Another western top of the list, this time courtesy of the great John Ford, and his 1956 masterpiece The Searchers. The appeal of The Searchers goes hand in hand with its dark and enigmatic tone, of course - as John Wayne's mysterious veteran Ethan Edwards rides out to "rescue" his niece from the Native Indians who captured her, we spend the sum of the movie pondering his real intentions. As a result of its dense and subtle screenplay, The Searchers stands as one of the most poured over movies of all-time - and it's nearly perfect. Nearly. Fact is, dark and ominous as this western is, there's one scene that is simply awful in its broad, "comedy" intentions - so much so, in fact, that it's genuinely bizarre as to why Ford included such hi-jinks in his movie, which - up to this point - was tonally masterful. The scene in question concerns Martin, Edwards' nephew, who challenges the groom of a girl he loves at her wedding party to a brawl outside. The scene feels like something plucked right out of a Looney Toons cartoon; like something Chaplin left on the cutting room floor. It's ridiculous and a bit cringeworthy to watch, given the carefully maintained tension and paranoia that has brought us to this point. And yet, there the scene is, as unmistakable part of one of all time greatest movies. Big sigh. Like this article? Let us know in the comments section below.
