The Shootist

John Wayne made a lot of movies in his acting career and a good portion of them were westerns. Well, he also played cops, hunters, soldiers, and everything in between, but it looked like westerns were his forte. It seemed right, whether he could tell or not, that his final film would also be a western.

In a decision that looked completely unreal, Wayne plays the part of a gunfighter who is dying of cancer while he himself had the exact same situation. The Telltale Mind said in their review, “Truly strange and yet poignant at the same time, for as he goes through the film, it is almost as if he is saying goodbye to the audiences that loved him throughout his career.  His performance was nothing short of phenomenal as he was able to relate so personally to the role.” This part, unlike any other he had played in the past, made him look for just once, not the larger than life character he always played.

The film also has a great supporting cast from an older Ron Howard, Jimmy Stewart, Richard Boone and Lauren Becall. These are great performances if anyone has seen one. Ron Howard was really amazing to see outside of “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Happy Days.” The Telltale Mind credited, “His capability of playing the wide-eyed and innocent young teen next to Wayne’s experienced and aging cowboy was a smart piece of casting.”

John Wayne had starred in the majority of his long list of films he made and almost all of them were considered the best. The Searchers, True Grit, The Longest Day and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance are some that are called his best films and would be said as his finest. That can also be said for “The Shootist” as his greatest film. TheTelltale Mind ended their review by saying, “A truly wonderful and riveting performance from the Duke in what would be his final film aided and abetted by some of the best co-stars in any movie.”

There’s a funny story that Don Siegel was working with John Wayne on this movie and made a terrible mistake. The villain sneaks around the room and John Wayne comes up from behind the villain. Siegel had told Wayne to just shoot the villain and Wayne questioned, “Shoot the man in the back?” Siegel said, “Just shoot him, and get rid of him because you got four other guys.” Wayne told Siegel, “I don’t shoot anyone in the back.” Siegel made the mistake of saying, “Well Clint Eastwood would have shot him in the back.” Wayne turned blue and said to Siegel, “I don’t care; I don’t shoot anyone in the back! If you want, go call that kid!” It’s a funny story, when you think about it. John Wayne saw the footage and noticed that it was edited to show him shooting a man in the back. He said to them that he made over 250 films and never shot a man in the back, demanding that they change it, which they did. However, John Wayne had shot men in the back in several of his films, like “The Searchers.”

All of that aside, this is another one of those must-see Westerns that everyone has to see. As the final film John Wayne did, he went out with a drop of the hat. I would even say this is another one of my favorite Westerns. Seeing how nice the weather is becoming now, it seems fitting to watch Westerns. I understand that people may not like Westerns because of the slow pace, predictable plot, but not all Westerns are like that. This is one that must be seen to be believed.

Well everyone, we have now come to the end of “John Wayne Month.” I hope I made some good recommendations for everyone and hopefully everyone will be watching some of these movies. Definitely don’t miss out on them. Check in next month for more exciting reviews.