Review of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) by Stephen E — 01 Nov 2012

The strangest thing about "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" is how slow its greatness sneaks up on you. John Ford doesn't let his film start out on an exciting note, opting instead to take a more low-key route.

Here is a director that knows the Western genre like the back of his hand, and his subtle approach here is admirable yet again. "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" is a lot more understated than you might imagine, but I think that's where it succeeds.

It's so calm and self-modulated that it throws you off when things get brutal. I'll need to revisit it again later on, but I'm almost positive that this is one of the greatest films out there.