When it comes to a good many Western movies, maybe it’s the breathtaking landscapes and exciting shootouts that stand out first, but like just about any genre, characters and what they say matter. Some Westerns prioritize escapism and spectacle, but even those tend to have interesting things to say about the Old West, andinteresting characters who themselves also have interesting things to say, leading to some of the most famous Western movie quotes.
What follows is an attempt to celebrate that side of the genre; not so much what the legendary gunslingers shoot, but how they speak in the quieter moments of their respective films. Certain exchanges of dialogue below are serious, while some quotes are funny, but all are memorable for one reason or another. Also, in the interest of keeping things varied, there’s a (hopefully understandable) limit of one quote per movie.
15"No, sir. This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
Maxwell Scott, ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (1962)
Undoubtedly up there as one ofthe best Westerns of the 1960s, you’re not going to believe thatThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valanceis about a man shooting another man named Liberty Valance. Well, it’s more about recollecting that kind of act and thereby providing a more honest look at an Old West situation, adding some moral complexity to what might usually be a straightforward situation in other Westerns.
It all wraps up toward the end, with a line regarding the legend being printed over the truth.It speaks volumes about the Western genre as a whole, with figures from back then having a near-mythical quality nowadays (and indeed in the 1960s, too), andThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valanceis ultimately an effective exploration of that, and of how the passage of time can somewhat change things for better or worse.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
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14"Ah, as long as there’s no find, the noble brotherhood will last but when the piles of gold begin to grow… that’s when the trouble starts."
Howard, ‘The Treasure of the Sierra Madre’ (1948)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madreisa top-tier Humphrey Bogart movie, and something that sort of qualifies as a Western, even if it’s also definable as a grim adventure film. It follows three men who form an uneasy alliance to go and find gold they believe they’ll find in Mexico. Though, as the above quote suggests, the whole plan is sound enough on paper, but it ends up being much harder in practice.
A perhaps inevitable amount of greed among the men complicates the central story ofThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre, as do other complications along the way throughout the whole dark journey. The idea that when the “piles of gold begin to grow” is “when the trouble starts” doesprove to be an accurate observation, and a pretty good summary of the film’s principal conflict.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
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13"Yeah, Warren, that’s the problem with old men. You can kick ‘em down the stairs and say it’s an accident but you can’t just shoot ‘em."
John Ruth, ‘The Hateful Eight’ (2015)
When it comes to watching aQuentin Tarantinofilm, you can pretty much be guaranteed you’ll witness some great performances with actors delivering (generally) well-written dialogue.The Hateful Eightis no exception, playing out like something of a stage play that gives everyone ample chances to shine. Everyone’s contained in one location, there’s plenty of suspicion, and many characters flat-out dislike each other.
Things really kick off and get wild after the first of the hateful eight gets dusted, summed up byKurt Russell’s character, who talks about how murdering someone requires a little more deceit than outright killing them. It’s a great line,summing up perhaps the most memorable scene in the movie, which seesSamuel L. Jackson’s character telling an alarming story in order to getBruce Dern’s character to pull a gun on him.
The Hateful Eight
12"Can’t figure it out: do you want to be like me or do you want to BE me?"
Jesse James, ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (2007)
Comparable toThe Man Who Shot Liberty ValanceisThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, given both titles explain a great deal before you’ve even watched the movie.The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Fordlooks back on the death of a real-life Old West legend (Jesse James), though it focuses more on the less well-known man who took his life (Robert Ford).
It can be seen as something of anAmadeus-like story, but set in the West, revolving around jealousy, legacy, and betrayal. It’s dark stuff, in other words. Andit’s all summed up extremely well with an exchange of dialogue the two titular characters have, capped off with James asking Ford: “Do you want to be like me or do you want to be me?”
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
11"Well, I guess you can’t break out of prison and into society in the same week."
Ringo Kid, ‘Stagecoach’ (1939)
Even if the idea ofwatching a Western from the 1930sdoesn’t sound appealing, you probably owe it to yourself to watch a film as iconic asStagecoach.It largely established John Wayne as a leading man, and has an engaging premise that sees a group of people on board a titular stagecoach, all dealing with a perilous journey while coming to terms with how different they all are.
It’s a character-focused Western, grouping some unlikely people together and ensuring they all have the same destination. This meansStagecoachis largely centered on characters and character interactions, leading to inevitably strong dialogue. Of course, Wayne, playing the Ringo Kid (AKA Henry) gets some of the best lines, including his rather stark and keenly observant quip that “you can’t break out of prison and into society in the same week.”
Stagecoach
10"So we’ll find ‘em in the end, I promise you. We’ll find ‘em. Just as sure as the turnin’ of the Earth."
Ethan Edwards, ‘The Searchers’ (1956)
The Searcherswas one of manyWesterns directed by John Fordthat frequent collaborator John Wayne also starred in, and might well be the greatest the pair ever made. It initially works as a somewhat old-fashioned Western with an expected story about rescuing a young woman and clashing with Comanches, but it goes into some dark territory thematically, and has some refreshingly subversive moments.
Wayne’s character isdetermined throughout to complete the mission at hand, but eventually, it’s shown to consume himand perhaps even be all he has left in his life as he grows old and jaded. To that end, the declaration that “We’ll find ‘em. Just as sure as the turnin’ of the Earth” sounds, on one hand, heroic, but starts to be recontextualized as the film goes on, and things get a little darker.
The Searchers
9"That’s right. I’ve killed women and children. I’ve killed just about everything that walks or crawls at one time or another. And I’m here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you did to Ned."
Will Munny, ‘Unforgiven’ (1992)
WhileThe Searcherswas dark and emotionally intense for its time, Westerns changed a great deal over the next several decades, ultimately paving the way for something as bold and effectively deconstructive asUnforgiven. It’s a movie where directorClint Eastwoodplays an incredibly troubled/flawed protagonist, and clashes with someone far more evil - andplayed by a super slimy Gene Hackman- a corrupt sheriff.
Eastwood’s Will Munny and Hackman’s Little Bill clash at the film’s end, the former seeking justice that the latter refused to enact in his position as a lawman.Little Bill calls Munny out as a killer of women and children, and Munny doesn’t dispute this, owning up to his past, all the while Little Bill never has. It’s probably not enough to redeem himself fully, from what can be inferred about Munny’s past, but maybe it’s something. It also encapsulatesUnforgiven’sapproach to exploring justice - or the lack thereof - during a rather grim and morally murky time in U.S. history.
Unforgiven
8"You’ve got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know… morons."
Jim (The Waco Kid), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (1974)
Mel Brooksmight well bethe king of the parody genre, and in 1974 alone, he directed two of the very best of all time:Young FrankensteinandBlazing Saddles. Both also starredGene Wilder, giving two very different yet equally iconic performances in each, starring as Jim the Waco Kid in the latter, serving as something of an ally/sidekick to the protagonist, Sheriff Bart.
Bart’s a Black man who’s been made sheriff in a very intolerant small town, with the Waco Kid being seemingly the only person - at least at first - who isn’t prejudicial. Wilder’s delivery of the line regarding the townspeople being simple folk - or, in other words, “morons” - is legendary, but far from the only great line inBlazing Saddles. Talking purely one-liners, it’s alsohome to the likes of “Excuse me while I whip this out,” and the immortal “Mongo only pawn in game of life.”
Blazing Saddles
7"You tell ‘em I’m coming, and Hell’s coming with me, you hear? Hell’s coming with me!"
Wyatt Earp, ‘Tombstone’ (1993)
Tombstoneadmittedly has a more direct approach to the Western genre thanUnforgiven, which was released one year earlier, and it feels a little broad and old-fashioned, but not in a bad way. It’s a big, sweeping film that does end up feeling like a heroes versus villains tale. Nuance is not the name of the game here, but that’s okay whenTombstonesucceeds in being great entertainment while making its characters very memorable.
Val Kilmer’s Doc Holliday often steals the show, though it’sKurt Russellwho gets to play the film’s central character, the marshalWyatt Earp, defined by his heroism and unwavering determination to take on various troublemakers in the titular town.It’s to Russell’s credit that he’s able to sell some lines of dialogue that might sound silly in the hands of lesser actor, such as his whole declaration that ends with “Hell’s coming with me.”
6"If you’re honest, you’re poor your whole life and in the end, you wind up dying all alone on some dirty street. For what? For nothing. For a tin star."
Martin Howe, ‘High Noon’ (1952)
Ahead of the curve as far asthematically rich and heavily revisionist Westernswere concerned,High Noonfeels at odds with some of the more morally simpler Western films of its time. As such, it’s aged extremely well, also helped by having brisk pacing and a story that takes place in what feels close to real-time, centering on a sheriff’s attempts to get help from the people of his town, once he learns a criminal he previously imprisoned is out for revenge, and arriving in town at noon.
High Noonis very muchGary Cooper’s film, in many ways, with this being a definitive lead role for the actor, but the supporting cast is filled with plenty of other greats, includingLon Chaney Jr., who plays the town’s former marshal. His character’s too old to assist in the inevitable showdown, buthe imparts some wisdom upon the younger sheriff, driving home the grounded and brutally honest ideasthe film explores throughout.
