The Best Opening Scenes in Westerns 

Once upon a time in the west... Takes the cake for everything, best opening scene, best cast, best music score best western ever and one of the ten best movie of any genre period.

The fly on Jack Elam's face had to be a happy accident and he went with it. You can't train a fly and there was no CG at that time. Flies play a part in a few of Sergio's films. Best opening scene ever.

Best ever...Once Upon a Time In the West...and, the best western ever made

Shane, the deer drinking,the boy sneaking on the deer and Shane riding in from the distance.

Rio Bravo is far and away the best opening sequence. A Howard Hawks masterclass in story telling by vision only.

I think Once Upon A Time In The West is number1 Here are a couple of others. All used music well. 1: The Comancheros: The dual involving Stuart Whitman and the rousing music showing John Wayne on a horse. 2: Gunfight At OK Corral: The opening credits and the Frankie Laine song. “Boot Hill, so cold, so still” What brilliant lyrics mixed with imagery. 3: The Fiend Who Walked The West: Obscure film ( except the HOT Linda Cristal of course); but brilliant use of horror film music and a black outline of the fiend over a town. One bit of trivia: The villain was played by Robert Evans who produced The Godfather and Chinatown

"Once upon a time in the west " first 10 min. !!!👍👍👍

I like the opening scene of Silverado.

The Good The Bad and the Ugly. Three bandits arrive to kill Tuco. He bursts from the house in a blaze of glory.

Open Range, Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall and a young Diego Luna. Starts off with with a wagon crossing Montana against a back drop of Barbed wire showing the Open Range is closing and then transforms into an epic thunderstorm.

Once Upon A Time In The West is No1 for me, I think Django, For A Few Dollars More, High Planes Drifter and Cahill United States Marshal are great opening scenes also.

Silverado? Great opening scene. The vista from the cabin; brilliant.

The incomparable "Shane".

So many great films had great opening scenes. OUATITW is number one, it just draws you into what is going to happen. Great cinematography on the opening of Great Silence as the camera pulls back exposing that bleak whit cold background. Rio Bravo, Dean Martin's greatest role. Honorable mention Return of Sabata.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. 'nuff said.

The shootist with John Wayne opening is a classic

Thank you for the suggestions. I've gone with Hang Em High. Sometimes there is nothing to fill an evening with such wonder as a good western.

Rio Bravo has the best opening scene in movie history, not only western movies but all genres. In four minutes and without words, Hawks showed the personality and the situation of three of the main roles in movie. Just genial.

You left out "the Wild Bunch " in which the Outlaws ride slowly towards the bank they are about to rob climaxing in the failed robbery.

best one.. The searchers

*High Plains Drifter* (With the Creepy Music) Where Clint mysteriously appears from the haze and effortlessly rides (straight through a graveyard), into Lago.

The opening of Once Upon a Time in the West is untouchable. The opening of The Searchers is second best IMHO. Few now know that the melody playing was the most popular song of the Civil War, "Lorena." The poignant opening sets the stage for the contradictory horrors that soon arrive.

Number one should be Tombstone. Shooting up the wedding in revenge for the two Cowboys was brutal. No Soul Ringo even shoots the priest in the forehead. You know immediately not to mess with the Cowboys.

Silverado (1985) had a great opening scene with White Rock Canyon Overlook in the background.

Rio Bravo. Not a word yet we know where the characters stand

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Some wonderful selections (although you missed High Plains Drifter), but that voice! Wrangler, if you aren't an AI voice you should be. Hard to beat for lack of expression.

I think big Jake should have been on this list

I think 'the good, bad and ugly' should have been put in; just because it is the all time great. Saving tuco from the rope by rifle shot, and pocketing reward money scam ....just a bonifide classic.

Sergio Leone + Ennio Morricone = top western

Great review regardless of the many critics.

Good stuff, thanks for sharing.

Why bring up 'The Searchers' and not show the door frame?

These are memorable, just like great openings in music -- who can forget the thunderous opening chords of Beethoven's Fifth? And that symphony didn't go downhill after, just like these great Westerns....

Why is this guy rambling about everything we can see perfectly? It'd be better to leave the original dialogues audible instead of relating what the characters are saying.

Another honorable mention ought to be the opening of Yellow Sky. The cavalry pursuit of the bank robbers as they open up into a skirmishing line for the charge is a classic scene that could now only be replicated on CGI and it was done in Death Valley. The opening of High Plains Drifter is another one that should be on the list.

Thanks

The boot hill scene at the beginning in magnificent 7

The Wild Bunch with William Holden is on my list. I took a date to it and she cried and hid under her hands the whole movie.

the last wagon with richard widmark

Hondo...best opening scene ever in a western.

Once Upone a time in the west. A Sergio Leon film opening scene @ the Railroad statuon. You brough three to many😊😊😊

Magnificent seven when Calvera terrorizes the village. We see the need for help.

The Gunfighter with Gregory Peck.

The Wild Bunch and Silverado openings should be on the this list.

Some of my favorite western movie openings are Clint Eastwood High Plains Drifter”, a stranger rides out of the heat waves into the mining town of Lago. Eastwood’s ride into La Hood Ca. out of the surrounding mountains from “Pale Rider”. Stranger rides into a small border town in “For a few Dollars More”. John Wayne, “War Wagon”,” Big Jake”, “Rio Lobo”, all had great opening scenes.

Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid, an awesome movie watching it as a kid back then and still cool… however the ending was sad and not historically accurate however it doesn’t matter & great opening scene Also Once upon a time in the west.. Charles Bronson harmonica and the one liner you’ve brought too many horses then really good… and I must say Rio Bravo great western I’m pleased John Wayne and Dean Martin made it for a mention, and video… good call. The movie North to Alaska cool and nice theme song tragedy Billy Horton passed before movie opened. Cat Ballou with Lee Marvin had a good scene when the kid was on the horse drunk.. lol however both those movies not sure about opening scenes. My fav Butch & Sundance nostalgia sakes! Thank you✅

To me, the Wild Bunch has the best opening scene.

Glenn Scott in Silverado is a stunning opening. The bushwhacker at the opening of For A Few Dollars More is also worth consideration.

The opening scene of Little Big Man.

OMG -- you did not include one of the most iconic and famous opening scenes in ANY movie ---- the introduction of John Wayne in Stagecoach. This movie made both Wayne and Ford, and established them as the greatest western making duo ever.

The best one left out is the 3 stooges western with Adam (Batman) West. The bad guy fires about a hundred shots from 2 six guns and says “ lucky for you I gotta reload”.

One of the best opening in western movie's Once upon a time in the west👍

Hondo. Also , Big Jake if you consider the attack on the ranch a prologue and the movie starting with Wayne looking down the barrel of his rifle.

I think Duel at Diablo at a GREAT Opening scene, and so did Vera Cruz

Though it is not a notable film, I always thought the opening Civil War sequence of Custer of the West 1967, is a great action scene. Opens the film with a bang. Custer is depicted as a born leader, intoxicated with the thrill of action.

When I saw the title of this video, my mind went back to the 60's, sitting watching Clint Eastwood get hung from a tree before the opening credits.....it had a profound effect on my teenage soul!

One of my favourites was a great William Holden opening scene in the film the wild Bunch?

High noon with the bad guys coming together with The song High noon playing

Well, you completely missed it. Rod Steiger…. In Duck You Sucker. Not a single movie in any cinema genre .. ever created…compares to the impact ( excuse the pun). to this opening. If you haven’t seen it, I promise you that you all have a very colourful emotional reaction. ( another pun ) 😂 …..but it is the opening credit that really delivers a punch.

Pretty tough to beat the first ten minutes of the "Wild Bunch".

Good choice of movies. 😊

Once upon a time in the west - goat

Very fine collection n selection.Very difficult task to select 10 out of 1000!Still did very good job.Could have better if you think about some vintage classic like My Darling Clementine,Oxbow Incident,The Gunfighter,Gunfight at O K Corral n Big Country.

The professionals we the main characters at their craft.

Great viewing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In my opinion, the greatest all time intro for a western is Silverado (particularly on a big screen).

Big Jake! "No sir...No Sir I ain't. Haven't butted into anyone's business since I was 18 year old. At which time it almost got me killed. I'm not gonna start that again!"....."Oh...what'd he have to do that for!"

Any there any great opening scenes in the six or eight westerns that Anthony mann . Directed? I’m thinking about the Man from Laramie, been to the river, the far country, the naked spur, and Man of the west.

I am sorry, I have always thought High Noon was the most over rated western ever, just my opinion. Great job on the vid!

You missed “ fist full of dollars “ clint eastwood

I’ve never even heard of the first one. That’s really obscure.

I thought I'd never see the skipper from Gilligan's Island on a horse.🤠

I think you are hung up on Italian Spaghetti Westerns! They're OK but there are so many Great American Westerns, sounds like you didn't grow up with them!

I've never heard of some of these.

Seven Men From Now has a great opening scene. Possibly the best of the five Randolph Scott westerns directed by Budd Boetticher and known as the Ranown Five.

Sabata = (from memory alone) a thunderstorm is brewing outside as the bank is locked up, army guards are posted, and the mysterious stranger in black arrives in town: CUE THEME SONG, as the stranger assesses the situation under the opening credits. Something is going down, and its not good!

OMG you missed the best opening for a western movie... "MacKenna's Gold" 1969 Staring Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif and Telly Savalas.. One of the greatest westerns ever.

John Ford please

The Skipper let Eastwood hang

Return of frank James begins with the final scene from Jesse James wherein Jesse is shot in the back by Bob Ford. Which is why Frank goes after the Fords.

Don't forget Hondo.

The Spanish / Italian western boom of mid sixties brought the already tired USA genre into the modern era . It also started a new awareness of the mistreatment of native Americans .

1;40)I do not get why men, in hot weather and deserts, are wearing heavy coats. 2:22)"High Noon" was filmed on same set as "Gun Smoke". How Grace Kelly fired the Single Action .45 caliber 1873 Colt Sheriffs' Model P without cocking it is amazing. Military contracts kept all 4 1873 models off the civilian market until 1874. 4:43)The C96 Mauser Broomhandle was made from 1896 to around 1938. 6.73mm at first. later models in 9mm parabellum. 8:38)It was not in the "Django" script for the man to cut his hand, on the glass, and bleed on the table. A left in foul up. Done often.

Haven't any of you the best of or top ten or top 20 compilers ever heard of The Wild Bunch?

Nicely done, but I beg to insert my 2 cents. The Searchers & Shane excepted, all of these pale when compared to the gruesome opening scene of Hostiles 2017.

Mclintock: John Wayne saves the Scottish sheep herder (okay, it's the second scene).

red river when John Wayne’s Dunson meets Matt Garth which is the beginning of their almost paternal bond .

I can never watch spaghetti westerns sound music and storytelling rubbish and I have been watching westerns for over 70years

You misssed El Dorado.

You missed a lot of good ones that could have been on here. The really strange Western "Four Fast Guns" (1960) had an interesting Opening scene.

Why on earth does the commentary describe what we can see and hear for ourselves? Completely ruins the clips.

Some of these I don’t know, so I didn’t recognize the open. Because of that, your talking over them was not helpful. I would have included Silverado, and demoted some others for Shane. And where, if you please, was Stagecoach with its iconic scenery and John Wayne holding his saddle?

i saw silverado in the comments, ditto, a fistfull of dollars, the wild bunch, the shootist, joe kidd, the outlaw josey wales, high plains drifter, nevada smith, my name is nobody and many more, not trying to be too critical here but this catagory could be done in two or three parts..........................

Death Rides a Horse.

Where is" Good Bad Ugly"

We wish you a laurel ( and hardy ) welcome to our new sherif a nnnn ( blazing saddles

come on you forgot big country

You certainly opened a can of worms with this topic. Everyone will, depending on age, have their favourite. But you do have too many Italian westerns in your list..for many they do not count. Good luck.

Cowboys vs Aliens

What a lazy, crappy list.