10 Best Performances In Western Movies
2. Clint Eastwood As Jed Cooper - Hang 'Em High (1968)
Considered by many to be the greatest western actor of all time, Clint Eastwood's eclectic filmography is littered with impressive performances, stoic staredowns and endless critical praise. Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy is surely Eastwood's most familiar foray into the western genre as 'The Man With No Name', but his performance as Jed Cooper in Ted Post's Hang 'Em High is Eastwood at his best.
After barely surviving a vicious lynching from a group of unknown men, Cooper takes a job as a lawman, poised to bring justice to those who wronged him.
In Hang 'Em High, Eastwood's trademark scowl is on full display, but with a character whose existence in the story is more than mere happenstance, Eastwood simply revels in the performance. While his character in the Dollars Trilogy is nothing more than a wayfaring stranger, Cooper's motivations are immediately felt, so Eastwood has the luxury of relying on a gripping plot to further enhance his already stellar performance.
Hang 'Em High may not have the iconic quotes of Dirty Harry or the cult following of Deadwood, but it does have the best performance of the western genre's golden boy, which is not to go unnoticed.