Review of Stagecoach (1939) by X. T — 18 Mar 2009

I guess for a Western newb such as myself this is not a bad place to start. There's plenty to like about this, foremost is Ford's gorgeous treatment of American landscapes. Most of the film is basically a bunch of people from disparate levels of society arguing and worrying about Indians.

The danger of Indian attacks sets up a situation for the characters to display their true colors. I though some of them like the banker and the gambler weren't given much to work with and thus were unnecessary.

Plus that woman did not look pregnant one bit. (petty criticism I know) I was surprised by the amount of comic relief this had to offer. The Indian gunfight was very an impressive sequence. The gunfight at the end was pretty perfunctory and unnecessary though.

Wayne and Mitchell's performances stood out for me the most.