The 20 best films of Henry Fonda!

Although named Thursday, Fonda was clearly a George Custer character here. He was a villain with honor and dignity, who actually thought he was doing right in the cavalry classic of all time.

An unlikely hero, if you can call him that. He and Morgan (Col Potter) are the central characters, but really blend into the background much the way you would expect Robert Duvall to do, in this classic about a lynch mob. He is brutish, a man of the times, but doesn't like lynch mobs. Meanwhile, he knows there is little he can do, but he does what he can.

One of his usual iconic roles, as the man who speaks up for the downtrodden. Set in the war, on a ship that sees no action, this is "scenic drama", with a hint of comedy, and a hint of pathos. It's hard to tell where "Mister Roberts" is coming from in today's world, as he is a bit gung ho during war. Still, this film reflects life in another era, and what people were like.

Super script with a super cast is going to translate into a super movie. I never really liked "control freaks", which is what Fonda plays here, but this story, and this performance disguise the "control freak" nature of this juror perfectly. Personally, I always suspected Juror #8 was paid off to do this. It is great drama, though.

Again, Fonda is a bit "gung ho" for combat, but this story revolves around many different people. Fonda's character is his usual "man who is always right when everyone else is wrong", but he is very convincing at it. A top notch war film.

You have to have some Westerns, and Fonda was in some great ones in his early Westerns. Perkins steals the show here, but Fonda is great as the mentor character. He is in the backdrop in the great final showdown scene, easily one of the 5 greatest showdowns in film history, between Perkins and Brand, with the bold camera angles. This is a memorable Western

Before "Straw Dogs", there was "Firecreek". Here, Fonda is a bad guy who leads a gang of mercenary gunmen. He finds a quiet town, and the appeal of the quiet life is set against the example he must set for the respect of his men, when one of them is accidentally killed by a mentally challenged young man.

Another great Western in which Fonda's rock solid lawman is made to be upstaged not only by Widmark and Quinn, but even by Dr. McCoy. Fonda knew his role here meant to be upstaged, though. His character is one whose secret emotions are bottled up, and Fonda does it splendidly.

You aren't always the star. Here, his role is limited, but this is a classic war film with Fonda in an authority figure role. However, the film is about the "little guys" in the field, and decisions they must make, which is what makes this a classic.

This isn't one of my favorites, but it will be remembered as a classic. I didn't like the arrogance of Fonda's character as he basically "bragged" to the driver who gave him a lift about being a "murderer". But that was his character. It would have been better if he was a regular guy, but for some reason, many people think a murderer is a "regular guy". He serves as "observor" in the events that follow.

Probably never will be a cast this star studded ever again, so no performer really stands out. It is a lot of "little stories" together, that will be remembered.

While the events are historically false, no major OK Corral movie was very accurate, the closest probably being with Costner, but the characters are the truest here. With each later version, the characters became more and more modern day men in old time outfits. Here, you got the true feeling of the people of the old West, because there were some people who lived in it still alive, who were interviewed. Fonda's Wyatt is undeniably the most realistic to this day.

A bit slow paced for me, but obviously iconic. It will come and go, and remain a mainstay drama, because someday it will be remade with another family of actors, and that will be compared to this, and then a third one, and so on.

Again, as with Clementine, we get the feel of real people of the past, and what they were like, instead of modern actors taking time off from their video games and board meetings to put on costumes.

It will come back, as classics do. It isn't heralded by the big shots, but is a story for common people.

Can't go wrong with Hitch. Well, not usually. This is one of Htch's good ones.

Most of the movie seems very routine, and predictaable. It is the climax that makes this something you don't expect.

In the age of disaster films, some will stand out. This is one of the better ones, and the actors are one reason.

Very personable story, with Fonda in a supporting role. It is a "feel good" film, which is something that the wackos can't stand, which is why it is so rare.

Another that isn't among my personal choices, but the all star cast will keep this one as a mainstay if only for discussion and prosperity, and perhaps to compare to others (like "In Harm's Way")