Review of Stagecoach (1939) by Emily P — 09 Oct 2010

Before Stagecoach, I had never been overly impressed with John Wayne as a performer. Stagecoach changed that perspective with me entirely. Appropriately, this was also John Wayne's breakthrough role.

Stagecoach is fast paced, exciting, exhilarating, and I have since come to think of it as one of my all-time favorite westerns. This is the type of film most people tend to think of when someone starts talking about the genre of "westerns." It has Indians shooting arrows at John Wayne with the little motley crew shooting back in an attempt to save their skins.

The best part of the film--the part that was most impressive for me--was the characters. A lot of times it's really hard for me to find worthy characters in a western film, but Stagecoach had plenty. And all of the characters were interesting, fun to watch, and wholly memorable. Among them are a prostitute, a drunk doctor, a whiskey salesman, a lonely wife, and an infamous outlaw. Watching all of these characters interact with each other produced some of the best scenes in the movie.

John Ford's direction is impeccable. I loved the way he was able to keep the audience fully engaged with these characters constantly, no matter what was going on onscreen. I don't believe that there is any major flaw with this picture--if any at all. It's just so good at being good that long before the picture's over, the audience has been effectively swept up in its grandeur. 1939 was an excellent year for motion pictures, and nothing shows that better than one of the best westerns ever made.

10/10.