The chiaroscuro photography is gorgeous, especially the black and white shots of dawn and dusk, but the rest of it bored me to tears; I yawned and my ducts watered. Romance? I must of blinked because there was no emotional weight to be found... the mood picked up a little in the last ten minutes ore so, but it was too late for redemption.

In the company of the best westerns ever made.

95

Well put-together and visually interesting, but also tremendously boring.

A classic western with a great ensemble cast and mythic direction.

I liked it quite a bit up until the romantic element of the plot set in and crapified it. The female characters are usually poorly written in westerns, but here they stick out so much that the misogyny is unmistakable. Clem and Chihuahua are both pathetic caricatures of womanhood: whiny, needy and quite unreasonable. Chihuahua - also conniving and manipulative, to say nothing of her convincingly awful actress Linda Darnell. It is a beautifully shot movie, but the script is underwhelming.

There's a church scene that features a particularly touching display of acting from Fonda. I say "particularly" because he's good not just in parts, but throughout, and he's probably the best part of the movie. Better than Ford's direction even. Apparently the depiction of the gunfight at the OK Corral is inaccurate historically. I can't tell you how much I don't care. A sensitive western for all demographics (except maybe injuns. Sorry fellas. The genre hasn't really treated you well has it?)

A very sweet and entertaining western that succeeds on every level. The tension, romance and action are balanced wonderfully. Sometimes sacrificing historical accuracy just works.

The pace upto the inevitable gun fight is excellent, but the gun fight it self leaves a lot to be desired.

I really should watch this again.

#95

88.375

This is a very straight western, with no major attempts at subversion or circumvention of the tropes of the genre, but what makes it special is that it's got a lot of heart to it. Ford's direction is beautiful. The desert landscapes with their cacti and buttes -- though familiar -- have great power to them. Unfortunately the female characters, especially the pitiful Chihuahua, are presented in a particularly misogynist way, which is a patch on an otherwise outstanding film.

Mythic frontier western at its best.

Demonstrably great film, but if, like me, you aren't fond of westerns, this won't change your mind. Fine camerawork abounds.

A damn good western. Henry Fonda is as usual fantastic. The chemistry between Earp and Holliday is fantastic. The relationships though underdeveloped was pretty well executed with what they had. A terrific western. Definitely worth a look.

Even those who think they don't like old westerns should give this a shot. It might just change your minds. It's a perfect example of the genre, with Henry Fonda (a stand-out in this) and Victor Mature in the familiar Wyatt Earp and Doc Hollyday roles. Yet, there's nothing familiar about the rest of this fresh and enjoyable film, exquisitely directed by one of the masters of the western, John Ford.

# 86

astoundingly beautiful.