Westerns has a knack for character introductions, with the genre being strangely good at quickly establishing what to expect from a new cowpoke. The beloved tropes of the Western are very particular, possessing some of the most specific conventions of any category of film. The iconic image of a lone gunman bursting through the double doors of a bar, only to be greeted with blank stares as the music stops and the patrons rage, is iconic enough to be a cliché parodied countless times in other forms of media.
Some of the best Westerns of all time feature splendid character introductions that accurately and efficiently tell the audience everything they need to know about a given character, often without dialogue. It’s usually the protagonist who gets this treatment, but Western villains also tend to have some ridiculously cool opening moments in their films. In either case, most Westerns are able to make their best characters’ first moments ridiculously cool.
10
The boy Ringo
Diligence
One of John Wayne’s most important westerns Diligence was quick to win over initial audiences with the actor’s charm and distinct accent. The 1939 film follows a stagecoach full of strangers as they face a perilous journey through perilous Apache territory. When the group encounters John Wayne’s Ringo Kid, later known simply as Ringo, one of the greatest character introductions in film history ensues.
From atop his lame horse, Ringo’s iconic cry to “Wait!“immediately establishes him as a capable, dangerous, but charismatic young man. He then spins his repeater with one hand in a flashy spin that would later be imitated in Terminator 2: Judgment Daymaking an undeniable impact on shoot-em-up films until the end of time. Seemingly aware that he was also ushering in the beginning of a legacy as the camera flew in his face, John Wayne’s introduction into Diligence is an irrefutably iconic moment in Western history.
9
Doctor Holliday
Tombstone
It’s hard to find a character introduction as succinct as Doc Holiday’s in 1993 Tombstone. Loosely based on real events that took place in Tombstone Arizona, including the legendary shootout at the OK Corral Tombstone provides a patchwork biopic for several infamous names from the true American Wild West. Among them is Doc Holliday, a gunslinger who drinks heavily and gambles, suffering from an acute case of tuberculosis. Val Kilmer’s depiction of the mythical historical figure has gained notable critical favor for good reason.
During a game of poker, Doc Holliday’s character traits are accurately described in just a few minutes. He is lecherous with women, good at cards, and constantly maintains a calm and collected demeanor. But most of all, Doc Holliday is a single-minded killer, able to draw two guns before his poker opponent can retreat and is willing to kill him at close range with a hidden blade when push comes to shove. push.
8
Buster Scruggs
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The Western Anthology The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a rarity even among the Coen brothers’ revered filmography. A collection of thematically similar vignettes all taking place in the Wild West, the film’s most iconic short is easily the first, featuring the eponymous gunslinger himself. The beginning of Buster Scruggs’ story tells the audience everything they need to know about the peculiar wanderer in a very open-ended way.
As he traverses the gorgeous expanse of the West, playing his guitar and singing while riding a horse, it becomes immediately clear that Buster Scruggs does not have the stern demeanor typical of a Western protagonist. Instead, his almost Bugs Bunny-esque skill, cheerful attitude, and flowery language become very clear as he breaks the fourth wall, speaking directly to the audience while looking into the camera with a warm smile. Interestingly, the seeds of his eventual demise are planted when Buster’s pride is also established quite early, rejoicing in his reputation and wanted poster.
7
Harmonica
Once Upon a Time in the West
Westerns are very fond of mysterious characters with quirky nicknames, but they always take pains to ensure that this particular type of character seems suitably capable. One of Sergio Leone’s great epic Westerns, the main plot concerns a piece of land whose owners are under siege by the hired thugs of a railroad tycoon, eager to use the valuable well to expand their line. However, hidden in the background is Charles Bronson’s Harmonica, a mysterious wanderer with a score to settle.
Harmonica quickly makes it clear how he got his name by playing an ominous melody with his eponymous instrument in a deserted train station. As the last train leaves the station, Harmonica and three cunning snipers are left in the dust, now with a clear line of sight on each other. After a tense, classic look, Harmonica reveals that he had a gun on his hip the entire time, relentlessly shooting his would-be assassins without even saying a word.
6
Dr.
Django Unchained
After giving one of the greatest action movie villain performances as a deliciously disgusting Nazi officer in Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino brought back Christoph Waltz in a more heroic role for Django Unchained. Not unlike Doc Holliday as a bounty hunter dentist, Dr. King Schultz’s introduction in the opening moments of Django Unchained It’s hard to forget. Not only that, but it quickly proves that Christoph Waltz is capable of playing much more than a smarmy antagonist.
From the moment the tooth-shaking statue atop Schultz’s carriage appears, he quickly proves himself to be quite different from the film’s other white characters. He is polite, polite, and firmly against the scourge of slavery, a rarity in his time. He demonstrates all of this, as well as his impressive shooting skills, when he shoots his bounties, encouraging his slaves to take revenge.
5
Silence
The Great Silence
Another deadly fast Western protagonist with a simple mononym, Silence’s introduction in The Great Silence proves that actions speak louder than words. The opening shot of the character’s first scene (as an adult) quickly establishes a unique visual identity, swapping the usual sunny desert plains of the typical Western for a snowy mountainside. Silence is a lone knight who makes a path in the snow, watched from a great distance by some cunning ambushers.
As a flock of birds scream, the action begins, with Silence allowing each man to grab his weapon before deftly dispatching them. Just as it appears that someone is ready to surrender, they are attacked from behind by one of the townspeople that Silence was protecting. This scene readily establishes the most important traits of the film’s protagonist; He believes in mercy, only kills in self-defense and does not speak.
4
Blonde
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
A film almost synonymous with the Western itself, Sergio Leone’s undisputed masterpiece is easily the most powerful of Clint Eastwood’s roles. The film concerns a trio of gunslingers desperate to find a hidden cache of Confederate gold amid the turmoil of the American Civil War. Between The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the first, Clint Eastwood’s “Blondie”, receives one of the most surprising introductory scenes in all of cinema.
When the avaricious bandit Tuco finds himself outnumbered three to one, his reward is soon stolen by Blondie, dressed in light clothing, arriving on the scene as calmly as ever. Lighting the cigar with a match, Blondie informs the gang that they will not leave with Tuco, allowing them to take their weapons before taking them away by shaking the hammer, hiding his own pistol in a cutout in his coat. Haunted by a close-up of Tuco’s terrified face and Ennio Morricone’s classic soundtrack, it’s hard to top Blondie’s grand entrance.
3
angel eyes
The good, the bad and the ugly
Character introductions from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly They are so good that they deserve several mentions in a compilation of the best westerns. As good as Clint Eastwood’s Blondie is, without the soothing tones of Lee Van Cleef’s Angel Eyes, the film simply wouldn’t work as well. A sadistic mercenary who takes great pleasure in killing, everything the audience needs to know about the character is made clear in the first moments on screen.
Breaking into the home of a former Confederate soldier, Angel Eyes lulls his prey into a false sense of security, using his snakelike voice to inquire about the whereabouts of the cache of gold. After getting the answers he wants, he briefly allows his terrified victim to think he has been spared, only to literally pull the wool over his eyes by hiding his face with a pillow before hitting him at point-blank range several times. As Lee Van Cleef cackles, the redundant title card “The Bad” flashes next to him in a freeze frame, creating a perfect villain scene.
2
Rattlesnake Jake
Rank
Angel Eyes isn’t the only Western villain a film director rolls out the red carpet for. Rank It may be a familiar venture amid the films of Gore Verbinski, but make no mistake – the talking animals and humor are just a mask for the film’s very real reverence for classic Western tropes. Among them is a chilling introduction to the film’s villain, the demonic Rattlesnake Jake. Before his appearance, Rattlesnake Jake’s name was like a bad omen, even though the clueless impostor Rango claimed to be his brother.
Just as Rango finishes giving a hopeful speech to the townspeople, assuring them of his strength as sheriff, Rattlesnake Jake appears to literally knock over his symbol of safety. Writhing on the ground as his deadly machine gun clanks behind him, Jake sarcastically taunts Rango, uncovering his lies in front of the citizens who have come to admire and trust him. With an insidious voice courtesy of Bill Nighy, Rattlesnake Jake’s introduction makes Rank an unconventional but genuine Western.
1
Colonel Douglas Mortimer
For a few dollars more
Another excellent introduction to a character played by Lee Van Cleef, the first scene with Colonel Douglas Mortimer in For a few dollars more is further proof of the man’s unquestionable legacy in the Western genre. This time, Lee Van Cleef plays another villain alongside Clint Eastwood, both bounty hunters competing for the same prize, a convict who broke out of prison and murdered his captors. His arrival in the city is one of the coldest entrances of any Western character to date, quite distinct from his other characters. Dollars antagonists of the trilogy.
Unlike Angel Eyes, Moritmer is not much of a talker, wordlessly accepting a ridiculous challenge from a wanted poster. Making a classic entrance into the hall that makes the pianist hesitate, in three words Mortimer convinces the bartender to reveal the location of his prey, making himself known only to give his terrified victim an advantage. After having had enough fun, Mortimer grabs one of his many rifles and takes out his terrified prey in one fell swoop, smiling to himself with smug satisfaction. Thus marks one of the greatest Western character entrances already put into film.