One of the few "classic" Westerns I have seen. It seems to me that the significance of John Ford, and of the Western genre, lies in the invention of myths relating to the origin of American society and of the American individual, who becomes, in the end, the American consumer. But this step in the construction of an American symbolic milieu has now been supplanted by a system which is destructive of symbols, regressing from desire to drives. In short: from "The Searchers" to "Jackass."

I've seen this three times now. I keep thinking something magical is going to happen, but it just remains an awkwardly silly search/revenge movie. I prefer simpler, less grandiose Westerns. While I enjoyed the end shot, I fervently disagree with the substance found in any positive (masterpiece) review of the "The Searchers." It's just OK, if not annoying and badly acted.

Is John Wayne's character racist? Hell yes. This is still a classic and holds up well because nowhere does it state that heroes are supposed to be pristine. The "hero" exemplifies a part of America that struggled with its own perceived values of morality and responsibility. I prefer the raw depiction in The Searchers which has some element of honesty than a "conflicted" phony character you'd have today who isn't truthful about his own personal values no matter how abhorrent they may be.

Great western scenarios and well coreographed action scenes, but overall, 'The Searchers' might be the most overrated film ever made. 'The Searchers' is a stereotypic, romanticist and simply flawed film; made by the book (and yet considered so revolutionary), it's a racist, slow and uninteresting film with a comic relief sidekick from hell and orchestral music to rape your ears. It's like watching TCM at 4 AM, only feeling that the critics are messing with you.

This is a great film. John Ford directing John Wayne at his best - though not his usual. This is darker than most of The Duke's films.

For some reason this movie has legendary status. Always talked about in film classes and always on best of lists. It's incredibly undeserving. John Wayne is one of the most wooden actors I've ever seen. This one just didn't resonate with me at all. Maybe it was the racism.

Some good (as in, "not great") cinematography saves this from being completely unbearable. John Wayne has got to be one of the most uncharismatic actors to ever make it big.

# 7

John Ford's gorgeous commentary on racism and the death of the old cowboy persona in the west. Ford's handling of the race issue is fairly sloppy at best, but the more intriguing aspect of the story to me is how it portrays the beginning of the end for the ruthless, take-no-prisoners cowboy that once dominated the screen. The final shot of Ethan, fresh off his brutal slaughter of a Comanche village, shuffling onward alone, into the desert is one of cinema's all-time great endings.

I fell asleep

Beautiful landscapes and scenery, but John Wayne is just awful, as an actor and a person, and this movie drags on forever.

Great western.

Seems crazily racist to me now, but it's a great movie if you can disconnect that part of your brain.

I just saw this on 8/19/06 at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary under the stars with about 4 or 500 other people. I was struck by how melodramatic the writing and direction were, and the unintentional laughs it evoked. All-in-all, it's way down my list of westerns...

I struggled with this one for a long time. It's undeniably flawed - significantly so, in my opinion - and dragged down by, firstly, the utterly banal subplots and comic relief attempts, and also by the unclear nature of Wayne's racism. But there are few films as beautiful and intriguing. It's a wonderfully shot film, with great performances and gorgeous landscapes, and the central moral debate over Wayne's character (and Ford's own stand) is utterly fascinating.

That memorable ending shot of the door closing on John Wayne is absolutely perfect, adding a much-needed weight to Ford's message on racism and the Western "hero". It's unfortunate that there's too much time devoted to comical scenes. If there had been a darker cut of this film, it would definitely be in the top tier of Westerns. It's significance to the genre is undeniable though, so I recommend it regardless.

Good scenery and action. Everything else was half-assed.

Wow, John Wayne is a dick. Seriously. This is the first thing I've ever seen him in, and after reading glowing review after glowing review, I expected to really enjoy this. The story sounded promising enough and I was actually excited for my first Wayne/Ford go-round, but this one never got going for me. It's exactly what I pictured one of those wonky, paint-by-numbers westerns that show up on TCM ad infintium Saturday mornings, to be. No question that it's beautifully shot, but that's about it.