Review of The Quiet Man (1952) by Andrey B — 01 Jun 2016

John Wayne versus the overly conservative courting traditions of Ireland...sounds like a 5-star blockbuster premise, doesn't it? Well, not so much. My reaction to The Quiet Man was not very positive, and I stalled out and had to restart the movie more than once.

The entire plot is just so bland and uninteresting to me that I'm surprised I persevered to the end. At this point I'm wondering if can muster the willpower to explore any more of Wayne's films because I have not enjoyed his performance yet in my first 2 experiences with him.

He is a very stiff actor, and struggles to become a convincing romantic lead here. However, despite all my protestations to this film, I did enjoy moments. There were certain actors who were very good, especially Maureen O'Hara (even if I found her character annoying.

) There were also some of the minor characters who gave me a chuckle, which I needed more of while watching this movie. The best part of the film, despite all the frustration I felt up to that point, was the final confrontation which somehow hooked me and I was anxious to see how it would end.

One other thing that is worth mentioning was how well-restored the visuals were in the version that I watched. It truly captured the luscious beauty of Ireland. All these lovely things are nice to have in the film, but they just weren't enough to make me like The Quiet Man.

I have a sneaking suspicion this is a movie I will quickly forget, and will wonder if I ever actually saw it.