My 3 Replacements for the 10 Macho Movies List
It’s the end of the summer, I’m about to leave on vacation, I’m under several deadlines at once, so I think I’ll spend these last few blogging days with briefer posts — though I will try to address the really important issues of the day.
For instance, the ten macho films every man must see. This is a Popular Mechanics list I found through the never-ending miracle of Instapundit. And not a bad list either. It actually does include several films that you must see if you’re a man and which, if you haven’t seen them, you’re probably not. Not that there’s anything wrong with not being a man, you understand. Unless, of course, you are one. Then you should be. But if you’re not, feel free to wear perfume and walk around in high heels. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. As long as you’re not a man. If you are, don’t.
Where was I? Oh yeah, the Pop Mech list isn’t bad. But it includes a couple that I really have to question. Possibly with a truncheon. I mean, The Wrath of Khan? Get a grip. Stone Cold? I don’t know, bro. And while I’ll accept Machete as macho despite its absurd politics, if you don’t want to watch it because of that, you definitely get a man pass.
To replace those three?
Well, you have to have a John Wayne film in there, for one thing. That’s a law. I’d pick The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance which, as a historical aside, includes the line, “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend,” which went on to become the business model of the New York Times. But I’d also settle for The Quiet Man, for concluding with one of the longest fistfights in screen history (though I think the one in The Spoilers is longer). Then there’s Road House, if only for the line “Pain don’t hurt,” and the scene where Swayze rips a guy’s esophagus out with his bare hand. And finally, I would go with Goodfellas, not as great a mob movie as The Godfather, but the only film I can think of that celebrates the joy of being a totally abusive, amoral, violent, and corrupt SOB, which is every man’s secret fantasy. It’s not? Uh oh.
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Cross-posted from Klavan on the Culture
More on action movies at PJ Lifestyle:
Tony Scott and the Dying Macho Man
The Wall-to-Wall Macho Violence of The Expendables 2
Premium Rush: The Bike Messenger as Action Hero?
Both of the John Wayne films are good choices, but I would go with “The Searchers” instead. One of Wayne’s grittiest roles (shooting the eyes out of dead Comanches is pretty hardcore), but it is more than that. The entire movie is about what it means to be a man: duty, courage, family and self-sacrifice (Wayne is secretly in love with his brother’s wife, and so the girl he is saving “should” have been his). Plus, any movie with Ward Bond as a preacher…brother, that is some kinda manly!
No, stop playing about! You have it all wrong.
All these other ten lists should be a footnote to the main list, each item on the main list being a John Wayne movie. Kind of like the Chuck Norris fact, “In fine print on the last page of the Guinness Book of World Records it notes that all world records are held by Chuck Norris, and those listed in the book are simply the closest anyone else has ever gotten.”
Quiet Man
The Searchers
True Grit
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Stagecoach
Red River
Sands of Iwo Jima
Fort Apache
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Longest Day
Just my opinion.
Don’t hold it against Wayne’s character for shooting out the eyes of dead comanches; the comanches routinely did far worse to the bodies of their dead enemies, both whites and other Indians.
Another old-fashioned tough guy who I enjoy watching is Brian Donlevy. Two of his movies which are very good are “Wake Island,” about the World War II battle, and “Beau Geste,” in which he is a French Foreign Legion officer.
Both movies also have some enjoyable masculine banter, by William Bendix and Robert Preston in “Wake Island,” and by Gary Cooper, Ray Milland and Preston again in “Beau Geste.”
what about Zulu or the Wild Bunch? The Professionels ? The list is endless.
Yes, this list is notable for an absence of foreign films, and that should be fixed.
“Zulu” is a great choice. Another might be “Das Boot”.
Drop “Goodfellas”, (geez, really?) and add “Act of Valor”. Also we should probably add any good biopic about George Washington, but I’m not sure there are any.
Not exactly a biopic, but “The Crossing,” a TV movie about the crossing of the Delaware, comes to mind. Especially memorable is the scene where George reads Horatio Gates the riot act.
Probably the weakest part of the movie, as well as entirely fictional. It mars what is otherwise a near-documentary account of an important event in US history. Howard Fast’s book doesn’t have it, and in fact notes that no record whatever exists of the dinner conversation that night. The scene is merely what some modern scriptwriter thought George W. should have said to Gates. Gates was of course an ol’ fuddy-duddy who deserved whatever he got, even if he didn’t actually get it. The other glaring error is that James Monroe was written out entirely, his part in the battle being performed in the movie by Alexander Hamilton. All very inexplicable.
The Cowboys is my pick for a John Wayne feature. Not only for his showdown with Bruce Dern but the concepts of responsibility and showing boys what it means to be a man. Great film.
How could that list not include?:
1. Die Hard
2. The Bourne Identity
3. Serenity
4. We were Soldiers Once and Young
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark
My list would be much different but I think it was a concept piece, not a group of guys debating their favorites and voting.
No you don’t. No movie with Bourne in the title can be on this list. That title is in violation of the laws of both Verisimilitude and Suspension of Disbelief.
As a SciFi geek, I gotta dispute your Wrath of Khan opinion. It’s Horatio Hornblower in space! How is that not manly?
As for the rest of the list, I got my own problems w/ it. For A Few Dollars More rather than The Good, The Bad and The Ugly? What the hell were they smoking. FFDM was the weakest of the trilogy. And if the list has to have 80s cheese, Roadhouse is the way to go. Who even remembers Stone Cold or Brian Whatshisname?
And the quote to pull from Predator is Jesse Ventura, “I ain’t got time to bleed!”
Oh, and no John Wayne invalidates the list completely.
Predator might be the only movie ever made that featured two future governors in the cast.
LOVE Serenity, but too much grrrl power to make this particular list, imao.
Any movie with John Wayne or Lee Marvin, but especially any movie with John Wayne AND Lee Marvin.
Though Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin leads you to Paint Your Wagon.
Scene: the meeting where the studio heads decide whether to make “Paint Your Wagon”
“It’s a musical comedy, set in a historical period nobody cares about, starring 2 guys who made their reputation playing killers. The best part is neither one of them can sing.”
” I don’t know. Does it at least have a love story ?”
“Of course it does ! And she can’t sing either !!”
Hell is the Pacific! Nuff said!
Among the Wayne movies, “The Cowboys” is at or near the top of the list, but so is (in my opinion) “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.” The scene where the anonymous trooper gets wounded mortally, and takes time out to tell Wayne’s character that one of the junior officers’ conduct in the skirmish in which he’d been shot was “in the highest tradition of the service” or some such thing, is confusing…until the guy dies a few minutes later, and when they quickly bury him and Wayned delivers the eulogy, it turns out that “Private Smith Number 3″ was actually a Confederate cavalry Brigadier General, serving anonymously in the army because his army had been defeated, and as a West Point Graduate he was considered a traitor and couldn’t reenlist.
As for Eastwood movies, I think I’d pick “Unforgiven” ahead of any of the Spaghetti Westerns. Eastwood’s character was somewhere between a hero and a villain, true, but I felt that his characteristics, loyalty to his friends above all being the main one, are rather manly. It also has a dynamite cast.
While I don’t typically like fantasy movies much, the final battle scene in the 3rd Lord of the Rings movie, where they’re confronted by the giant evil orc army, and everyone hesitates…and then the hobbits yell and charge forward, and the rest of the army is inspired to follow…that’s my idea of manhood. When you’re confronted with absolute evil, you act. You don’t worry about odds or chances or possibilities, you do what needs to be done, even if you’re tiny and they’re giant and appear to be undefeatable. That’s manhood, in my opinion…and despite all the lyrical pseudo-mythical stuff Tolkien added which Jackson recreated, that gives the trilogy entree here, in my opinion…
The third Lord of the Rings movie. “Return of the King”. King Theodens’ speech to the Rohirrim before they ride into battle on the fields of the Pelannor.
“Hell in the Pacific.” Lee Marvin, Toshiro Mifune, 1968.
Red Sun – Toshiro Mifune, Charles Bronson.
I despise it when people associate the word “macho” with manly or masculine. Do any of you know what the word means?
Macho refers to the dominant male in a homsexual relationship. Why do you think the Village People sang “I want to be a macho man” or “I want to stay at the YMCA”? There is nothing manly or masculine about being macho.
As far as manly or masculine films go, I’ll take the Outlaw Josey Wales. Throw in the Magnificent Seven, the Dirty Dozen and Kelly’s Heroes. Oh, and the Godfather too. That’s the ultimate film about being a man and about failing to be a man.
Macho means male in Spanish and both in Spain and Mexico has been used for centuries as synonylous for brave, foolhardy, impervious to pain. Thee is no reason to let a bunch of US homosexuals confiscate the term.
Yes, we do. It means “male”. Human or animal.
So no votes for Robin Hood: Men in Tights?
You’ve gotta be a man to wear tights!
Perhaps not, but I think Erol Flynn’s “The Adventures of Robin Hood” absolutely belongs on the list. He beats up a couple of guys with a deer, for god’s sake… while wearing tights! That’s pretty badass.
To add to the above commend re: “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”, there are some great manly scenes there whether you like fantasy or not. At one point, when things look black for the good guys, King Theoden gets the message that Gondor (an allied nation) is hard pressed by the orc army. One of his advisors says, “We cannot win,” to which Theoden replies, “But we will fight nonetheless!”
I recall they (the Rohirrim) were at first reluctant to assist because, “where was Gondor when we needed them?” Then you see their faces when they are on the ledge looking down upon Gondor – in flames – with a VAST army surrounding them. You can almost hear their thoughts, “Ah! That explains it!”
Actually, I just watched the charge of the Rohirrim on u-tube and the look was more like, “Well, that sucks!”
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As far as manly or masculine films go, I’ll take the Outlaw Josey Wales. Throw in the Magnificent Seven, the Dirty Dozen and Kelly’s Heroes. Oh, and the Godfather too. That’s the ultimate film about being a man and about failing to be a man.
I’m not surprised that Predator made the list, but I’m stunned that the original Conan the Barbarian didn’t. For Ghu’s sake, it begins with a quote from Nietzsche;
Which pretty much sums up the entire plot. Although in the Cimmerian’s case, it might better be rendered as “ That which does not kill Conan, is dead by the time he’s done with it“. (BTW, I consider it substantially better than 300.)
Among Eastwood films, For A Few Dollars More is probably the best of his “Man With No Name” trilogy. Yes, I consider it better than Fistful of Dollars, and significantly more understandable and better-plotted than The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. (The latter, admittedly, has the best Ennio Morricone score.) But for Eastwood in manly mode, it’s very hard to match Dirty Harry (1971), with Magnum Force (1973) running a close second.
John Wayne’s most manly film? I’d call it a tossup between El Dorado (1967), and The High And The Mighty (1954). The former was the Duke in traditional “Western hero” mode, while the latter was a portrayal of a man who becomes a hero by virtue of doing his job in spite of everything. Cold courage in the cockpit, in the middle of one h**l of a storm, with the lives of fifty people riding on your skill, is about as manly as it gets.
As for manly movies in general, how in the H did Yojimbo(1961) not make the list? Based on a story by Dashiell Hammett, author of The Maltese Falcon (Red Harvest- look it up), directed by Akira Kurosawa (who also cowrote the screenplay), and starring Toshiro Mifune, Japan’s version of Robert Mitchum. If not for it, Fistful of Dollars would never even have been made; it’s a haircut of the Yojimbo script. (Don’t believe me? Ask Eastwood sometime.)
Not to mention a more recent “take” on Yojimbo which deserves at least an Honorable Mention on the list; Last Man Standing (1996), starring Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, and Bruce Dern, and directed by Walter Hill. Even the name of that one says, “There are no emo-boys in this movie, folks”. Any movie in which William Sanderson gets to blow somebody away with a Colt Dragoon isn’t exactly “touchy-feely”.
Yojimbo has what may be the most manly line in any film, ever. After having been nearly beaten to death by Ushi-Tora’s goons, Sanjuro (Mifune) manages to escape mainly be outsmarting them. When told by the gravedigger that he is in no shape to do anything but get away, if he wants to stay alive, he replies;
I cannot die yet. I have too many men to kill..
It doesn’t get much more manly than that.
cheers
eon
eon, you’re dead right about Yojimbo. But El Dorado? James Caan in that ridiculous hat? James Caan reciting Poe’s poem El Dorado? All it needed to become a total flop was Ricky Nelson with that squeaky teen-age voice of his playing a tough gunslinger. Oh wait.
“El Dorado” was Howard Hawks’ second try at the story of “Rio Bravo” from 1959. He tried again in 1970 with “Rio Lobo”. Having seen all three, I’ll take Mississippi and his shotgun over Dean Martin’s drunk or Jack Elam’s over-the-top version of Arthur Hunnicutt’s Bull any day of the week.
Even Hawks admitted that he should have quit while he was ahead with the ’67 version.
cheers
eon
Yojimbo is great. It was remade as “A Fistful of Dollars”, and then later by Bruce Willis in “Last Man Standing”. I still prefer the original.
Boondock Saints.
It must hold the record for most F words in one film.
“Boondock Saints” is the better of the two movies, but the sequel, “All Saints Day”, includes the manliest speech in film history. That speech alone puts it in the Pantheon of Manly Film.
Using the F-word is no longer manly; females have co-opted it in the last couple of years.
“Scent of a Woman” – This is, for me, the quintessential Man movie of all time – not about killing beasts, but about really being a man, and mentoring the fatherless into manhood. One of the best movies of all time.
Nice call, Pacino’s speech at the end is classic. By the way, Clint’s character in ‘Gran Torino’ is perfect American macho – gruff, bombastic war vet and unapologetically non-PC; but underneath a heart of gold – a mentor with the intelligence to get the needed result through self-sacrifice. His best work, hands down.
Clint Eastwood in the Gauntlet.
The few I agree with in the list. The Dirty Dozen is a quintessential man film. I agree with the poster above who said Act of Valor should be added, it is the military movie of military movies.
Predator I agree with, but its worst parts are its action scenes, though Ventura with the ‘six pack’ is pretty freaking cool.
I’ve seen a lot of John Wayne movies, and I have my favorite, The Shootist, but that is pure drama and not a action/drama. So I don’t know what I’d use for my requisite John Wayne film.
Charles Bronson. I’d go with Death Hunt over Death Wish.
Clint Eastwood. Magnum Force. “I just wanted to see if you knew the way to San Quentin, and you do, don’t you a**hole.”
The Seven Samurai, though Hidden Fortress has one of the best fight scenes in moviedom, in my opinion; a 20 minute long spear fight that doesn’t get boring. Toshiro Mifune was a great actor and a great action star.
I would actually take Warth of Khan off of that list, even though I love the movie, because again, it’s more drama than action.
I don’t know how the list could leave off Die Hard. That revolutionized the modern action film. What boy/man didn’t leave the theater wanting a whole lot more of that film?
That brings me to another film that caused me to do something I rarely do. I returned the very next day to see Gladiator. I think that should be on the list. Not particularly historical, but a great movie. I simply loved the opening scene that gave one of the best possible looks of Roman combined arms tactics and why there were so devastating to their foes.
What…no Bond, James Bond? Thunderball.
Bond movies on this list? Bond movies are comedies.
You’ve obviously never seen “Dr. No” or “From Russia with Love”.
Not the spectacles with my bro Craig.
Most “spy movies” are comedies, and few resemble real intel ops in any way, shape, or form. Ditto TV “spy shows”, from the Sixties onwards. Try as I might, I’ve always had trouble taking Mission:Impossible (TV version) seriously, and its movie revival, plus The Man From U.N.C.L.E., weren’t even worth the effort to try.
About the only “spy movie” that ever came close to the reality in its own era was Funeral In Berlin (1966), starring Michael Caine. But its prequel, The Ipcress File (1965) was badly re-written from the original novel, and its sequel The Billion Dollar Brain (1967) was absolutely worthless.
On TV, about the only efforts worth wasting time on both came from the UK. Namely, Reilly, Ace of Spies starring Sam Neill, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy starring Alec Guinness. The first was a true story, and the second could very well have been one.
cheers
eon
“Reilly, Ace of Spies” was terrific. Glad you brought it up. I remember watching the series when it was originally presented by PBS in 1983. Sam Neill gave a wonderful portrayal of the real-life spy Reilly and I’ve been a fan of Neill’s acting ever since.
golden eye – macho
the Daniel Craig bond – macho
any bond movie not overly gimmicky (rules out Roger Moore)
some Shawn Connery were quite gimmicky as well.
On the other hand, movies about vigilantes, like the Punisher, in which a macho man decimates the bad guys, is also deeply satisfying in a prurient way. Who hasn’t fantasized about being an amoral mobster? Well, what real man hasn’t fantasized about killing as many amoral mobsters as possible and making the world safe for women, kids, and old people?
Not wild about:
1. Stone Cold – The Boz just doesn’t do it for me.
2. Machete – not wild about Tarantino,
3. Wrath of Khan – Have to love Ricardo Montalban and Bill Shatner. But while no one remembers Montalban shilling for the Cordoba, who can forget Bill was Denny Crane, and we all know how that one ended!
How can you not have:
1. The Godfather – ” It’s an old habit. I spent my whole life trying not to be careless. Women and children can afford to be careless, but not men.”
2. Roadhouse
3. Music Man – I know a musical, but Preston can sing and dance. He lives by his wiles, admits his self-awareness by declaring ” The Sadder but Wiser Girl for Me” and tells Opie what it is that gets him out of bed every day: ” I always believe there’s a band, kid.”
And why not…
4. Pride of the Yankees – There may be no good George Washington biop, but Lou Gehrig is still mythic. It has the apocalyptic story how Babe Ruth ( played by himself) promises a sick boy he’ll hit a home run for him, only for the boy to ask Lou to hit more. He does, he hits four! And who doesn’t cry at that speech?
OK, my list of best manly films….
The Shootist – Shows how a man faces death, especially poignant considering John Wayne really was dying from cancer at the time and you know he had to be dwelling on it.
The Godfather – The thinking man’s manly movie.
True Grit – Sometimes things have to be done that just ain’t pretty, but they gotta be done anyway and tough ba$tards are just the ones to do it. Just be sure to get out of their way and stand back far enough that the blood doesn’t splatter on your shoes. Oh, and don’t judge them afterwards.
The Outlaw Jose Wales – “Dyin’ ain’t much of a living, boy.”
Dirty Harry – “Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?” Is there really anything more that needs to be said? This is the one that is always quoted.
The Seven Samurai – Absolutely necessary in the overall scheme of the cosmos that this movie was made because it beget….
The Magnificent Seven – Not even necessary to explain why this is a manly movie. If you gotta ask, or don’t understand it, then please go sit with the girls and discuss what shade of nail polish you should use.
We Were Soldiers – Possibly Gibson’s finest effort with the possible exception of…..
The Patriot – There is nothing contradictory in being a man, a father, and a husband, plus seeking revenge, all at the same time while simultaneously speaking to the subject from the standpoint of a Southern planter. I believe it captures more believably just how brutal the struggle for independence was and justifies that bloody and magnificent violence sometimes IS necessary for a worthy cause!
Gran Torino – Never screw with a guy who ain’t afraid of death and is willing to sacrifice himself for those he cares about.
Honorable mention….
Shane.
Magnum Force.
Lonesome Dove (though that was a series instead of a movie).
The Alamo.
Enter The Dragon.
The Man With No Name trilogy movies.
Red Sun.
The Untouchables.
I guess my list is more about movies that show why a man does what he does rather than just a bunch of shooting and explosions. Action flicks do not necessarily equate to manly movies.
Both your list’s are OUTSTANDING !!!!
The Shootist – in my humble opinion – is the best work ever done by JW !!!!
“Stalag 17″
The Enemy Below with Robert Michum. Every Naval officer’s idea of cool.
I totally defend including “Wrath of Khan” on the list. Kirk and Khan both were willing to fight to the death rather than sacrifice their principles.
There was no crying, no self-doubt, no navel gazing, no equivocating, no “getting in touch with feelings” – just manly men fighting to the death.
Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom or a 1960′s Bond movie are the most macho movies not on the list. Who’s more macho than Indiana Jones?
YES! Indiana Jones should definitely be on the list!
It was great how in that one scene the big bad guy swings a sword all around, very fancy-like, only for Indiana to look at him, shrug as in WTH, the shoot him and move on with life.
Totally bada$$.
Capt B and Scott, you have just nominated a pair of kid’s movies. Get serious.
The Sand Pebbles
Gran Prix
Nevada Smith
Robin Hood (Errol Flynn, as if I needed to explain)
Gardens of Stone
Patton
Mr. Roberts
L.A. Confidential
Twelve O’Clock High
Hmmm….let’s put it another way.
If you wanted a young male to watch something that could possibly incite him to cogitate on matters larger than what size explosion was on the screen, what movies would you want that kid to watch?
Life lessons SHOULD include the rule that you never bring a knife to a gunfight.
Lee Marvin in “The Professionals”. “you gave your word to ME”.
“The Best Years of Our Lives”
“The Desperate Hours” (March lays it out to Bogart. Bogart is holding the gun, but he smiles, he respects the guy.)
Almost anything with John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Bill Holden, Fredric March.
Cool Mitchum flick is “His Kind Of Gal.” Like a pre-Bond flick.
Bogart in anything is manliness personified. ‘Casablanca’ should be top of the list.
A Duke flick: The Searchers
A Mitchum: Out of the Past
And lastly (or not): The Wild Bunch
I just got done watching “The Gallant Hours” with James Cagney playing Admiral Halsey.
It is perhaps the most introspective movie I’ve ever seen without being blatantly so. There’s no discussion of self-doubt, fear of failure or any of that though it’s there as a subtext and masterfully executed by Cagney and the very strong supporting cast.
I recommend it to anyone who needs a refresher on duty and sacrifice and honor thrown in for good measure.
Charles Bronson in “Hard Times” (1975), a drifter, and bare-knuckles fighter in Louisiana during the Depression, with James Coburn, Strother Martin, and Jill Ireland as female interest. Very tough, hard-boiled, with humor too.
Yes–great macho movie
The early 1950′s Japanese Movie “Seven Samurai” is arguably the greatest guy movie ever made. In 1960, The Magnificent Seven was copied from the Japanese movie, but it doesn’t come close in action or ant category except “music.”
This 3 1/2 hour epic goes on ANY list of man’s movies, PERIOD!
but another great one, same character, same actor (Toshiro Mifune) is the film Sanjuro.
I got to tell you, these are all great comments and great movie suggestions. Only thing missing is having a beer in my hand. Great discussion, gents! Thanks.
Any list of macho movies has to have (and I can’t believe I’m going to say this) a Steven Seagal movie. I nominate “Hard to Kill.” Have to agree that “Stone Cold” doesn’t belong. I would replace it with “Die Hard,” but for pure, unadulterated, mindless macho violence you have to see “Shoot ‘Em Up.”
I hate to break it to you, but while “Shoot ‘Em Up” did feature Monica Bellucci’s breasts (a very good thing), the movie is anti-2nd Amendment agitprop (not a good thing).
After about ten John Wayne movies, for me, the list would have to include The Godfather (rather than Goodfellas), No Country For Old Men, The Unforgiven and Gran Torino.
The real bottom line here–manliness is too big a topic to be limited to 10 films. I’m not sure that even 100 is enough.
How about Rock Hudson in “Giant”? Or Mr. Incredible? Or Bigwig standing up to General Woundwort in “Watership Down”? (Okay, they’re rabbits, but they’re manly rabbits.)
Doctor Strangelove is a macho movie. General Buck Turgidson, General Jack Ripper, where men have the power to blow up the world, ride ‘em cowboy on a falling nuke, AND they get to go down into the mineshafts in a ratio of 10 women to every man, unfortunately negating the traditional so-called monogamous sexual relationship, er, at least as far as men are concerned.
Lots of good comments, here. As an honorable mention, I would like to offer Costner’s “The Bodyguard”. Not a big powerful guy, but professional, well-trained, gentlemanly, protective, and capable of emotion without the tears and whining. Gentlemen are gentle, because they are strong.
It was similar in concept to Man on Fire, but MOF was too dreary. He was too empty inside, burnt out, tired of life. Such a sad character. Both bodyguards had the same professionalism, but one was drained of life, and the other full of life.
All these lists seem to be made by people who haven’t watched a movie made before 1960 and don’t know a damned thing about masculinity, mistaking it for lots of stupid violence.
Top Ten movies for what’s truly masculine:
The Quiet Man
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Sergeant York
High Noon
Shane
How Green Was My Valley
Casablanca
North by Northwest
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Bridge on the River Kwai
We have similar tastes in “thinking man’s” movies, obviously. To which I would add the 1945 version of The Big Sleep, which also gets my vote for the best film noir ever made.
Speaking of Bogart movies, I’m surprised everyone (including myself) forgot to mention Key Largo (1948). Bogart’s verbal sparring with Edward G. Robinson is classic. As is Robinson’s total failure to understand that his old-time “gangster” SOP is not going to work on a man who has been through four years of hell in a real war.
cheers
eon
” . . . Goodfellas, not as great a mob movie as The Godfather, but the only film I can think of that celebrates the joy of being a totally abusive, amoral, violent, and corrupt SOB, which is every man’s secret fantasy. It’s not? Uh oh.”
I’ve tweeted/facebooked this line. Makes me laugh!
Great selections and nominations. Here are some considerations:
The Thing 1982 John Carpenter Take on a superpower alien, save the earth, and not live to tell anyone. What’s more macho than that?
The Searchers. John Wayne
Die Hard
A Few Dollars More or Unforgiven Clint Eastwood
or Dirty Harry or Gran Torino
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Wrath of Khan Star trek
Cop James Woods The 80′s fantasy
Death Wish Bronson
Zulu, both sides are macho in war.
“because being an amoral SOB is every man’s secret fantasy.”?
I have no desire to be Obama.
Across 110th Street.
Super Fly
TAKEN. The dad, emasculated by his nasty ex-wife who throws around her new hubby’s wealth, drops everything to go to Paris and not only rescue his daughter, but then proceed to kill every. last. bad. guy. ever. You just can’t top that.
Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken.
This list is rapidly morphing into the top 100 guys movies. Love almost all of these movies but for your consideration: Tombstone, A-Team(the new one with Liam Neeson)RED (my current Bruce Willis Favorite) The Right Stuff Ben Hur Batman Begins The Avengers Iron Man Matrix James Bond category Goldeneye and Living Daylights Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
You certainly have my votes on Tombstone and RED.
I’ll even consider The Avengers – the scene where Iron Man is calling for help even as he flies up into the swarm of incoming aliens to take them on single handedly was awesome!
I’d say the most macho character of all time was the boy played by Rex Harrison in All Mine To Give. It just doesn’t get any tougher than that kid.
“Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”. How can you get more macho than extracting a bullet from your own chest? Memorable line: Maturin: “You have left me with a debt I fear I will be unable to repay.” Aubrey: “Name a shrub after me; something prickly and hard to eradicate.”
blade runner
alien
aliens
Ahem….I’m as big a fan of her as anyone else when she was in her prime – but aren’t those two movies about a chick named Sigourney Weaver? The men in those movies tended to be p%$$*&s….
that’s right, she was a woman and she was more “macho” then 90% of the men today. therefor she qualifies.
You liked Sigourney in Alien because of her fight wearing just panties and in Aliens she was the ultimate “grizzly bear” mama—-neither was macho!
Not true. Altho I did enjoy the panties scene (I am a man), but that is not why I chose them. I know most of you may not agree with me but there are plenty of “macho” women. Margaret Thatcher, Joan of Arc, Amelia Earhart, to name just a few
Sigh, not a big Bruce Willis fan.
Unforgiven – one minute Clint’s falling in slop chasing pigs, the next he’s picking off that poor dude at long range in cold calculation.
The Most Interesting Man in the World – not a movie, but you have to admit his body of work is impressive. ” He once had an awkward moment – just to see how it felt.”
Godfather I and II….Saving Private Ryan…Something About Mary (cuz what woman likes that movie?) Dumb and Dumber…Stripes….Animal House…Citizen Kane…Cool Hand Luke…and The Longest Day
A top ten list per decade would be fun to compile. That would leave room for several Wayne films.
The Quiet Man is certainly good for its depiction how men need to beat each others brains out before they can be friends, the scene of wayne taking out his glasses to read the inscription on the silver watch his men gave him in She Wore A Yellow Ribbon is classic and I have always loved the tragic love story at the heart of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. I think my favorite Wayne film, however, has to be Rio Grande. The back story has Wayne and O’Hara estranged for years because in the Civil War he had followed orders and burned down her plantation while she was standing there with their infant son. He won’t apologize for doing his duty even if it means losing her love. Then there are the stunts, which were spectacular. There’s a scene in which the new recruits are asked if they know how to ride. One volunteers and jumps on a pair of horses saddled Roman circus style where the rider stands with a foot on the back of each horse. That’s no CGI or trick camera angles. Those stun men road roman style while jumping over a five foot rail fence at a full gallop with none of the protection modern riders wear such as helmets and instantly inflatable vests. That’s just plain crazy good horsemanship.
Good call on Scent of a Woman, BMoon.
Here are my additions, for what they are worth:
A Man for All Seasons. Tommie More was the original old school, bad ass.
On the Waterfront. I love the part in court when Terry Malloy yells at Johnny Friendly, “I’m glad what I done, yah hear?”
It was Elia Kazan’s way of telling the commies in the film business that he had no regrets about naming names.
The Wild Ones–’What are you rebelling against, Johnny?” “What have you got?”
Thunder Road–or anything with Robert Mitchum.
Tombstone–”I’m your huckleberry” ..and… “you tell them hell’s coming”
John Wayne — “Red River”. He gets shot in the side, clasps a hand over the hole, and starts stomping towards the bad guy /camera … and you think, “oh, shit, now he’s *really* mad!”
Guns of Navarone — really REALLY big phallic symbols! And David Niven was a hero, so you know it had to be tres’ macho.
Pretty much any war movie or western made before 1960 and most made until 1970.
How do you do atop ten and leave out Steve McQueen ?
Many early examples have gone unmentioned; some are the best ever done.
Bogart-African Queen
Robert Taylor- Ivenhoe
Charlton Heston-El Cid, Ben Hur, 55 Days at Peking
Sean Connery- The Wind and the Lion, The Man Who Would be King
All are classic examples of masculine virtue in terms of honor, duty, loyalty and courage.
I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn’t find one of ‘em, not one stinkin’ dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like victory. Someday this war’s gonna end…
Josey Wales
The Deer Hunter.
(I figure that’s a conversation-stopper.)
If we’re talking about movies that reflect a real man worthy of emulation this is the only man I would want my son, if I had one, not to mention myself to emulate. I will never reach His level of greatness in this life, but will nonetheless aspire to be just like Him in all ways. This is a REAL man & much, much more:
http://youtu.be/MyoCGx4yeE8
What about:
Cool Hand Luke (car washing scene…?)
Where Eagles Dare (a young Clint Eastwood)
Deliverance (OK…maybe a slightly uncomfortable scene…)
Once Upon a Time in the West (an evil Henry Fonda)
Rob Roy (Tim Roth gets his….)
Braveheart (the “out the window” scene…?)
300 (“…tonight, we dine in hell!!!)
Way of the Gun (James Caan saves this movie)
The Hunted (great knife fight….)
Warrior (Nick Nolte as you’ve never seen him….well, OK, not a stretch…)
Mob: Goodfellas
Family: The Godfather
Spy: North by Northwest
Western(J Wayne Division): Red River
Western(C Eastwood Division): Outlaw Josey Wales
Western(Open Division): The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Drama/Romance: Casablanca
Comedy: Dr Strangelove
War: Patton
War(realism): 1st 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan
Many Wayne movies are contenders for this list, but here’s one of my favorites, as yet unmentioned: “The Three Godfathers” from about 1948. Wayne and his two robber compadres sacrifice all to save a newborn baby. When the Duke is offered his freedom by a jury in return for his redeeming act, he refuses, saying he will not relinquish legal custody, saying he will not go back on his word to the dying mother. He gets sentenced to a prison stretch, and the town rejoices at his decision, the one they expected. It will make your eyes leak. Oh, and it has Ward Bond too, the greatest character actor Hollywood produced, IMHO.
The lists go back and forth, and most are open to debate. The one that somehow comes to mind for me is 12 Angry Men, which is also my pick for the “if I could only watch one movie again for the rest of my life” award.
Overlooked gem, and a personal favorite: “Farewell to the King” (Nolte) also Jean Reno in “The Professional” was way cool. Luc Beeson has made some good films.
I don’t have to watch macho, I married it!
Goodfellas is ok but have you everseen Once Upon A Time In America? Directed by Sergio Leone. Starring Robert De Niro, James Woods. It’s an epic gangster’s tale and that scene with De Niro & Tuseday Weld!!!
Many of these suggestions are fine but in my opinion, you cannot leave out “300″ (it appeared in the original list).
Wall to wall, no-kidding, this-is-what-it-means-to-be-a-guy.
Cool Hand Luke
The Getaway (the original)
The Magnificent 7
The Road Warrior
Man on Fire