not invested wisely in a 401K in his youth, Munny needs that money for himself and his children and sets off to claim it. Despite being ancient by old west standards, Will Munny still has what it takes to be one of the best movie gunslingers of all time.