Review of Destry Rides Again (1939) by Davey M — 18 Jul 2011

One of the best westerns ever. Casting James Stewart opposite Marlene Dietrich was a strange idea, whoever's it was, and the film gets much of its appeal from those character's central dynamic.

Dietrich, as always, exudes energy even when she seems to be doing nothing (though that's rarely the case here, where she sings, dances, and throws things), and Stewart gives one of his most drolly charming performances in the role of Destry (it doesn't hurt that he's a wonderfully-written hero), and the film is full of the sorts of delicious supporting characters and comic subplots that were a hallmark of much of the best of 1930s Hollywood.

Director George Marshall handles the light comedy a bit more deftly than he does the weightier drama of the last act, but by then we're invested enough in the story and characters that it still packs a punch.

The whole is funny, fast, well plotted, and really just a pretty pristine example of everything Golden Age Hollywood moviemaking was capable of doing right.