Author Topic: Meanest and nicest western movie charecter (Read 13338 times)

nealglen37 · « **on:** August 04, 2004, 04:27:13 PM »

Whats your opinion of the meanest western movie character?

I would have to say (Henry Fonda, in "once upon a time in the west"),or (Lee van clief, in "the good bad and the ugly")(anyone in the "wild bunch"). whats your pick?

Nicest would be (allen ladd in "Shane"), jimmy stewart in any western, he tried to be a nice guy.....but in the end had to end up kicking butt.
Neal

MOGorilla · « **Reply #1 on:** August 06, 2004, 01:49:12 AM »

When I saw the title, the first one that came to mind was Lee Van Cleef in the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The 2nd is Tyree in Silverado, I mean the guy shot the dog! As to the nicest, I would put Lee Van Cleef in For a Few Dollars More, out to avenge his sister, also Jimmy Stewart in the Man who Shot Liberty Valence.

DeerMeadowFarm · « **Reply #2 on:** August 06, 2004, 01:59:02 AM »

Quote from: MOGorilla

When I saw the title, the first one that came to mind was Lee Van Cleef in the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The 2nd is Tyree in Silverado, I mean the guy shot the dog!

Wow! My thoughts exactly when I read the title too! I say for good guys Sam Elliot usually plays a pretty good guy...

nealglen37 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 06, 2004, 04:36:25 AM »

Good choices gentlemen, .............I also left out Johnny Ringo in "Tombstone"...........he shot an unarmed priest.... outside a church.... while his buddies were raping a woman ........in a church......after she just got married........................now that is mean

Sundown Holly · « **Reply #4 on:** September 05, 2004, 04:46:25 PM »

I would have to say Pit Macken from the movie "Ride With the Devil. He was pure meaness and hatred.

rodmeister · « **Reply #5 on:** September 23, 2004, 06:31:27 PM »

The meanest western actor is Bruce Dern. He KILLED John Wayne in "The Cowboys," and I understand he received death threats from deranged movie fans. In a long string of movies and TV episodes, he played dangerous, sniveling, backstabbing, cowardly villans. As a child I hated him, with that whiney voice and those beady little twitchy eyes.

As an adult, I began to appreciate what a great actor Dern was, and what an accomplishment it was to create his characters. He understood that the most dangerous villan wasn't the toughest or biggest, but the sneaky, cowardly one that will lie, scheme and shoot you in the back.

kevin.303 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 29, 2004, 05:54:14 PM »

i got one that falls into both. sort of. william munny in "the unforgiven". some of favourite movie lines are from that movie. for example;

"you just shot an unarmed man!!"
" well he should have armed himself if he's gonna decorate his saloon with my friend"

or " store keeper says he won't sell us no more .30-30 shells" well of course he won't! it's only 1886, .30-30's won't be in stock for at least another 8 years!!

Yukon Gold · « **Reply #7 on:** November 17, 2004, 08:53:33 AM »

Nice Guy - my hands down favorite is Tom Selleck in Quigley Down Under.

Bushwacker · « **Reply #8 on:** December 07, 2004, 03:27:05 PM »

In "Streets of Laredo" where James Garner (as Captain Call) goes after Joey Garza. I think a nice name for Joey would be rotten bastard

mparks · « **Reply #9 on:** December 08, 2004, 04:12:01 AM »

Great topic!

I agree Bruce Dern is pretty nasty, shooting the Duke in the back and picking on the kids with glasses still makes me mad even after seeing it 100 times. He got his in the end though! George Kennedy as Curly in The Sons of Katie Elder was pretty bad too. Trying to drown the blacksmith until the Duke stepped with an axe handle.

Walter Brennon in Rio Bravo as Stumpy is a pretty nice guy. Or the guy that played Bol in El Dorado(same movie as Rio Bravo:)). Can't beat the nice-guy deputy/sheriff's helper roll. Perfected by Festus in Gunsmoke.

jrdudas · « **Reply #10 on:** December 16, 2004, 03:26:45 AM »

Lots of mean ones out there; for one of the meanest my vote goes to the character "Mox Mox" in "Lonesome Dove" and "Streets of Laredo". He was a man and child burner.

As for nice guy; seems like most of the parts that Glen Ford played turned out to be nice guys.

John

Capt Hamp Cox · « **Reply #11 on:** February 02, 2005, 03:17:01 AM »

Alan Rickman as Elliot Marston, owner of Marston Waters Ranch in Quigley Down Under was not only mean, but cowardly as well.

Karl Malden as Tom Fitch in Nevada Smith - not the meanest, but downright despicable.

williamlayton · « **Reply #12 on:** February 02, 2005, 04:12:14 AM »

My mind races back to the old B westerns of the 40's and 50's where you could expect to see the same bad guys in everyone and every serial, I loved to hate em.
Bruce Dern is a good choice, Lee Van, Karl Malden, and the road goes on forever.
Favorite good guys--Randolf Scott (he grained the horses), James Garner.
Blessings

Capt Hamp Cox · « **Reply #13 on:** February 02, 2005, 08:02:07 AM »

Didn't think Frederick Forrest was the best choice for the part, but Blue Duck, the character, was one mean hombre in Lonesome Dove.

IntrepidWizard · « **Reply #14 on:** February 05, 2005, 12:36:15 PM »

Gary Cooper in High Noon,and Van Cleeve.

williamlayton · « **Reply #15 on:** February 06, 2005, 02:05:13 AM »

It is amazing to me that Lee Van Cleef was not remembered for the many bad guys he played, YEARS before the Eastwood movies.
Blessings

SingleShotShorty · « **Reply #16 on:** February 22, 2005, 11:57:38 AM »

meanist was Blue Duck in lonesome dove, not a cowboy but mean

Smoky Mountain Red · « **Reply #17 on:** February 23, 2005, 09:34:41 AM »

I don't know about meanest , but the most dangerous had to be Hoppy with that dad burn double of his. Even John Wayne yelled before he went in that jail...

:-)

nealglen37 · « **Reply #18 on:** March 27, 2005, 02:28:12 PM »

Thought of a new one guys..........................meanest character.........has to be Henry Fonda in "Once Upon a Time in The West".................has a family shot..................makes a young kid hang his own brother.......................makes fun of a crippled man .......several times.....and kills anyone who gets in his way.......................he gets it in the end though......from Charles Bronson.

Bigdog57 · « **Reply #19 on:** April 07, 2005, 11:40:32 AM »

My vote for one of the meanest Hombres in a Western - Sam Elliot in "Desparate Trail". Before it's halfway done, you really want him to be gunned down! :twisted:

And he's the Sheriff! :shock:

onecoyote · « **Reply #20 on:** March 07, 2006, 12:05:23 PM »

The meanest man on earth had to be "BAD BOB" in the movie Judge Roy Bean.

Bob Hurley · « **Reply #21 on:** March 18, 2006, 05:12:23 PM »

From Lonesome Dove and sequels

Nicest guy - Roscoe (July Johnson's deputy)

Meanest - Mox-mox

35Rem · « **Reply #22 on:** June 03, 2006, 05:10:55 PM »

Mean - Gene Hackman in The Quick and the Dead....Made a preacher shoot folks, shot his own son, and made Sharon Stone (as a kid) shoot her dad in the head....

Good guy- Ransom Stoddard (Jimmy Stewart) in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Close tie, John Wayne's character in the same movie...Good ending in that one.

Sourdough · « **Reply #23 on:** June 18, 2006, 04:52:14 PM »

Meanest I think was the charictore played by Richard Boone in Big Jake. Killed everyone on the McCanndles ranch just to kidnap the kid. Henry Fonda, and Lee VanCliff were pretty mean also, but Richard Boone stood out to me. Nicest had to be Jimmy Stewart, and John Wayne.

As for TV the nicest I think was Kirby Grant as Sky King, and Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger.

buffalohunter · « **Reply #24 on:** August 11, 2006, 10:47:19 AM »

Favorite good guy would have to be Mathew Quigley in "Quigley Down Under"

Favotie bad guy has to be Richard Boone in "Big Jake'

bigjeepman · « **Reply #25 on:** December 04, 2006, 02:06:19 PM »

John Wayne in "Red River" was a pretty mean boss on the trail drive first heading to Missouri from Texas. Montgomery Clift was certainly a "good guy" all the way through the movie. Having to take the herd from JW and drive 'em to Kansas didn't cause him to become even a little onry. Great characters have been named here ... it was a pleasure to read.

Dee · « **Reply #26 on:** December 29, 2006, 02:15:04 PM »

Meanest? Old Redleggs in The Outlaw Josey Wales. Nicest would be July Johnson his own self. Look how much crap he took, and all the stuff that happened to him, and he never got mad.

SingleShotShorty · « **Reply #27 on:** May 08, 2007, 03:23:13 PM »

Meanest - Bruce Durn in The Cowboy after all he killed the Duke
nicest - Jimmy Stewart in Cheyenne social club

billy_56081 · « **Reply #28 on:** May 08, 2007, 06:09:30 PM »

Rooster Cogburn in True grit. Not only the nicest but far and away the greatest. I have watched the movie maybe 100 times and it still thrills me when he turns his horse spins his rifle and say,s the famous quote. CAn anyone give me his quote?

Roman Nose · « **Reply #29 on:** May 09, 2007, 09:16:09 PM »

I kind of like Hackman in Unforgiven talking about the "Duck of Death".