The Searchers

I've never been a big fan of westerns. I like the idea of westerns, and have loved to see it's metamorphosis into the space western, but the westerns that were made around the 1950s, well I've just never had a big appreciate for them.

Of course, there are exceptions, like "High Noon" and "The Magnificent Seven," but if we're talking about the traditional Cowboys vs. Indians western, I'll pass. I must admit that I haven't seen some of the big name westerns like "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" and "Shane," but in general I don't see the point of a movie where your homestead or outpost gets attacked by Indians, so you must go out and hunt them down and kill them for vengeance. It just seems like it would get old. All the ones with that plot line that I've seen have no character development (or very little if you're being generous), and very little in the way of interesting conversation. I just don't see the point in watching a movie if those things are lacking.

A great surprise was "The Searchers," which has exactly the plot outline above (homestead gets attacked, everybody is killed except the youngest daughter, so they go on a endless quest to rescue her), but does it amidst one of the most beautifully filmed movies I have ever seen. What puts this movie over the top, however, is that the hero is actually interesting. John Wayne plays a guy that I would despise normally, but you still find yourself rooting for him, and in the end when he redeems himself, you're glad to see it, even though you know he hasn't changed, not really.

There's a reason John Ford is the king of the western, and I think "The Searchers" is it. I love Ford for doing "The Quiet Man," but I think I respect him even more now that I've seen "The Searchers" (oh, and this little film called "The Grapes of Wrath," too).