Quote Originally Posted by Worf101
As usual Smokey you know a leetle about John Wayne Movies.. VERY LEETLE!!!

John Wayne HAS to be the luckiest actor to have ever lived. Never has a man done more with less and entertained so many in the bargain. If you folks know me you'll know my top 3 Duke films.

1. The Quiet Man - Ireland as one can only remember it in a dream Ford and Wayne at their finest. Scenes so memorable I quote them in my sleep.

2. "Red River" - Wayne as a force of nature. So macho some of it even rubs off on Montgomery Clift. One of Wayne's more nuanced roles. Directed by Howard Hawks. When Ford saw the film he said of Wayne.. "if I'd known that the sonuva***** could act, I'd a had him do more of it!!"

3. "They Were Expendable" - The guns weren't even cold yet when Ford used Wayne again in this homage to PT Boats in the Pacific. Perhaps because Wayne WASN'T the lead he feels free to give off with a little less of the stock Wayne bravura.

4. "The Cowboys" - Wayne as mentor and father figure. Something he didn't do enough of in his career.

5. "Rio Bravo" - The most star filled western of it's day. Hell I even loved the duet between Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson. Hawks directs a great western again.

6. "Fort Apache" - Simply one of the finest cavalry epics ever filmed. Teamed with Henry Fonda for the first time (they'd meet one last time in "In Harms Way) , the film retells the "Custer Saga" from a slightly different point of view.

7. "The Shootist" - His last film and one of his finest roles.

8. "The Angel and the Badman" - Wayne proves he can "change his ways" and almost make you believe it.

9. "Sands of Iwo Jima" - Wayne plays the ultimate "tough marine" in the flag waiver. He chews up the scenery in typical Wayne fashion.

10. "In Harms Way" - Underated Otto Preminger film that could've been great had they eschewed the plastic ship models in the end.

Da Worfster
I think what seems to be a discreprecy that most have when it comes to "Top" lists is the difference between someones BEST film, someones FAVORITE film, and someones most IMPORTANT film. What I mean by that is this...

CITIZEN KANE is an incredibly important film, as is BIRTH OF A NATION, but I don't sit around and watch these films on a highly regular basis. Therefore they are not in my 'favorites' list. Best, on the other hand, typically refers to a certain person, such as Orson Welles BEST film or D.W. Griffiths BEST film. This can refer to anyone, usually the actor or director.

As far as John Wayne is concerned he has some very memorarble roles, but when you are talking about his BEST, I like to think of his BEST performances, which can often be great roles, but lousy films. My BEST list for John Wayne is different from my Favorite John Wayne film and likewise my IMPORTANT list would also be different. Movies like THE SEARCHERS or STAGECOACH are more important in their contribution to cinema and John Fords ability to masterfully handle the Western Genre. It would seem that Worf's list is most on track with what he feels are his BEST roles and movies that Worf has enjoyed as his favorite films.