Rating of
3.5/4
John Wayne at his Brutish Best
woody - wrote on 04/03/11
John Wayne is enjoyably irascible and brutish as Ethan Edwards in this classic western.
Jeffrey Hunter as the wanna-be nephew Ethan inexplicably shuns is a bit annoying, as is Vera Miles as Hunter's pining gal back home. The injuns are mostly evil savages, a Mexican senorita pointlessly twirls around a cantina with castanets, and a Swedish farmer has a silly cliche accent--but aside from these quibbles, it's a wonderful story, well-directed by John Ford.
It's worth watching for the Monument Valley backdrop alone. (The story's set in Texas, but that landscape is Utah/Arizona all the way.)
