Both versions of "3:10 to Yuma" were very good, but in my opinion, the newer version is superior. It's a good story, because it's character-driven instead of action-driven. The charming sociopath vs. the dull, plodding "good man." Christian Bale and Russell Crowe were excellent.
I loved "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," but I don't think it was the greatest western ever, because all of Eastwwod's "spaghetti westerns" were atypical of the genre. "Unforgiven" was marvelous, and may be the greatest; it's hard to say.
Although I like it very much, I can't consider "The Magnificent Seven" the greatest, because it's not an original story; it's a westernized remake of "The Seven Samurai." Nothing wrong with that, but it's still a remake.
Critics say "The Searchers" is the greatest, and I'd be inclined to agree: John Wayne was nearly perfect in that movie. But there were elements of "comic relief" that were so broad, and so trite, that they nearly ruin the movie for me.
I could talk about westerns all night, so I'll just cut it short. I don't know what the greatest western was, but I have no doubt about my personal favorite: "Tombstone," which I've watched so often that I've almost got it memorized!
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