Review of Stagecoach (1939) by Devon B — 12 May 2010

Director John Ford's "Stagecoach" is often regarded as his first great western, as well as John Wayne's first big, break-out starring role. The story is simple enough: a group of disparate passengers on a stagecoach must travel through indian country while Geronimo is on the warpath.

The passengers include a washed-up, alcoholic doctor and a "fallen" woman who've been run out of town; a soldier's wife who is looking to find her husband; a southern gentleman (who is also a gambler and a gunslinger) who goes along for the ride, just to "protect" the lady; a bank manager who's stolen the payroll, and a traveling liquor salesman (much to the delight of the doctor, who at one point lovingly/drunkenly strokes his cheek).

There's also a character named "The Ringo Kid" (Wayne) that they pick up out on the trail, but more as the sheriff's prisoner than passenger (there's a bounty on his head as he'd been feuding with the men who killed his family).

At first, the stagecoach is escorted by the calvary, but due to Geronimo's activity in the area, all military must be diverted from the non-essential jobs. As the stagecoach travels from town to town, the more apparent it becomes they are on their own, as the threat of indian attack looms ever larger (Geronimo is at the forethought of everyone's minds).

And yet, even the threat of death doesn't dissuade some from their societal predjudices as Dallas, the fallen woman, continues to be treated as an outcast. Only Ringo has enough compassion to see beyond her status and find her worthy of friendship (and possibly more).

Stagecoach has all the elements that go into making a great western, and a tense, action-filled climax that stands up to any action sequence from any era. Stagecoach manages to follow several western conventions without ever falling into predictability.