Western movies - where to begin?

I have been wanting to watch a typical western movie for quite some time now, maybe multiple if I like it. But I don't really know where to begin. I do remember watching a John Wayne movie many years ago at a friend's house.

What three movies would you recommend to start with and/or which ones are the most iconic/genre defining?

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is a must!  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is also a classic.  And you can't forget True Grit (the original, but the Coen Brothers' remake is also quite good).  Those are three of my favorites anyways.  Enjoy!

Ditto Kerrick. You must start with Clint

Non-Clint or non-typical:

Bone Tomahawk

Modern Western - No Country for Old Men

Those are two very good choices as well!  Though yeah, definitely not typical.    Along that line... as a kid I loved the tv show The Adventures Of Brisco County, Jr.  Some years ago I bought it on DVD and watched it with the wife.  It's quite nostalgic for me, but even she liked it.  It's a fun show.

For more traditional westerns, The Wild Bunch is a good one as well.  The miniseries Lonesome Dove is very well done.

Oh and of course Blazing Saddles. 

Thanks guys! I'm in Hamburg for a few days and all alone near a multimedia store with not just CDs, but also DVDs   Thought I'd make myself useful and pick up some nice movies to watch around Christmas with my wife (that includes Die Hard of course, never saw that one but that's not a Western)

I would not start with Bone Tomahawk, no way.   It is a great movie in it's own right but it is outrageously gruesome in spots and is more of a Horror-Western.

That's just my 2 cents....

Oh man, I love westerns. Spaghetti westerns are the best.

Good, Bad, Ugly
For a Few Dollars
For a Few Dollars More
Wild Bunch
Once Upon a Time in the West
Django (not the Tarantino movie)
The Great Silence

Thanks for the tips guys, I've decided to start with one and see how it goes from there. Since you all endorsed The Good, The Bad and the Ugly I went with that one.

We've had Lots of threads here over the years and we had a Top 5 Westerns thread I think at one time.....

My Top 5:

The Big Country
Red River
Silverado
Winchester 73'
Stagecoach

.....also Love...

Open Range
Pale Rider
High Noon
One Eyed Jacks
Magnificent Seven (Original)

L8T wrote:We've had Lots of threads here over the years and we had a Top 5 Westerns thread I think at one time.....

My Top 5:

The Big Country
Red River
Silverado
Winchester 73'
Stagecoach

.....also Love...

Open Range
Pale Rider
High Noon
One Eyed Jacks
Magnificent Seven (Original)

It's like trying to pick a favorite child, but this is my favorite Clint.

I saw Pale Rider with my best friends in the theater for the first time.  It still is a Great memory.  

A lot of good ones listed already. Also:

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 
3:10 To Yuma (both versions are good)
Unforgiven

Many months late but.....

Tombstone is a must
El Dorado is a childhood favorite
Other great old school westerns I recommend would be High Noon, The Searchers, Rio Bravo
Great Spaghetti's would include: The Great Silence, Once Upon A Time In The West, and They Call Me Trinity

My favorite western movie is Tombstone, Val Kilmer + Kurt Russell are in the movie, was really good!!