-Isms: Views on life in rural America

I was eight years old when I fell in love with a movie genre, er - maybe it was a crush on Paul Newman.

The cause of puppy love: the bicycle scene in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” where Paul Newman pedals across the farm yard, performing acrobatic tricks, while Kathryn Ross’s character sits in the haymow, watching his antics until he crashes a fence, lands on his backside and stares down a bull.

Then, he had to pedal like heck to get out of Dodge...or Wyoming.

Movies like “The Outlaw Josey Wales” and “Paint Your Wagon” and “The Sons of Katie Elder” caught my attention, too.

Even one of the best television mini-series, “Lonesome Dove,” offered a cinematic look at life in the west. It was riveting televsision and our family cleared its schedule to not miss a night. (Side note: Rest in peace, Larry McMurtry. Gus and Woodrow are some of my favorite characters.)

According to Clint Eastwood, “People love westerns worldwide. There’s something fantasy-like about an individual fighting the elements. Or even bad guys and the elements. It’s a simpler time.”

Last week, Stacker - a data journalism site - released a list of the top 100 western films of all time. According to the Stacker website, data from Metacritic, an online site that collects movie reviews from respected critics and establishes a rating system, was used to devise the list.

Honestly, I was a perplexed with the results. And, I wish my movie aficionado father was here to debate the merits of the rankings. He grew up in the theater; his parents and grandparents owned the Empress in Wausa.

Butch and Sundance, a classic movie which won multiple academy awards, lands in 87th place. Tell me how a South Korean production, “The Good, the Bad, the Weird” - a film I’ve never heard of - beats out two handsome bandits, like Newman and Robert Redford, on the lam. Go on. I’m waiting for an explanation. Still waiting.

Both Clint and all-time cowboy favorite, John Wayne, land on the list multiple times, but it’s where they place that has me scratching my head. For example, “A Fistful of Dollars” lands at number 92; “The Beguiled,” 88th; “Bronco Billy,” 86th; “Unforgiven,” 19th.

Wayne stars in “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” which placed third. “True Grit,” one of his greatest movies, barely cracks the top quarter of the list, finishing at number 24.

Several exemplars - including “The Cowboys,” “Lonesome Dove” and “Pale Rider” - don’t even make the cut.

Plus, a few movies listed don’t fit the typical western mold, like ““Aferim!” and “The Great Race.”

Guess it shows that everyone’s a critic and criteria for a top-notch cinematic experience varies from person to person.

I’ve seen six of the first 10 films ... and I’m still wondering how “Dances with Wolves” isn’t even in the top 20, at the very least.

The top 10 include “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” first; “The Wild Bunch,” second; “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” third; “The Searchers,” fourth; “The Gunfighter,” fifth; “McCabe and Mrs. Miller,” sixth; “Stagecoach,” seventh; “Rio Bravo,” eighth; “The Rider,” ninth and “No Country for Old Men,” 10th.

What western films are at the top of your viewing list? The critic in me wants to watch a movie featuring strong characterization and in-depth storytelling coupled with cutting-edge cinematography.

To view the complete list, visit http://www.stacker.com. Be sure to vote in this week’s poll question and share your favorite western film.