Review of The Searchers (1956) by Andrew B — 11 Jun 2012

Flaws abound in this uneven half-bred Ford film despite how undeniably influential the story and character arc are...it is however a visually fantastic, fun journey. A bit dark and thematically mature for its time period, this film still wreaks of what holds many of the pre-Leone westerns down: namely an overbearing score, hammy acting, and a bit of a biased (arguably racist) perspective, despite its attempts to deviate from the stereotype.

I've never liked John Wayne, but this is one of his more stomach-able performances.