Lists
- ranked 41 in BBC 100 Greatest American Films
- ranked 64 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (August 2005)
- ranked 67 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (December 2006)
- ranked 67 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (March 2006)
- ranked 89 in Total Film's 100 Greatest Movies Of All Time
- ranked 116 in Empire 500 Greatest Movies (2008)
- one of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
- one of Guardian 1,000 films to see before you die
- one of Images Journal's 30 Great Westerns
- one of Rosenbaum's Alternate 100
The Good Bad Not Ugly
This is, more or less, a very good very bad movie. Oh, it's awful: butch John Wayne -- or should I say, "John T. Chance" -- and his companions, including a drunk, a hot-shot kid and an old man named "Stumpy" (dear God!) defend the town against the evil landowner, etc. They sing.
I don't like Howard Hawks at all; his direction is artless and this film is no exception.
But, you know, that doesn't really matter. This is a good bad movie. It's a crappy old clichéd Western you can actually enjoy, and enjoy over and over again. It's perfect at what it is. Is that enough?
See also: this interesting thread at IMDb.