10 Most Intense Western Duels Ever
1. The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (1966)
Western duels often feature two gunmen facing off against one another at high noon, but not all gunfights go down that way. In the final film in the "Dollars trilogy," The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, Clint Eastwood finds himself standing against two opponents in what is known as a Mexican Standoff.
This is one of the most intense and classic scenes in any Western, but not just because it involves a Mexican Standoff. The intensity is ramped up over and over again for a full five minutes as each man takes his place across from the other two.
It's a no-win situation, which appears as if nobody will survive what is to come, but when the guns are drawn and the bullets are shot, only one man falls.
When it comes to western duels, this scene is probably the most representative of the genre and also the most intense of them all. The focus on the trio's eyes in an intense closeup prior to them drawing makes watching this scene so completely gripping, and of course, led to Eastwood's iconic "two kinds of people" line before its end.