Wonderful Westerns: Top 10 Western Movie Villains

Like any genre, the Western has had a great array of rogues. There have been many villains who have intimidated us and captured our attention over the course of the century.  In many cases, the villains are our favorite characters, the ones that stay in our minds — whether that’s intentional or not. In this special edition of “Wonderful Westerns,” we’ll be looking at the cutthroats, rustlers, bandits, and outlaws of the silver screen.

Now, this is by no means a definitive list of “the best” villains. This is essentially just a list of my personal favorites. These are the villains I’ve found memorable, or who at least deserve to be looked at and appreciated. These villains can range from menacing, to charismatic, to whatever. Let’s begin.

10) “Old Man” Clanton (Walter Brennan), My Darling Clementine (1946)

Movies about Wyatt Earp have always been filled with a great gallery of rogues. Originally I was going to list “Curly Bill” Brocious (Powers Boothe) from Tombstone (1993), another film about Wyatt Earp, but I think Walter Brennan’s portrayal of the Clantons’ patriarch in John Ford’s My Darling Clementine is more fitting for this list. Yes, My Darling Clementine is another rather inaccurate version of the Wyatt Earp story — probably the most inaccurate one — but through Ford’s tight direction and storytelling, I’m able to forgive it. Brennan is absolutely chilling as a manipulative and cruel old man who will make you think that he’s just a regular rancher, but will display a mean streak within seconds. While Brennan is more famous for playing goofy and lighthearted characters, he’s absolutely amazing in this role.

9) Denton Baxter (Michael Gambon), Open Range (2003)

In this 2003 film directed by Kevin Costner, Baxter plays a rancher who wants absolute control over the land. He doesn’t care how he goes about getting what he wants; he’ll do whatever it takes to gain complete control. He will send his thugs to beat up and leave men to die, kill a dog, and even point a gun at a child. A great deal of this ruthless behavior might stem from the fact that he could be from Ireland and doesn’t want to let anything get in the way of pursuing the American dream. While only in the film for a brief period of time, he has a great presence and is a worthwhile nemesis.

8) Calvera (Eli Wallach), The Magnificent Seven (1960)

I’ve talked about this guy before in my first “Wonderful Western” article and I still maintain that he’s the best villain of the entire franchise. He has so much charisma and such a commanding presence in the film that it’s no wonder that he has ownership of 40 thieves and dominance over the tiny village portrayed in the film. You must see him to get a full appreciation for his thoroughly villainous behavior.

7) Cobb (Brian Dennehy), Silverado (1985)

Think of this guy as a combination of the previous two villains, except with a badge. Cobb has the charm and charisma of Calvera, but the control lust of Baxter. In this extremely underrated Western, you see a man who doesn’t care what he has to do to get what he wants; the really terrifying thing is how calm he is going about his business. There are scenes in the movie where he talks about doing violent and terrible things to friends and loved ones with no feelings of remorse.

6) Rufus Hannassey (Burl Ives), The Big Country (1958)

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. “What? The guy who voiced Sam the Snowman in Rudolph is a worthy villain? Oh, please!” Well, from the outset of his very first scene, you get an idea of just how intimidating he truly is. While both he and Charles Bickford are villains in this film, Ives stands out because of his presence. This is also the man who is more than willing to simply shoot anyone who gets in his way. There’s a reason why he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year.

5) Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman), Unforgiven (1992)

Here we have yet another Oscar-winning performance. While Clint Eastwood movies don’t have many clear-cut villains, this character can definitely be seen as the most cruel of the bunch. Daggett is the one who essentially starts the series of unfortunate and tragic events that make up the film. Because he decided to not to punish the man who brutally beat and mutilated a prostitute, there were then several killings, and he brings upon his own fate. His cruelty is the main thing that stands out and is the quality I’m sure most people think of when they hear the term “bully with a badge.” Just watch this scene with him and another character named English Bob — played by the original Dumbledore, Richard Harris.

4) Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

This is what “Mad Dog” Tannen is like if you remove the comedic buffoonery: a man who gets what he wants, and if he doesn’t, he’ll reign chaos on those who held him back. If anything or anyone new and different comes into town, he will beat up whomever is associated with it. The first scene with Liberty is when Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) comes into town on the stagecoach and he gets brutally beaten, almost to the point of death. There’s no gore — heck, John Ford doesn’t even show the whip making contact with Stoddard — but you get a sense of how brutal he is solely from his motivations (or lack-thereof) and his force (with some help from the sound design as well).

3) Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Want to know a sign that you’ve played a good villain in a movie? You have the audience intimidated by your stare. There’s no doubt that Van Cleef  had the craft down. Angel Eyes is without a doubt the most intimidating villain on this list just because of the fact that this man could give you a glance and a grin, and you’d probably soil your britches.

2) Elliot Marston (Alan Rickman), Quigley Down Under (1990)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sHU9g6Ka50

Again, some of you are thinking, “What? How on Earth is Prof. Snape a better villain that Angel Eyes?” Here’s why: This is a man who dreams of being a Western gunslinger, and he pretty much lives out this fantasy by taking it out on the local Aborigines. He hires the hero of the film, Matthew Quigley (Tom Selleck), to help get rid of them. Yeah, this is guy is a real sick dude. The sound sadly dies out in the clip above, but trust me, you’ll get a good idea as to who he is.

1) Frank (Henry Fonda), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Picture it: You’re a movie-goer in the late ’60s, and you see this new Western movie starring Henry Fonda, the guy who had starred in such movies as 12 Angry Men, The Grapes of Wrath, and Young Mr. Lincoln and was always the good guys in those films. Now here he is, and you find out that in his first scene, he’s responsible for the massacre of an entire frontier family. What do you say? Probably, “Jesus Christ! That’s Henry Fonda!” Frank has to be without a doubt the most ruthless, cutthroat, backstabbing, cold-blooded S.O.B. to ever grace a Western movie. Just watch his first scene and you’ll get everything about him.

What Western villains would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments!

John Hamilton

John Hamilton is a lover of classic cinema from Southern Ohio and has been since he was a tiny little lad growing up on the farm. He's a fan of every type of film out there, especially Westerns and movies from the '60s and '70s. John is also a blogger and freelance writer.