5. Blazing Saddles (1974)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Though it has undoubtedly declined over the past few decades, the Western was once the king of cinema. Enter Mel Brooks and his brilliant comedic mind, and you get Blazing Saddles. Remembered fondly as one of the greatest comedies of the ’70s, Blazing Saddles is inarguably one of the best spoof movies ever made.
Starring Cleavon Little as Bart, a Black sheriff who steps in to police a town besieged by bandits hired by a conniving businessman. Simultaneously staring down both prejudice and the imposing might of corporate interests, Bart employs a drunken gunslinger (Gene Wilder) to help him save the town. It’s a classic Western tale, but comedy is weaved so thoroughly into its DNA that it perfectly parodies the genre.
With several timelessly funny scenes and a umber of near-nonsensical set pieces, Blazing Saddles is Mel Brooks at his finest. It manages to be surprisingly culturally sensitive, competent in a narrative sense, and relentlessly funny. What’s more, it does all this while actively spoofing its contemporaries. Impressive stuff.