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Shane

Shane

1953
Drama, Western
1h 58m
A weary gunfighter attempts to settle down with a homestead family, but a smoldering settler/rancher conflict forces him to act. (imdb)
Your probable score
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Shane

1953
Drama, Western
1h 58m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 59.64% from 1044 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1044)
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Rated 30 Nov 2011
95
97th
I love some great landscapes, and lordy! Talk about mountains with some personality! The story itself does an incredible job of juggling several dynamics, oftentimes in the same scene. Strangely enough, the film remains so uniquely compelling to me specifically because of little Joey. It's almost as though you can channel your own childhood through him and understand that to him, he's watching gods do battle. How else can myth make sense in real life than through the innocent eyes of youth?
Rated 14 Apr 2007
0
8th
I know I stand alone here, but I HATE this movie. I have ever since I was a boy. In the book Shane is dark and deep and scary... in this movie, he's... smiling Alan Ladd in '50s Technicolor. And that kid is so obnoxious
Rated 04 Apr 2019
3
28th
I've heard quiet but warm murmurings of this as a minor classic all my life so I was surprised to be... well, mostly fairly bored while watching it. It certainly LOOKS more modern than the 1940s westerns I've been watching, but I felt like we just bounced between that farmhouse and the same tavern room over and over and over, with comically endless brawls and a kind of creepy and annoying kid. Must set a world record for number of time a protagonist's name is said in one movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
43
5th
Not as horrible as The Searchers, but nothing about it held my interest. They try to throw in a couple of obligatory "violence is wrong" messages, but still everything gets settled through violence, so what's up with that? And I hated, hated, HATED that irritating little boy.
Rated 24 Sep 2011
0
2nd
This is one of the most irritating movies I've ever seen. The dialogue is awful, the music is overblown and intrusive, Alan Ladd is smirky, Jean Arthur is whiny, and the kid is annoying beyond endurance. Stay away.
Rated 31 Mar 2010
5
44th
There is a good movie here but it suffers from some of the worst casting I've ever seen. No one feels right besides Ben Johnson, who is always great. Shane should've been more dark and threatening but instead it's this smiling pussy that is the antithesis of badass. The kid was so terrible and the fact that he got an Oscar nomination is unbelievable to me. It's not awful, but it's not a must see. Would benefit from a remake, imo.
Rated 27 Jan 2012
70
2nd
what the fuck!
Rated 03 Aug 2009
80
81st
classic, loved it. but really, did people back in the day not HATE that asshole kid? anyway, Ladd and Palance both ruled.
Rated 18 Sep 2014
50
29th
This is considered a classic, eh? IF you say so. While not nearly as detestably disgusting as 'The Quiet Man'', this pretty tame western meanders in the same overrated ball park. And, in terms of my PSI being waayyy off, it - needless to say, perhaps - goes right into the Hall of, ahem-sorry-can't-help-myself, Shane.
Rated 08 Jan 2017
50
17th
Shane gets my vote for most overrated classic of all time. Alan Ladd is shockingly (yes, it shocks me) unconvincing and the annoying kid has the acting ability of a piece of lettuce. In support, Heflin and Palance are good, though. In general, the film is okay, but it's just that nothing is noteworthy about it. Everything it has going for it has been better done in westerns before and since. One of few movies whose praise truly boggles me.
Rated 20 Jan 2013
1
0th
There's a lot to like about Shane, particularly the titular character, but this really could have lost 30 minutes and also that kid (who, inexplicably, got an Oscar nom for screeching "Shane" over and over). Bonus modern laughs for "Now, you grow up good and straight" as fatherly advice. Score is not a grade.
Rated 06 Mar 2007
3
38th
It's not remarkable, but it's a good enough movie. The ambiguity of Shane's character is pretty fascinating, and the duel between him and Jack Palance is interesting in how it plays out as a more complex version of the white-hat-vs.-black-hat archetype. The only problem is, nothing else about the movie stands out. Decent acting, decent direction, etc., but that's about the most you can say for it.
Rated 10 Apr 2019
85
82nd
So wholesome and unassuming a representation of the American West, it moves and ambles almost like a ghost in cinema form - a dream more than a reality. The shots at times have a surprising serendipity to them - moments caught just right - playing against scenery so picturesque it's like watching Bob Ross paint an NC Wyeth. I understand one could dismiss it because of its sentimentality but sentimentality was its goal, and it succeeds there in spades.
Rated 22 Jun 2015
60
28th
Very straightforward and predictable plot. The child was irritating and had a pervasive role. The setting and cinematography were nice, although the dark scenes were tough to see.
Rated 03 Feb 2008
65
17th
What a disappointment. The story's not bad but nothing in the entire picture rises above ok. I'm not sure what the character of Shane is supposed to be like, but it really feels like Ladd is miscast since his character doen't really seem dark at all. Everything else is pretty typical western stuff and when you add an annoying kid into the mix it's pretty hard to stay interested.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
26th
Unbelievably overrated western. It's a decent flick but the same story has been done better 100 times.
Rated 09 Sep 2012
80
66th
Paramount proudly announced, "There never was a film like Shane". Something was amiss somewhere in estimates of this nearly perfect arc of story, in which the slender buckskin saint yet gunslinger rider out of one horizon, and the rides out the other. No one really thinks the West was like that - everyone wishes that it had been. Shane is a fairy-tale Western. Stevens, just off A Place in the Sun, was at the top of his game and had become a very good handler of landscape to back up human story.
Rated 12 Aug 2015
86
94th
Yo, but Stonewall Jackson really WAS trash.
Rated 01 Mar 2008
88
80th
# 247
Rated 11 Oct 2012
65
41st
Some well-shot night scenes, good wardrobe, truly deafening gunshots, and a brief but memorable role for Palance. The title character could seem a bit darker (the novel even dressed him all in black); his facility with a pistol hints at an unsavory past but Ladd's smiling face and even, friendly demeanor are too genuine and don't impart the necessary mystery to the audience. A popular, definitive western but rather simple (archetypal?), and hardly transcends the genre as some claim.
Rated 13 Sep 2012
77
49th
I liked the old-timey-ness and simplicity of the direction, and could feel moments of real quality during Shane's screen time and in his relationship with the boy and family. But ultimately, the plot was too basic, and lost its way by having a long spell in the middle without any Shane. The gunfighting was made to look very brutal and shocking. I supppose there was quite a lot of symbolism and metaphor in the background if you're in the mood for that kind of thing - I wasn't particularly, today.
Rated 27 Sep 2011
75
53rd
A well-filmed story that is equal parts awesome and unintentionally hilarious.
Rated 01 May 2015
58
27th
i swear to god if i hear that kid scream shane's name one more time
Rated 27 Feb 2016
9
42nd
Star Rating: ★★1/2
Rated 14 Aug 2007
40
10th
Worthless. Filthy.
Rated 19 Aug 2007
70
39th
Classic Western. Shaaane! We love you.
Rated 24 Mar 2008
65
87th
Slow paced as westerns go, building to a climax thats as sad as it is badass. Definitely an essential for fans of westerns.
Rated 11 May 2009
95
93rd
Probably still my all-time favorite western, edging out High Noon.
Rated 10 Dec 2016
6
32nd
'Shane' is one of those movies where it's been emulated so many times that it can be hard to look at it now from an objective perspective. Still, aside from some questionable performances (that kid...), the movie is an effective story about the changing nature of the West, and the eponymous Shane is a fun protagonist to watch.
Rated 21 Sep 2017
7
50th
was best in the beginning, but ultimately it doesn't ever explain what you're dying to know, about Shane and why he has PTSD, whether he used to be a soldier or mercenary or what.
Rated 12 Nov 2008
68
70th
Quite a lot of the enjoyment of watching Shane is owed to the lush Technicolor rendering of its beautiful location and sets. The plot can be seen as banal, but it's just so well executed that it still works. It's a classic, no doubt.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
43rd
See my review of THE SEARCHERS.
Rated 30 Nov 2011
87
74th
#266
Rated 26 Sep 2012
76
60th
It's the little character moments that make this a good movie. The kid could've used less lines, though.
Rated 19 Dec 2008
88
76th
249
Rated 08 Nov 2014
91
84th
One of the great western films. It cares less about action packed shootouts and more about character and story, which makes the action scenes that much stronger. The only thing holding back is a mildly annoying child character, but other than that, it stands the test of time and builds up to a great ending.
Rated 24 Aug 2017
60
49th
Good: final ("can't break the mould"), Torrey's funeral (people shadowed by bloom sky) and Palance should have had more screen. The frontier setting is effective -- no church, no police ("law is three days away") --, where Ryker runs every homesteader away by cutting fences and making his beef step on people's land. It takes a former gunfighter to make things even. Too much of LAST WESTERN self-awareness and Steven's moral lessons get in the way of character development -- love Jean, though.
Rated 27 Jan 2012
72
57th
The theme of a changing west is nicely portrayed in Shane,the Homesteaders and the Ranchers.The acting is pretty stiff and lacks any real emotion and drags this film down a bit.The bar fight and the gunfight at the end were my favourite parts.
Rated 12 Apr 2012
76
52nd
Shane rides into town as a man who has seen these conflicts before. He knows that trouble is everywhere, no matter how long you try to hide from it. Still, he tries to go straight. It's a lesser classic thanks to the story, but the acting style shows its age. The boy particularly; modern child actors are just more natural. Ladd's performance is strong though, holding a certain subtle unease that hints to troubles beneath the surface until the final scene at the bar lets loose his dark past.
Rated 09 Feb 2013
70
34th
Aside from a few superbly directed scenes, the first bar brawl, and Joey's mad dash to town after Shane, George Stevens' western doesn't offer much to the genre, which by this era, was desperately in need of a revamping.
Rated 17 Mar 2007
70
42nd
Fun and entertaining feature with decent performances from Ladd and Palance as the dashing but restrained hero and the dastardly villain. Rather sentimental, though, and the boy Joey is pretty irritating.
Rated 21 Mar 2017
75
67th
The acting is fantastic except for Joey. The direction is deliberate and engaging except for those stupid close up of Joey's reactions. The cinematography and story are both top class. Really it's just a very good western whose flaws are greatly outweighed by it's quality.
Rated 06 Aug 2009
90
90th
Probably as conventional as a Western could get, but there's more to Shane than meets the eye. We don't learn anything specific about his past, and we know he's a man that's trying to become civilized; but by the end, he's wearing the same clothes he rode in on. The barroom brawl was so much fun despite being over-the-top, and Jack Palance is pretty bad-ass. My only gripe is how the kid ran and managed to follow a guy on horseback; he didn't get on my nerves either - I thought he was adorable.
Rated 15 Nov 2008
55
39th
Idealistic and therefore pretty pathetic show. Still it is ideal hero of that day's and you must have some sympathy...
Rated 16 Oct 2015
67
43rd
Some things work, some thing don't. The bar and climactic fights are great, but the middle fight is just flat out laughable. Ladd and Palance are great, but the kid sucks. The editing is all over the place. Great potential, but a middling result.
Rated 30 Jun 2009
85
75th
The Searchers is more interesting, this is kind of typical. Probably rating this as high as I am because I enjoy the final scene. The cowboy domesticates and always moves on, to his own eventual doom.
Rated 12 Dec 2013
66
27th
Well shot, but standard Western flick, based on a standard Western story. I did like the fight scenes and the way they were awkwardly staged and edited. Other than that, meh. That kid was creepy, his face should never have been committed to celluloid.
Rated 11 Aug 2012
76
68th
"But there's too many Shane"
Rated 18 Dec 2013
87
91st
87.000
Rated 13 Apr 2009
85
79th
An enjoyable Western with the classic conflict between civilization and lawlessness. Only here, instead of the straight-up good guy-bad guy structure, Shane as the gunfighter trying to go straight represents part of that lawless world, doomed for extinction. Stevens does a nice job allowing the pictures to do the talking, and while the presence of the child brings some sentimentality, he also provides a needed dose of innocence as well. Oh, and the way Stevens shoots those mountains is stunning.
Rated 19 Feb 2007
60
62nd
A great western.
Rated 24 Sep 2010
6
44th
OK western.
Rated 04 Jul 2012
80
70th
A classic western.
Rated 13 Jan 2010
87
74th
266
Rated 13 Oct 2008
3
51st
This hero is most certainly dead at the end
Rated 01 Nov 2014
78
47th
Simple tale of a haunted gunslinger (Alan Ladd) who tries to leave his past behind, but finds himself forced into action to defend the family who took him in. Widely beloved, it has moments of clunky staging and off-key acting which mar one's enjoyment of George Steven's often innovative direction, the lovely cinematography, and the performances which do work; Ladd, Heflin, Palance (who's underused), and Emile Meyer are all solid; De Wilde is both shrill and affecting; Arthur doesn't do enough.
Rated 16 Nov 2013
65
48th
What could have been an amazing western is held back by questionable editing/cinematography and one ugly goober of a child actor.
Rated 31 May 2013
80
83rd
this movie's merit is not in its acting, directing, cinematography, or diologue. you watch it for the story. it is the story of west as an ever changing crossroads, it is the story of man vs. nature, ranchers vs. gunslinglers, and ultimately man vs. himself. this movie opens a very compact window into the American pscyhe that is still relevant today. and thats why you should watch it, not because it was ranked in the top 3 westerns ever.
Rated 11 Jan 2010
90
90th
One of the best and most iconic westerns I've ever seen.
Rated 09 Jun 2013
74
52nd
A solid Western with some great cinematography and a nice deliberate sense of pacing. Jack Palance is the highlight of the cast here - he comes across menacing and cruel and I think he has maybe 10 minutes of screen time? Although I find the moral core of the story to be a little off at times, it's entertaining and the themes overall come through to an exciting and satisfying conclusion. The violence is very well done too - loud, sudden, and not very romanticised.
Rated 06 Sep 2017
73
27th
Despite there being some well shot scenes, the visual image of Shane looks artificial and badly aged. None of the characters impress and the child played by Brandon De Wilde is a horrible inclusion.
Rated 27 Apr 2011
45
29th
I wanted to like this, but found it a bit of a slog to get through in one sitting. Positives include Jack Palance as the anti-Shane - a malevolent gunslinger decked out all in black, a personification of pure evil in the mould of Anton Chigurh. The photography is good, too, but the domestic scenes are too melodramatic and sentimental for my liking. Ladd seems miscast - he should be moodier and meaner instead of effete and homely. And by god, that kid is excruciatingly bad.
Rated 27 Apr 2008
85
84th
Told with engagement, strictness and talent, it's a pure pleasure to witness how the story unfolds. Stunning.
Rated 21 Dec 2009
80
42nd
I never thought this film was the classic others thought it was. It is too slow, overly sentimental, and pretentious and obvious in many of its directorial touches. I have to admit, though, that Jack Palance is wonderful in this.
Rated 10 Sep 2008
50
38th
Decent, but ultimately not very memorable. The locations and settings are stunning, and there's an incredible bar fight, but other than that it's mediocre. Somewhat misguided casting, I feel..
Rated 17 Jan 2011
85
80th
85.125
Rated 10 Sep 2011
70
78th
Ladd was good as the secure and noble Shane who realizes a little too late that he chose the wrong profession. The problem I have w/ the movie is what happens right in the middle. Why pick a (bar) fight over a minor slite? To impress an 8 year old kid? That tainted the character, but w/e...Stevens directs Shane with the utmost care. A master class in composition. The gunfights are every bit as good as Leone's vaunted squint fests, but more modest and w/ actual emotional heft.
Rated 21 Nov 2012
95
91st
One of the few films I've seen where the hero's journey is not an aspirational fantasy, but a bona fide tragedy.
Rated 02 Jun 2018
60
19th
It's very well made, but misses the edge of the better Westerns. It's too much a perfect idealization nostalgic wet dream of a Western.
Rated 21 Nov 2021
83
69th
A more interesting (and sophisticated) spin on HIGH NOON (and I'd love to have seen Cooper take the starring role here) - what compels here is not the simple and familiar good vs evil story, but the enigmatic quality of "Shane" himself - Ladd is fascinating playing this simmering, ambiguous cipher, a seeming forerunner of Eastwood's Man With No Name, certainly against Palance's black-hatted portrait of ugly evil, anyone would seem ambiguous!
Rated 17 Dec 2019
65
52nd
Worth watching for the beautiful visuals, but the plot and characters, as is typical to Hollywood westerns of this era, are really dull and uninteresting. It's basically just good vs evil, where you're rooting for the evil because the good guys are so damn boring.
Rated 17 Apr 2019
75
87th
Pretty much the quintessential by-the-numbers traditional American western.
Rated 25 May 2019
80
55th
Westerns were so innocent and sentimental before Leone.
Rated 02 Mar 2021
65
32nd
My name's not Shane, kid
Rated 20 Jun 2022
60
60th
A decent and pretty much standard western and an ode to the quintessential man. What Strauss and Howe (in their book The Fourth Turning) would call an example of a person from a Hero generation - people who build, rather than consume, who fight for justice, truth, beauty, love, God and country, rather than wallow in consumption, materialism and egocentrism. But we hate ourselves now and want our society destroyed, so who cares about those misogynistic patriarchs who want the best for us.
Rated 09 Jun 2021
80
77th
I only knew it through Logan and I can see the significance now. The reluctant hero is well done here.
Rated 20 Jun 2022
40
3rd
Feelslikeanepisodepreviewforlittlehouseloleditingtoo+fightsthemall-thinkdadhelpedwin+thinkhewouldntletthedadhelp-boyrantosaysorryandsavedhislife
Rated 01 Oct 2022
70
41st
A solid, typical example of westerns of this period. The kid's mostly annoying, but everyone else is good, with Ladd/Heflin both doing well as kind of co-leads and Arthur and people like Jack Palance and Elisha Cook Jr. leading a fun supporting cast. The final ten minutes creates some solid tension. I'm not sure I understand why this is elevated over so many similar westerns of the period, though. I did like how they didn't really go into the Ladd/Arthur history while making it clear it existed.
Rated 09 Sep 2022
60
31st
An influential and well-regarded bit of filmmaking, but one I found to be a bit too straightforward for its 2-hour runtime. There are moments of flair that caught my eye, but not enough to keep the hooks in and help me overlook the more idealistic aspects. Throw some grit in that cheese please. This also falls into the classic blunder of having a whiny kid actor. Intially inoffensive, the boy gets increasingly more annoying and intrusive the closer we get to the end. No wonder Shane left!
Rated 25 Oct 2022
100
70th
one of my fav westerns, the places where this was shot, oml. the landscapes are fantastic. struggling with morality, a sense of duty and friendship made this movie so interesting to me.
Rated 20 Feb 2023
75
56th
There's no glory in killing and Shane knows it
Rated 03 Mar 2023
80
68th
I think George Stevens was a phenomenally talented director that I very frequently have deep aesthetic problems with. This is a magnificently shot film, but I just cannot accept either Jean Arthur or Alan Ladd in this film (especially the latter). I'm not saying that I think they do a bad job, but my brain viscerally rejects their casting. Ladd in particular with his sculpted 1950's haircut and his ridiculous buckskin jumpsuit is just not who I want to see in this film.
Rated 01 Oct 2023
44
44th
A feel-good western, just a bit cheesy. I don't really mind the kid. A nice setting, but feels like only a couple locations (the house & the bar).
Rated 13 Nov 2023
71
57th
The silent hero brings back the dignity villagers have lost and tries his best to keep their hands clean. There is hope that when the film ends, the village would become a livable place, now that the land has been watered with the blood of the antagonists.
Rated 02 Feb 2024
85
69th
This movie is shot well, and Technicolor is groovy. I do have two minor criticisms. One, the film could have been a bit shorter, and tell the story just as well. Two, the kid is sometimes annoying.

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