10 Most Intense Gunfights In Westerns

Open Range has Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner as a cattleman and his hired hand, who find themselves in a war against Michael Gambon's ruthless town owner. Made at a time when the western was considered to be box office poison, the film managed to gain a crowd by being... well... very good.

The acting and story are great and the film flies by at a nice pace. But it all leads to a fantastic all out action scene in its climax.

Starting off as the typical show of two groups meeting in the street, exchanging threatening words, the moment is cut short when Costner's character shoots Kim Coates. The villains share the audience's surprise, until Costner carries on firing. What follows is fifteen minutes of one of the best western gunfights ever put to screen.

Compared to many on this list, Open Range is tame. There is little to no blood and no real harsh language used. It goes to show that you don't need to be vicious to be thrilling. As it goes on, we also get to see where the line is drawn between hero and villain. What is killing for justice and what is just murder.

Things only get more intense as the towns people join in to help our heroes take down the man who has dictated them for so long. It is classic western and should be watched whether you are a fan of the genre or not.