John Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a former Confederate soldier who unexpectedly shows up at his brother's homestead in west Texas with a large quantity of freshly-minted gold coins and a Mexican campaign medal, leaving everyone to speculate about what he got up to in the three years since the Civil War ended. After he's recruited by the Texas Rangers to hunt rustlers, a band of Comanches burn the farm, killing Ethan's family and abducting his niece Debbie. Soon, Ethan becomes determined to go after them, accompanied only by his part-Cherokee adopted nephew Martin Pawley, played by Jeffrey Hunter. However, it's clear that both men have conflicting goals; Martin wants to save Debbie while Ethan just wants to kill some Comanches.
Yeah, you heard me right. I believe that this is one of the first westerns to explore the racism against Native Americans which went on at that time. Not to mention that Ethan is certainly no heroic figure. He shoots retreating foes in the back, he desecrates corpses in the hopes he can hurt them in the afterlife, and enjoys killing bison in the hopes it will deprive his enemies of food supplies. For 1956, that's quite impressive.
People regard this film as a masterpiece, and I suppose they're right. Edwards isn't likeable, but he's nonetheless compelling. You have to wonder what can drive someone to become so jaded that he tries to abandon his humanity. It's implied that he has strong feelings for his brother's wife, but there's nothing concrete. And some of the scenes have a lasting impact - such as when he returns to the homestead to find it in flames. One of these days I'm going to pay a visit to Monument Valley.
If you're only going to watch one film with John Wayne, then I'd recommend this one.
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