“Extravagant, Poetic”: This is the best Western of all time according to the media known for its demands!

site IndiewireFamous for his high standards in cinema, he published a list of the 100 greatest Westerns of all time. Strictly speaking, their classification understands the genre in the broadest sense, including “modern Western” comedies such as Life, Love… Cows (1991) and science fiction films Nope (2023) or Western-SF series. Empire of the Phantoms (1933).

“The Last” is already a masterpiece!

Ranked #100 is Heaven’s Gate in its director’s cut, running at 3h39 and honoring what its director Michael Cimino wanted. The film acts as a demystifier of the American West. Often seen as one of the reasons for the end of the “New Hollywood” era, its utter failure upon release led to the United Artists studio being sold to the highest bidder, weakened by the financial excesses of Cimino’s film.

“The director’s complete and final vision is a masterpiece on every level”Indiewire writes, “A Western as rich and textured as a Renaissance painting. A historical triptych that reflects the richness of the American soul, a soul born of European influence, now desperately to be eradicated, but time constantly remains in new forms.”

And number 1? “Extravagant, poetic and terrifying melodrama”

Suffice it to say that even The 100 is considered a great film to show whether the number one ranked has any interest in being a masterpiece, and thankfully it is: the team at Indiewire has chosen Johnny Guitar as the best western of all time.

Directed by Nicholas Ray in 1954, Johnny Guitar tells the story of the rivalry between Vienna (Joan Crawford), a businessman who runs a casino-saloon in a small town where the railroad will arrive, and the local landowners, especially Emma (Mercedes McCambridge). the future voice of Pazuzu in The Exorcist), is jealous of his success. He accuses Vena of complicity in his brother’s murder, and when Vena’s new co-worker Johnny Guitar intervenes, things go wrong…

• Find the top 100 best westerns in their entirety

While the male star of the day, Sterling Hayden, plays the lead role, the real main characters are Vena and Emma. It’s the confrontation between the two women that dominates the story, with the feel we know from director Nicholas Ray. Indiewire comments:

“It’s almost a fairy tale, an extravagant, poetic and haunting melodrama where passion, desire, hatred and despair intertwine. The film has no big budget, most of the action takes place in a cavernous Viennese salon, and yet it feels gigantic. , the film is so distinctive, so imaginative and so disturbing , that reaches epic status.

It is only behind Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West (No. 2) and John Ford’s The Infernal Pursuit (No. 3). Find the full top on the Indiewire website.