While a great quote can come from any character, certain fictional individuals seemed to possess a gift for the art of the one-liner, consistently turning in a selection of memorable quotes, including in Westerns. Naturally, it all comes down to the writing. A good script with memorable lines will help establish a character while elevating the movie’s overall quality and memorability.
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The most quotable movie characters of all time can be found throughout a wide range of different genres, and Westerns are no exception. Said characters have been featured across every type of Western movie imaginable, from highly underrated remakes that deserve more love to the best spaghetti Westerns for Tarantino fans. The genre plays host to a compelling line-up of outlaws, gunslingers, and lawmen from a diverse array of cinematic periods who are currently regarded as the most quotable Western movie characters of all time.
10 Mattie Ross
True Grit (2010)
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10/10 True Grit WesternDrama
An adaptation of Charles Portis’ 1968 novel of the same name, True Grit tells the story of 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), who enlists the help of morally-questionable lawman Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) in order to avenge the death of her father by apprehending the criminal Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). They are joined by a cocksure Texas Ranger named Labeouf (Matt Damon), who insists upon collecting the bounty on Chaney’s head. The three travel across the Arkansas plains in pursuit of Chaney, risking life and limb against outlaws and wild animals in pursuit of justice.
Release Date December 22, 2010 Runtime 110 minutes Cast Jeff Bridges , Barry Pepper , Josh Brolin , Matt Damon , Hailee Steinfeld Director Ethan Coen , Joel Coen
The star of 2010’s True Grit,Hailee Steinfeld boasts one of the most impressive breakout roles in recent memory. The actress’ starring bow as Mattie Ross in the Coen Brothers’ remake of the 1969 original earned her an Academy Award nomination at the age of thirteen, with the Pitch Perfect star breathing life into one of the Western genre’s most quotable modern characters.
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Related How The Coen Brothers’ True Grit Remake Beat The Original (& Revitalized The Western Genre)
It’s extremely rare that a remake manages to top the classic original, but the Coen brothers’ True Grit remake is superior to the John Wayne movie.
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Possessing a sharp wit that belies her young age, Mattie deals out an array of memorable and witty insults throughout the film, with her sarcastic consolation of Matt Damon’s LaBoeuf through the pithy quote “I’m sorry that you have been eluded the winter long by a half-wit” serving as a particular highlight. She also produces the acclaimed movie’s most iconic soundbite, informing Jeff Bridges’ Rooster Cogburn that “They tell me you’re a man with true grit” to symbolize his courage and mental resolve.
9 Ben Wade
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
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8.3/10 3:10 to Yuma AdventureCrimeDramaWestern
A struggling rancher volunteers to escort a notorious outlaw to the train that will take him to prison. As the journey unfolds, both men engage in a psychological battle of wills, testing their morals and resolve while facing relentless danger from the outlaw’s gang and the harsh frontier.
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*Availability in US Release Date September 6, 2007 Runtime 122 minutes Cast Russell Crowe , Christian Bale , Logan Lerman , Dallas Roberts , Ben Foster , Peter Fonda Director James Mangold
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One of the best Western movie villains of all time, Russell Crowe’s Ben Wade owes a great deal of his aura of mystique to an array of soundbites, making him one of the genre’s most quotable characters. When he’s not reciting scripture or singing, the chief antagonist of 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma is an ice-cool customer. Wade memorably taunts his enemies with a barely disguised air of amusement, mocking them with sarcastic lines like “It’s probably cheaper just to let me rob the damn thing” or “The day I die, Byron, I’m getting sprung from hell.”
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Highlighting his moral complexity and compelling nature through his insistence that he wouldn’t be “leading an outfit like that if I wasn’t rotten as hell,” Crowe’s charge is far from an irredeemable antagonist. However, a key factor behind his status as one of the genre’s foremost villains is his capacity for ruthless retribution, a state of affairs shown by one of his most quotable soundbites. Escaping his bonds to grab Peter Fonda’s Byron after he insults Wade’s mother, Crowe’s charge coldly informs him that “even bad men love their mommas” before hurling the Pinkerton off a cliff.
8 William Munny
Unforgiven (1992)
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9.8/10 Unforgiven WesternDrama
Unforgiven follows retired gunslinger Will Munny as he is drawn back into his former life for a final mission, seeking justice with his old partner and a young outlaw called The Schofield Kid.
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*Availability in US Release Date August 7, 1992 Runtime 130 Mins Cast Clint Eastwood , Gene Hackman , Morgan Freeman , Richard Harris , Jaimz Woolvett , Saul Rubinek , Frances Fisher , Anna Thomson , David Mucci , Rob Campbell , Anthony James , Tara Frederick , Beverley Elliott , Liisa Repo-Martell , Josie Smith , Shane Thomas Meier , Aline Levasseur , Cherrilene Cardinal , Robert Koons , Ron White , Mina E. Mina , Henry Kope , Jeremy Ratchford , John Pyper-Ferguson Director Clint Eastwood Expand
One of Clint Eastwood’s darkest characters, aging gunslinger William Munny is responsible for many of Unforgiven’s most memorable quotes. The main character of the 1993 Academy Award-winning Western, Munny’s transformation into one of the genre’s most formidable vessels of vengeance following the death of his friend, Morgan Freeman’s Ned Logan, presents the perfect opportunity for some unforgettably menacing pieces of dialogue.
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Eastwood lost out on the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Munny to Al Pacino for his work in 1992’s
Scent of a Woman.
An ominous warning to Gene Hackman’s Bill Daggett, Munny’s declaration that “I’ve killed everything that walks or crawls at one time or another. And I’m here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you done to Ned!” is easily one of the genre’s most chilling soundbites. Ending things with a sinister flourish, Eastwood’s immortal and endlessly imitated sign-off of “Deserve’s got nothing to do with it” as Dagget pleads for mercy serves to reinforce his image as one of the genre’s most formidable characters.
7 Daniel Plainview
There Will Be Blood (2007)
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7/10 There Will Be Blood EpicDrama
Loosely based on an Upton Sinclair novel, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood follows Daniel Plainview, a ruthless entrepreneur and oil man who, in his quest to run a successful oil business, slowly descends into crime and corruption and alienates everyone around him. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Plainview, alongside co-stars Paul Dano, Kevin J. O’Connor, and Ciarán Hinds.
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*Availability in US Release Date December 26, 2007 Runtime 158 minutes Cast Daniel Day-Lewis , Russell Harvard , Ciarán Hinds , Dillon Freasier , Paul Dano , Kevin J. O’Connor Director Paul Thomas Anderson
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Widely regarded as one of the finest and most influential films of the 21st century, 2007’s neo-Western classic There Will Be Blood features human Oscar magnet Daniel Day-Lewis in the leading role of Daniel Plainview. One of Day-Lewis’ finest movie roles, the borderline-sociopathic oil baron turns in several exemplary quotes throughout Paul Thomas Anderson’s acclaimed picture that highlight his immeasurable greed and lack of morality.
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Daniel Day-Lewis’ Academy Award nominations and wins |
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|---|---|---|
|
Movie |
Category |
Result |
|
My Left Foot (1990) |
Best Actor |
Won |
|
In the Name of the Father (1994) |
Best Actor |
Nominated |
|
Gangs of New York (2002) |
Best Actor |
Nominated |
|
There Will Be Blood (2007) |
Best Actor |
Won |
|
Lincoln (2012) |
Best Actor |
Won |
|
Phantom Thread (2018) |
Best Actor |
Nominated |
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From the iconic “I drink your milkshake!” quote that the movie is now synonymous with to selfish monologues like “I have a competition in me…I want no one else to succeed,”Plainview turns in an array of superb quotes that perfectly embody capitalism’s ruthlessness. Plainview’s soundbite of “I’ve abandoned my child! I’ve abandoned my boy!” has also been memed to death in recent years, with Day-Lewis’ impassioned roars frequently used to parody everyday moments.
6 Marquis Warren
The Hateful Eight (2015)
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6.5/10 The Hateful Eight RMysteryThrillerDrama
Quentin Tarantino’s 2015 Western incorporates elements of the mystery and thriller genres. Set in 1877, The Hateful Eight follows eight strangers who seek refuge from a blizzard in an isolated stagecoach stopover. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, and Channing Tatum, The Hateful Eight was inspired by the Western TV shows of 1960s.
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*Availability in US Release Date December 25, 2015 Cast Zoe Bell , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Michael Madsen , Tim Roth , Channing Tatum , Bruce Dern , Kurt Russell , Samuel L. Jackson , Walton Goggins , James Parks Director Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino’s second acclaimed Western outing in a row and the rare movie where every character is horrible, 2015’s The Hateful Eight boasts one of the most quotable casts in cinematic history, courtesy of a razor-sharp script and some pitch-perfect delivery. The movie’s stand-out quotable character takes the form of Samuel L. Jackson’s Major Marquis Warren, a seasoned bounty hunter whose modus operandi can be exemplified best by the deadpan quote, “Bringing in desperate men alive, is a good way to get yourself dead.”
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Samuel L. Jackson appears in all but four of Quentin Tarantino’s movies:
Reservoir Dogs
(1992),
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
(2003),
Death Proof
(2007), and
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
(2019).
A whip-smart veteran whose world-weariness spills over into his memorable dialogue, Warren believes that “the only time black folks are safe, is when white folks are disarmed” courtesy of his experiences during the US Civil War. To top matters off, he’s even full of Jackson’s unique brand of Tarantino-esque profanity, roaring sidesplitting obscenities like “How do you like that, you bushwhacking castrator!” at Channing Tatum’s Jodie Domergue after the latter shoots him in the genitals.
5 Josey Wales
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
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10/10 The Outlaw Josey Wales WesternDramaAction
The Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 Western film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. Set during and after the American Civil War, the film follows Josey Wales, a Missouri farmer seeking revenge for the murder of his family by Union soldiers. As he becomes an outlaw, Wales forms an unlikely band of outcasts and confronts various adversaries while struggling with his quest for vengeance and a chance at redemption.
Release Date July 14, 1976 Runtime 135 minutes Cast Clint Eastwood , Chief Dan George , Sondra Locke , Bill McKinney , John Vernon , Paula Trueman Director Clint Eastwood
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One of Clint Eastwood’s best movies, the endlessly underrated Josey Wales represents one of the American film icon’s most quotable fictional faces. The titular character of 1976’s The Outlaw Josey Wales, Eastwood’s vengeful farmer turned soldier and gunslinger following the murder of his family, is responsible for some of the genre’s most badass one-liners. Prominent examples from the outlaw include the likes of “Dyin’ ain’t much of a living boy” or “Are you gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie?”
One of Wales’ most iconic quotes reflects the ultimately tragic nature of this character, with his enduring final line of
“I guess we all died a little in that damned war”
serving as a poignant reminder of all that he has lost.
It’s a fitting state of affairs, given Wales’ reputation as a merciless killer of the highest order. With that being said, he’s also one of Eastwood’s more nuanced characters, courtesy of a tragic backstory and a powerful performance from the Dirty Harry star. One of Wales’ most iconic quotes reflects the ultimately tragic nature of this character, with his enduring final line of “I guess we all died a little in that damned war” serving as a poignant reminder of all that he has lost.
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4 Anton Chigurh
No Country for Old Men (2007)
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7.9/10 No Country for Old Men ThrillerDramaCrime
No Country for Old Men is a western crime-thriller based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy and directed by the Cohen Brothers. Following three protagonists, the film centers around a large $2,000,000+ cache of dirty money lost near the Rio Grande. With a veteran who finds it, a hitman who will stop at nothing to get it, and a sheriff trying to investigate the crimes connected to it, all roads lead to death and mayhem as they find themselves in each other’s crosshairs.
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*Availability in US Release Date November 21, 2007 Runtime 122 minutes Cast Kelly Macdonald , Woody Harrelson , Josh Brolin , Javier Bardem , Tommy Lee Jones Director Joel Coen , Ethan Coen
One of legendary author Cormac McCarthy’s most iconic characters, psychopathic hitman Anton Chigurh is the primary antagonist of 2007’s No Country for Old Men; contentiously the best neo-Western movie ever made. A ruthless assassin with an ominous habit of calling people “friendo,” Chigurh is known for his repertoire of immortal lines, exemplifying his nature as a merciless killer with menacing soundbites in the vein of “What’s the most you ever lost on a coin toss?”
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Ironically, for one of the genre’s most quotable characters, the brooding Chigurh rarely speaks, underlining the memorable nature of his sinister dialogue. Contrasted against his complete lack of mercy, Bardem’s charge can even be seen to inject an array of dark humor into his delivery, deadpanning lines like “Do you see me?” to a terrified witness to one of his murders when he asks if Chigurh plans on killing him too.
3 Django Freeman
Django Unchained (2012)
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9.3/10 Django Unchained AdventureDramaWesternComedy
Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained follows Jamie Foxx’s Django, a Black slave who is freed before becoming a bounty hunter. After meeting German dentist-turned-bounty-hunter Dr. King Schultz, Django sets off to free his wife from the cruel and charismatic plantation owner Calvin Candie. Christophe Waltz stars alongside Foxx, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kerry Washington rounding out the cast of Tarantino’s revisionist Spaghetti Western.
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*Availability in US Release Date December 25, 2012 Runtime 165 Minutes Cast Leonardo DiCaprio , Jonah Hill , Samuel L. Jackson , Jamie Foxx , Kerry Washington , Christoph Waltz Director Quentin Tarantino
Instantly quotable characters are Quentin Tarantino’s specialty, so it comes as little surprise that 2012’s Django Unchained houses several of them. Christoph Waltz’s King Schultz and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Calvin Candie both have an outstanding talent for classic soundbites, but they ultimately pale in comparison to the badass aura of the titular character’s laundry list of iconic one-liners. Jamie Foxx’s charge turns in some of Django Unchained’s greatest quotes including “I like the way you die, boy!” and “Y’all gonna be together with Calvin in the By-and-By…just a bit sooner than y’all was expecting.”
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Will Smith was Quentin Tarantino’s original choice to play Django Freeman.
While Django’s stirring bond with his wife Broomhilda is exemplified by memorable quotes like “Hey, Little Trouble Maker,” it’s primarily the bounty hunter’s ruthless nature that’s exemplified by his more memorable soundbites. At the end of the day, Foxx’s iconic charge is a killer with ice running through his veins, a state of affairs underlined by deadpan quotes like “D.J.A.N.G.O. The D is silent.”
2 The Man With No Name
Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy (1964-1966)
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A Fistful of Dollars WesternDrama
A Fistful of Dollars is a spaghetti Western film from director Sergio Leone starring Clint Eastwood. A Fistful of Dollars is notable for being Clint Eastwood’s big break in Hollywood and also for being the beginning of the “Dollars Trilogy.” The film was followed by For a Few Dollars More in 1965 and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly in 1966.
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*Availability in US Release Date January 18, 1964 Runtime 99minutes Cast Clint Eastwood , Marianne Koch , Gian Maria Volonte , Wolfgang Lukschy , Sieghardt Rupp , Joseph Egger Director Sergio Leone , Monte Hellman
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It speaks volumes to the seminal nature of The Man with No Name’s dialogue throughout Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy that while Clint Eastwood’s character rarely speaks, he’s universally regarded as one of the genre’s most quotable characters. While the character is usually menacing his foes with quotes such as “Alive or dead? It’s your choice,” he’s also known for philosophical musings on the dog-eat-dog nature of the Wild West with lines like “When a man’s got money in his pocket, he begins to appreciate peace.”
|
Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy IMDb ratings |
|
|---|---|
|
A Fistful of Dollars (1964) |
7.9 |
|
For a Few Dollars More (1965) |
8.2 |
|
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) |
8.8 |
Eastwood’s best lines as the Man with No Name include the iconic likes of “Get three coffins ready…” and “You see, in this world, there are two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig.” Carving out a niche as one of popular culture’s most quotable characters across the course of the Dollars trilogy, The Man with No Name’s greatest soundbites serve to highlight the ice-cool nature of Eastwood’s cigar-chomping gunslinger in sharp relief.
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1 Doc Holliday
Tombstone (1993)
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179 9.5/10 Tombstone WesternBiographyDrama
Tombstone is a Western film loosely based on true events. When a group of outlaws known as the Cowboys ride into a town and slay several police officers for revenge for the death of two of their gang members, word of their misdeeds reaches the ears of a retired lawman. Gathering a group together, the new vigilantes will defend the town and aim to end the terror of the Cowboys.
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*Availability in US Release Date December 25, 1993 Runtime 130 minutes Cast Bill Paxton , Charlton Heston , Sam Elliott , Powers Boothe , Val Kilmer , Kurt Russell , Michael Biehn , Jason Priestley Director George P. Cosmatos , Kevin Jarre
Contentiously the Western genre’s finest supporting movie role from an A-Lister,Top Gun star Val Kilmer’s bow as the sickly gunslinger Doc Holliday in 1993’s Tombstone is arguably the actor’s finest piece of work in a storied career. A whip-sharp friend of lead protagonist Wyatt Earp, Kilmer’s inimitable charge is one of cinema’s most memorable Western faces. As such, it’s unsurprising that the acid-tongued individual behind lines like “I’m your Huckleberry” and “I’ve not yet begun to defile myself,” is also one of cinema’s most quotable characters.
Related Tombstone: Doc Holliday’s 20 Best One-Liners
Tombstone is full of memorable cinematic moments, not least of which are Doc Holliday’s infinitely quotable one-liners.
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Holliday’s best quotes reflect his nature as an individual perfectly, with Kilmer’s iconic soundbites capturing a snapshot of this remarkable individual’s bravery, loyalty, and wit. However, he often saves his best work for his nemesis, taunting Michael Biehn’s Johnny Ringo with ice-cool lines like “You look like someone just walked over your grave.” An individual capable of producing a pithy soundbite even as he lies on his deathbed, Holliday is the most quotable Western movie character of all time.