DEAD MAN
1995, Miramax, 121 min, USA, Dir: Jim Jarmusch

Accountant William Blake (Johnny Depp) is expelled from a frontier town with a bullet lodged in his chest and a trio of bounty hunters at his heels. Fortunately, he is befriended by Nobody (Gary Farmer), a Native American who escorts him to the Pacific coast, where his destiny lies. Described by director Jim Jarmusch as a “psychedelic Western,” this haunting black-and-white vision features a soundtrack by Neil Young and a memorable supporting cast including Gabriel Byrne, Iggy Pop and, in his final film, Robert Mitchum. “One of the very best movies of the 1990s.” - A. O. Scott, The New York Times


THE MAN FROM THE ALAMO
1953, Universal, 79 min, USA, Dir: Budd Boetticher

“Out of Texas’ bravest hour…came the man they called the coward.” As the titular character of this Technicolor Western, John Stroud (Glenn Ford) is chosen to leave the famed fort during its siege and warn the locals of Mexican General Santa Ana’s approach. But after the battle, when there are no survivors to vouch for him, Stroud is accused of desertion and must work to clear his name and bring those who’d exploited the massacre at the Alamo to justice. Costarring Julie Adams, Chill Wills, Hugh O’Brien and Jeanne Cooper.


THE PROFESSIONALS
1966, Sony Repertory, 117 min, USA, Dir: Richard Brooks

Writer-director Richard Brooks earned a pair of Oscar nominations for this vastly underrated film. A Texas rancher enlists a team of mercenaries to rescue his wife, who has been kidnapped by a Mexican bandit. But the hired guns - Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan and Woody Strode – soon learn that their employer hasn’t told them the whole story (the outstanding cast also includes Ralph Bellamy, Claudia Cardinale and Jack Palance). Beautifully shot by Conrad Hall, THE PROFESSIONALS is an irresistible mix of action, intrigue and humor that ranks among the very best Westerns of the 1960s.


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