Random Fictional Wild West Gunslinger Win In A Free-For-All Shootout (19 items)

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  (#1) Man with No Name

  • Back to the Future Part II, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (Colt Single Action Army model)

  Signature Victory: In A Fistful of Dollars, the Man with No Name (Clint Eastwood) - also referred to as the Stranger - returns to town to face off against Ramon Rojo, the ruthless leader of a lawless crew. Secretly wearing a steel plate under his poncho, the Stranger taunts Ramon into firing at him, but the bullets just bounce off him until Ramon's side arm is empty. 

  The Stranger reveals the steel plate and then, with shocking speed, blasts the piece out of Ramon's hands and takes out all four of the henchmen standing around him. He then challenges Ramon to see who can reload their side arm first. The Stranger wins by a fraction of a second, putting an end to Ramon's frightening reign once and for all.

  Weaknesses: While he's undeniably a master of the quick draw, the Man With No Name doesn't always think his plans through. While the steel-plate-under-the-poncho is clever (and inspired the best scene in Back to the Future III), Ramon has a very accurate side arm, and could have just as easily fired at the Man's very unprotected face. This seems to be a running theme for the Man with No Name, and luck just carries him through.
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  (#2) Doc Holliday

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (Colt Single Action Army Quickdraw model)

  Signature Victory: While it would be easy to turn to the showdown at the OK Corral as an example of Doc's (Val Kilmer) prowess, the whole fight is a messy affair. Holliday's true mastery of the side arm can be seen when he faces off against the frighteningly accurate Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn) and ends him in a quick draw, despite suffering from late-stage tuberculosis.

  Weaknesses: Well, tuberculosis. Even before it ultimately ends him, Holliday has a propensity for fainting, general weakness, and fits of coughing—although, as Johnny Ringo learns, it doesn't slow his trigger finger.
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  (#3) William Munny ('Unforgiven')

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (Smith & Wesson Schofield Model 3), shotgun (W. Richards 10 Gauge Double Barreled Shotgun), rifle (Spencer 1860 Saddle Ring Carbine). Munny (Clint Eastwood) is an equal-opportunity pragmatist, using whatever's at hand to get the job done. He often ends up using pieces that once belonged to his friends: In the climactic showdown, he wields both Ned Logan's (Morgan Freeman) rifle and the Schofield Kid's (Jaimz Woolvett) revolver.

  Signature Victory: Arriving at the saloon in Big Whiskey, Wyoming, to avenge the slaying of his friend Ned Logan, Munny gets the drop on a posse assembled by Sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett (Gene Hackman). As an amuse-bouche before the big event, he blows away the saloon owner, then zeroes in on Little Bill. A misfire in his second barrel hardly slows down Munny, who throws the useless piece at his enemies, pulls out his side arm, and dispatches the posse members in a matter of seconds. Grabbing Ned's old rifle (which Little Bill had acquired) before the dust has settled, Munny finishes off the now-wounded Little Bill with the immortal line, "Deserve's got nothin' to do with it." 

  Weaknesses: At this stage in his life, Munny - who had ostensibly been "reformed" by his late wife - is reluctant to get involved in extralegal matters, and his skills have obviously declined. Once his ire is aroused and he shakes off the rust, however, Munny's a stone-cold marksman, demonstrating neither fear nor remorse.
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  (#4) Rooster Cogburn

  • Rooster Cogburn, True Grit

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (Colt Single Action Army Quickdraw model) and a repeating rifle (Winchester 1892 Saddle Ring Carbine)

  Signature Victory: In the climax of 1969's True Grit, the one-eyed, over-the-hill US Marshal Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) finally hunts down Lucky Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall) and his three fellow thugs. After being given a choice between meeting his end there or surrendering to be hanged later, Pepper insults Cogburn, and Cogburn charges the four younger men head-on. Holding the reins of his horse in his teeth, Rooster fires with both hands while galloping full-speed at the band of ruffians.

  Weaknesses: Cogburn exudes the essence of "true grit," but that doesn't mean he isn't blind in one eye, well past middle age, overweight, and a heavy drinker. Add it up and you've got a very unwell man who turns indifference to death into his primary strength.
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  (#5) Wyatt Earp

  • The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp, Tombstone, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Frontier Marshal, Winchester '73, I Married Wyatt Earp, Hour of the Gun, My Darling Clementine, Wyatt Earp's Revenge, Cheyenne Autumn, Desafío en Río Bravo, Sunset

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (Colt Buntline Special) and a double-barrel shotgun (Stevens 10 Gauge Side-by-Side)

  Signature Victory: While his name will always be synonymous with the showdown at the OK Corral, the greatest victory for Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) in Tombstone has to be when, after his long and bloody vendetta against the Cowboy crew, he goes toe-to-toe with the villainous "Curly Bill" Brocius (Powers Boothe) in a creek in Iron Springs, Arizona.

  In the film, Curly Bill and his men have Earp, Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) and their comrades pinned down on the banks of the river, until Earp is driven to the breaking point and walks out into the creek, braving the Cowboys' fire and repeating one simple declaration: "No." Curly Bill and his men fire several times and miss, as Earp just marches forward through the water. Finally, before Bill can bring up his side arm, Earp screams one final resounding "No!" and unloads both barrels right into Curly Bill's chest.

  Weaknesses: One thing is evident in his blind, insane attack on Curly Bill: Earp is no tactical mastermind. He simply decides to ignore the fact that he's being fired at, and somehow it works out. The same goes for his attack on the Cowboys at the OK Corral: Earp, his brothers, and Holliday just sort of show up without a plan, and end up having to blast their way out of a situation that they might have avoided in the first place. He's definitely a "fire first, don't bother asking any questions later" kind of lawman.
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  (#6) Chris Adams ('The Magnificent Seven')

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (Colt Single Action Army model)

  Signature Victory: Chris Adams (Yul Brynner) agrees to lead a small band of fellow vigilantes into a fight with the evil bandit leader Calvera (Eli Wallach) to protect a small town that the villain has been menacing. After fighting off his goons, and losing some of his friends in the process, Adams gets the drop on Calvera and unloads his side arm into his chest. Before he perishes, the greed-filled Calvera delivers his haunting last words, asking Adams, "You came back to a place like this? Why? A man like you? Why?" Adams doesn't answer, opting instead to let Calvera perish with his questions.

  Weaknesses: Adams agrees to protect the town out of a sense of guilt that hangs over him because of the life he's lived. This intense internal sorrow prompts him to face impossible odds - which works out for him, but not for the majority of his "magnificent" comrades in arms.
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  (#7) Harmonica

  • Once Upon a Time in the West

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (Colt Single Action Army model)

  Signature Victory: Harmonica's (Charles Bronson) most emotionally resonant victory comes when he finally goes head-to-head against his nemesis Frank after years of seeking revenge for past wrongs. However, it's his showdown with three hired thugs at a train station at the start of the film that truly establishes the fact that Harmonica is a force to be reckoned with. 

  Outnumbered and outgunned, the mysterious, harmonica-playing antihero dispatches a trio of hardened men with shocking speed - but not before they exchange some of the greatest dialogue in the history of Westerns. The leader of the crew, Snaky (Jack Elam), looks at their three horses, then over at Harmonica, and says with a scornful chuckle, "It looks like we're shy one horse." Harmonica slowly shakes his head and replies, "You brought two too many." The look in his eye and tone of his voice alone strips all the cockiness out of the men, leaving them scared before he quickly dispatches them.

  Weaknesses: He's obsessed with revenge, and that means he takes risks to achieve that goal. Also, he has a habit of announcing his presence by playing a personalized theme song on his harmonica - hence the nickname - which seems like it would make it hard to get the drop on his foes.
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  (#8) Angel Eyes ('The Good, the Bad and the Ugly')

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (Colt Navy 1851 model and a Remington 1858 New Army model)

  Signature Victory: Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) is "the Bad" referenced in the title of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and he lives up to the name. He's a brutal and merciless man who will do anything for a payday. The film begins with Angel Eyes brutally pressing a man named Stevens (Antonio Casas) for information on the whereabouts of missing Confederate gold. 

  Stevens knows Angel Eyes has been hired by a man named Baker (Livio Lorenzon) to end him, and offers him money to take out Baker instead. Angel Eyes accepts - then slays Stevens to close out his previous contract. He returns to Baker, an old man asleep in his home, to get his pay. After sharing the information that Stevens gave him, Angel Eyes fires on the unarmed Baker in his bed to fulfill his contract with Stevens, laughing as he pulls the trigger. It's not a fight; it's just a straight-up betrayal - but it's a perfect example of the kind of sadistic slayer that Angel Eyes is.

  Weaknesses: He's driven by greed more than any other motivation, and he doesn't have the power of his convictions like some of the more blindly heroic men in the Wild West. Also, he's older and thus just a tiny bit slower on the draw.
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  (#9) El Mariachi

  • Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, El Mariachi

  Weapon of Choice: Pistol (a pair of Ruger KP90s) 

  Signature Victory: When El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) arrives at the Tarasco bar looking for his mortal enemy, the thugs in the cantina are already wary of him. After a tense standoff, El Mariachi lights the fuse on the powder keg when he draws his twin silver Ruger KP90s and kicks off one of the most elaborate, impractical, and memorable Wild West fights of all time. It's an action focal point of the film, and El Mariachi - using a variety of devices hidden in his guitar case - manages to take down everyone in the bar.

  Weaknesses: El Mariachi has a dangerous conviction when it comes to getting revenge for the slaying of his lover. As with so many other antiheroes, his blind passion for vengeance clouds his judgment, opening him up to emotional manipulation.
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  (#10) Ben Wade

  • 3:10 to Yuma, 3:10 to Yuma

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (a Colt Single Action Army model with a custom grip featuring a golden cross). The side arm is known as "the Hand of God," and it's said to be cursed, as anyone who touches it - other than Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) - will perish.

  Signature Victory: After Wade comes to begrudgingly respect Dan Evans (Christian Bale), he decides to turn against his own henchmen so Evans can deliver him to the train on time and collect a reward for his family. Wade and Evans blast their way through a town full of thugs and get to the train, but Evans is taken out by Wade's right-hand man, Charlie Prince (Ben Foster).

  In a shocking twist, fueled by guilt and anger, Wade turns turns on Prince with no more warning than a menacing glare. Without hesitation, Wade puts a hole in Prince's chest before he can draw his side arm, then takes out all five of his henchmen. Wade finishes the job by walking up to Prince, pulling the man's piece from his holster, and ending him with his own side arm.

  Weaknesses: Wade is temperamental, leading to bursts of rash anger - like when he ends Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda) while being escorted to the train after McElroy insults Wade's mother. As Wade whispers to McElroy before throwing him off a cliff, "Even bad men love their mamas."
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  (#11) Django

  • Django Unchained, Django, One Damned Day at Dawn… Django Meets Sartana!, Django 2, Few Dollars for Django, Viva! Django

  Weapon of Choice: Revolvers (a Colt 1851 Navy and a Remington 1858 New Army)

  Signature Victory: After dispatching three employees of the LeQuint Dickey Mining Co. following his rampage through Candyland, Django (Jamie Foxx) returns to the plantation to get revenge and rescue his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). He blasts his way through Billy Crash (Walton Goggins) and a few henchmen before kneecapping Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson) and leveling the mansion with dynamite.

  Weaknesses: Django is fueled by revenge and devotion to his wife. However, these can lead him to act impulsively, without regard for the consequences to his actions.
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  (#12) The Sundance Kid

  • Blackthorn, The Legend of Butch & Sundance, Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver ( Colt Single Action Army model)

  Signature Victory: While the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) is one of the most feared and renowned quick-draw artists in the West, the most impressive display of his prowess comes at the beginning of the film during a poker game that threatens to turn physical. Another player - who is on the verge of calling Sundance a cheat but backs down - asks Sundance how good he truly is. Without a word, Sundance turns and draws his side arm, blasts the man's holster off his waist, then fires at the man's piece, sending it across the floor.

  Weaknesses: Sundance is not a tremendously strategic fellow, and would rather fight it out than live as a coward - despite the fact that he spends much of his time fleeing from a posse looking to capture him. Also, he can't swim and he's (understandably) terrified of drowning.
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  (#13) Malcolm Reynolds

  • Firefly, Serenity, Firefly media franchise

  Weapon of Choice: Handgun (Moses Brothers Self-Defense Engine Frontier Model B)

  Signature Victory: The very first episode of the cult classic series Firefly quickly establishes that, despite its sci-fi setting, the show is very much a Western in terms of its themes, tropes, and general style. We also learn what kind of hero Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) really is at the end of the pilot.

  While Mal and his crew are away on a job, a government spy posing as a passenger takes another guest hostage, holding a side arm to her head. Upon his return, Mal, without a word or even a hint of concern, draws his piece as he walks in and wordlessly takes out the spy as if it's no big deal at all. It's not his most daring fight, or his most impressive, but it solidifies his bravado for the rest of the show.

  Weaknesses: Mal is fiercely loyal to his friends, and protective to a fault, allowing his loyalty to be manipulated. He also lives by the credo, "If someone tries to [end] you, you try and [end] them right back," which leads to a propensity for engaging in fights he can't reasonably expect to win.
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  (#14) John Marston

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (Colt Single Action Army model and a Smith & Wesson Schofield Model 3)

  Signature Victory: Before John Marston (Rob Wiethoff) can earn immunity from the Bureau of Investigation for his old life as dangerous villain, he is forced to hunt down and bring to justice all the old members of his former crew. His toughest battle - both literally and emotionally - comes when he storms the compound of Dutch van der Linde (Benjamin Byron Davis), his former mentor and father figure. After a brutal showdown, a badly hurt Dutch takes his own life after sharing an ominous and prophetic warning with Marston about being betrayed by the government he's working for.

  Weaknesses: Marston is a man who will never be able to escape his past, having earned a great many enemies in his younger years and racking up even more during his quest for redemption. He's got few friends and some very understandable trust issues.
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  (#15) Raylan Givens

  • Justified

  Weapon of Choice: Pistol (Glock 17)

  Signature Victory: Almost no TV series in history sets the tone for their lead character quite like Justified does when US Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) sits down across from federal fugitive and cartel hitman Tommy Bucks (Peter Greene) a day after telling Bucks that he has 24 hours to leave Miami.

  During a tense sit-down, in which Givens essentially suggests he's going to end the seemingly unarmed Bucks in broad daylight, the hitman reaches for a side arm in his lap. However, Givens still has time to draw his Glock from its holster and fire at Bucks three times. This mini-duel serves as the cold open for the very first episode, setting the series's tone.

  Weaknesses: Givens has two main weaknesses. He's got a terrible temper that clouds his judgment, often causing him to bite off more than he can chew when picking fights. Also, when unarmed, he's a pathetic fist-fighter, and gets trounced almost every time he tries to tangle with someone who even remotely knows what they're doing.
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  (#16) Frank

  • Once Upon a Time in the West

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (Colt Single Action Army nickel finish model)

  Signature Victory: Frank (Henry Fonda) is one of the greatest evil madmen in movie history, and one of the most psychopathic slayers in the annals of Wild West cinema. At the start of Once Upon a Time in the West, Frank has been hired by a railroad tycoon to scare Brett McBain (Frank Wolff) off the property he owns so the tycoon can buy and develop it. Instead, Frank goes off-script and ends the man in cold blood before slaying all three of his young children for good measure - and this is how the audience is first introduced to Frank's particular brand of heartlessness.

  Weaknesses: Frank is driven by greed and a need for respect - which is one reason why he turns against the railroad tycoon when he feels betrayed. It also proves to be the reason he can't retain the loyalty of his men, who turn on him when they get a better offer. 
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  (#17) Will Kane

  • High Noon, High Noon part II: The Return of Will Kane

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (Single Action Army Artillery model)

  Signature Victory: On his last day as a US Marshal in a small town in the New Mexico Territory, Will Kane (Gary Cooper) marries Amy Fowler (Grace Kelly). Shortly afterward, he learns that notorious villain Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald), whom he put behind bars, is out of the pen and looking for revenge. None of the cowardly townspeople agree to help Will, so he must face the bad guys on his own.

  With nothing but his side arm, he takes on a crew of ruthless thugs, ending them in the street in a tense fight that plays out in real time. After Kane takes out all of Miller's henchmen, Miller uses Amy as a human shield; however, she claws his face and gives Kane the opportunity to end Miller once and for all.

  Weaknesses: Kane is duty-bound beyond reason. Despite the fact that he is given every opportunity to simply leave town with his new bride, and in spite of his pacifist wife's protests, Kane decides it's his responsibility to fight - even though he's so sure he's going to perish that he writes out his will before facing off against Miller's crew.
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  (#18) The Lady ('The Quick and the Dead')

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (EMF Hartford Single Action Army model)

  Signature Victory: Getting revenge by taking out the evil John Heron (Gene Hackman) is her crowning glory, but the Lady - AKA Ellen - (Sharon Stone) first makes a name for herself and earns respect in the town during the opening round of the quick draw competition when she successfully holds her own against Dog Kelly (Tobin Bell). She outdraws him by tuning out all distractions and focusing on the job at hand.

  Weaknesses: The deeper the Lady gets into the habit of slaying, the more it begins to change her. In an effort to fight this, she spares the life of a man named Eugene Dred (Kevin Conway). After firing at his genitals to avenge his attack on a young woman, she chooses to spare him. He later ambushes her in a saloon, forcing her to unload her side arm into him. The Lady's empathy, in short, almost costs her her life.
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  (#19) Buster Scruggs ('The Ballad of Buster Scruggs')

  Weapon of Choice: Revolver (Colt 1873 Single Action Army model)

  Signature Victory: While Buster (Tim Blake Nelson) uses pinpoint aim and preternatural reflexes to clear out a cantina full of bad-tempered banditos, and later is able to blast off all of an opponent's fingers with astonishing speed, his most impressive feat doesn't even involve a side arm at all - at least, not Buster's. Banging down on a long table to cause the intimidating Surly Joe (Clancy Brown) to fire on himself repeatedly, Buster demonstrates an ability to improvise that is, in his own words, "downright Archimedean."

  Weaknesses: In the end, Buster is brought down by hubris, when he accepts one challenge too many and is quickly dispatched by a young pretender dressed in black (Willie Watson). Even in the afterlife, though, Buster remains philosophical, ruefully remarking that "you can't be top dog forever."

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