The Shootist
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Movie Reviews of The Shootist
Movie Review: Requiem
Summary: 5 Stars
As surely as THE SEARCHERS and STAGECOACH are required for anyone wanting to see John Wayne in his prime, THE SHOOTIST is essential not only as latter-day Duke, but as the curtain call of the western. While the Academy recognized the Duke for his over the top portrayal of Rooster Cogburn in 69's wonderful TRUE GRIT, it was in this picture which I believe the man gave his most heartfelt performance.The summary of this movie can be read elsewhere. The importance of this film is undeniable, not only in the context of John Wayne's final role, but in a way, as the swan song of the western itself. Surely there have been flashes of brilliance since, but I really think THE SHOOTIST sounded a kind of death toll for the American Western. Up until this point the genre was a viable money maker. Crowds still lined up to see the latest Duke offering, or to watch Paul Newman saunter in high heeled boots. But around the time of this film some elusive quality was lost. It seemed the closing of the west or the end of the west was the dominant theme in Westerns of the sixties. RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY saw the end of Randolph Scott, LITTLE BIG MAN saw the end of the typical cowboys vs. Indians thread - even Leone was saying his goodbyes in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. That's not to say that the western died with John Wayne - but his death was certainly a kind of manifestation of the waning days of the genre that made him great. THE SHOOTIST definetly dealt a mortal blow. Even through the eighties when SILVERADO and Eastwood's OUTLAW JOSEY WALES (and later TOMBSTONE in the 90s) propped the Western up one final time, it was always a hollow, rickety echo of its past glories. Then in UNFORGIVEN, when Will Munny fired the bullet that killed Little Bill, he was really putting down this grand old pony, the Western.
But THE SHOOTIST was the great end. The blaze of glory. In JB Books' final moments we were seeing the end of an era. Of course, everything is cyclic, so we can hope that there will be a place for this perennial and distinctly American art form once again...someday.
But about THE SHOOTIST - fantastic. Great opening montage of classic Duke films (can you name them? - HONDO's in there, my personal favorite) John Wayne gives a hearty goodbye handshake to his own larger than life persona in a realistic, heartbreaking role. Seeing Books slip in the bathtub is like seeing your Dad in his late hours...indeed, there is an underlying theme of fatherhood in this movie, particularly in the relationship between Wayne's and Howard's character. Maybe Siegel was conscious of the importance of this movie to Wayne and the Western genre as a whole. Maybe in the final act, when Gillam Rogers makes his decision about pursuing a life of bloodshed and Books gives a fatherly nod of approval, in that simple, silent gesture he was saying - `Now that you've seen all this, have you got it? Have you learned?'
Something modern filmmakers who have tried their hand at the Western just don't get is that those of us who hold it dear to our hearts don't go solely for the pistol play and the bloodshed and the high action...Westerns are NOT brainless action movies. They are morality plays which speak to the deepest and highest ideals of our collective American manhood - they show us what we are and what we ought to be. Gary Cooper in HIGH NOON. He could hit the road with his wife and let Frank Miller have the town, but because he is American and this is a Western, we know as well as he does that he cannot. Sgt. Rutledge CAN'T connive or even argue his way out of the charge of rape, no matter what it means to himself and his people - he can only stand tall and state the truth he knows. Ethan Edwards CAN'T let Lucy stay alive in the hands of the Comanches. Butch and Sundance CAN'T be brought in alive. And JB Books CAN'T just slip away - he knows his end must come in blood and thunder. Hollywood today leaves the Western alone because they can't figure out a way to tweak it and make it edgy. The simple fact is, you don't tweak the Western. We love westerns because they ARE old and familiar, and we know what to expect. They are as welcoming as the feel of an old boot, or a broken in hat. THE SHOOTIST is the archetype. If you want to understand the Western, you've got to see THE SHOOTIST.
Movie Review: John Wayne's elegiac swan song; Farewell, Duke...
Summary: 5 Stars
As movie genres come and go, the American Western was gasping for its last breath when John Wayne starred in "The Shootist" in 1976. This story about a dying gunfighter counting down his last days in the New World is loaded with an extremely heavy dose of symbolism. This is a quiet western, completely emphasizing dialogue over action. Directed by Don Siegel, a master of the western, the overall mood laments the passing of the Old West and its ideology. I agree with other comments that this film has a slightly made-for-TV quality about it, but it's clear this is supposed to be a delicate look at the death of a revered cowboy, and not a wide-open prairie epic. Like the character himself, John Wayne was dying, and provided for us what would be his final performance. The last words Wayne ever said onscreen at the end of this film are the same words I'd say to him if I had ever met him - "Thank you, sir."Set in Nevada in 1901, Wayne plays John Bernard Books, considered one of the last infamous gunfighters of the Old West. Books settles into Carson City and learns he's dying of cancer. Hoping to live his last few days quietly, he is befriended by a strong-willed widow (Lauren Bacall) who owns a boarding house, and her impressionable son (Ron Howard). His presence becomes known, and enemies from his past emerge looking for a fight, while other so-called friends try to coax the legendary outlaw into letting a little fame rub off. Books soon develops a tender friendship with the Bacall character, while becoming a mentor to her eager son, even though the local Marshall is pressuring him to leave town immediately. Books soon figures out how to rid himself of his enemies and his debilitating condition in one swift stroke. The cast is a large who's-who of western actors and they do an all-around great job; Lauren Bacall looks a little less glamorous than usual, but fits right in as the stern yet feminine widow. Ron Howard gives a brash, "aw shucks" grown-up version of Opie, and Harry Morgan provides a little humor as the cowardly, trash-talking town deputy. There's also a small but fantastic supporting role by the eternal Jimmy Stewart as the doctor who informs Wayne of his ailment.
As the titular dying gunfighter, Wayne's role is not as complex as it was in "The Quiet Man" or "The Searchers", but this is still some of the best acting he's ever done. This is a solemn film, about someone reaching the end of their life and isn't afforded much time to rest and reflect because their past is catching up. The sad perspective of the Old West as an antiquated era also shows how we sometimes have trouble trying to stay with the times when the rest of the world is rapidly moving forward. This movie has grown in appreciation over time with many Wayne fans due to his calm, age-old performance. I can't think of another film that has served as such a fitting goodbye to an actor. "The Shootist" is - both literally and figuratively - the Duke's final bow.
Movie Review: The Movie, the Cast, the DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the story of the last eight days in the life of John Bernard Books (John Wayne), a legendary gunfighter who pulls into Carson City, Nevada on January 22, 1901. Books is dying of inoperable prostate cancer. Knowing that all he has to look forward to in the few weeks left him is an undiginfied and agonizing death as his disease progressively worsens, and unwilling to go out that way, Books orchestrates one last glorious gunfight, himself versus the only three men in town who just might be able to kill him.The Shootist has the cast from Hell: John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, Harry Morgan, John Carradine, Hugh O'Brian, Richard Boone, Scatman Crothers, all in the same movie. Made on a shoestring budget of eight million (not a lot of money for a major Hollywood production even in mid-Seventies dollars) the only way The Shootist could afford such a cast was that everyone involved realized this would probably be Wayne's last picture, and wanted to be involved. Hugh O'Brian volunteered to play his part for free.
The only "extras" on the DVD are the original trailer which is mediocre and a "Making Of" feature that's absolutely excellent. In the latter it's revealed the filmmakers changed the ending of the movie from the book on which it was based. In the novel, J.B. Books is killed at the end by young Gillom Rogers (Ron Howard) after surviving the final gun battle. But the powers that were felt it would be awfully hard to have audiences like the Howard character after that. In hindsight they realize their decision weakened the movie. And they're right. That would have been the perfect ending to The Shootist, the ultimate act of love from Gillom to Books, to be the one who ended his pain when no one else could. The way the movie does end is great - The Shootist is fully deserving of its five stars - but it could have been even better.
While it would be difficult to make a case against either Once Upon a Time In the West, Red River, or The Outlaw Josey Wales being the best Western ever made, The Shootist is one of the very few movies even worthy to be mentioned in their class. It adds an immense amount of poignancy to Wayne's portrayal of J.B. Books, a strong man in the final stages of terminal cancer, to know the actor was in exactly the same situation at the time. This is arguably Wayne's finest acting job, understated and powerful. While some actors are great for a time, then degenerate into crap roles to finish out their careers (Basil Rathbone's last movie was Hillbillys from Outer Space, if you can believe it), John Wayne was a class act til the very end. The Shootist was the perfect way to cap his career: one last superb Western from the greatest Western star of all.
Movie Review: The Duke's Swan Song Defines What Made Hollywood Movies Great
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Shootist" is one of John Wayne's finest performance, filled with the irony of life imitating art and vice versa, since the Duke and his character in "The Shootist" both knew they were facing death. The cast is replete with heroes from TV and movie westerns, and features great performances by Jimmy Stewart as Doc Hostetler, Lauren Bacall as the widow Rogers, the Duke's would-be love interest, and Ron Howard as Gillam Rogers, the widow's eager teenage son who is coming into manhood.
Wayne plays John Bernard Books, an infamous gunfighter and frontiersman who defines the persona of the rugged Westerner. He comes to Carson City, Nevada to seek out the diagnosis of the only doctor he's ever trusted, Doc Hostetler. The two Hollywood legends play out a classic scene of humor, respect, and finality between two old friends. His worst fears confirmed, Books seeks out a place to play out his final act.
He takes a room at the widow Roger's boarding house, and a night doesn't go by before Book's condition becomes the talk of the town, and killers try to dispatch him in the middle of the night. Appalled and frightened by Book's coarse manner and infamous reputation, Bacall's character calls upon Henry Morgan as the town's chatty sheriff Tibodeaux, to throw the Duke out into the street, before all of her boarders move out. And this is where the unique performance by Wayne and the story begins to take shape.
Wayne becomes a surrogate father to Gillam and tries to impart his wisdom and guidance on the impressionable young man. And Book's plan to meet his fate begins to unfold. The movie includes classic villian portrayals by Richard Boone, Bill Kenney, and Edmund O'Brien. There are also terrific cameos by John Carradine as the undertaker and Sheree North as Book's long lost love.
The beauty of "The Shootist" is that it relies entirely on the strength of the actor's performances and the plot turns of the story. It is a beautifully poignant tribute to the American Western that examines the end of the West as these characters have lived it. It hints at a country ready to trade in the untamed frontier for the progressive evolution of the country as it stands poised to enter the 20th Century.
Books and the other characters in "The Shootist" provide one last great hurrah to celebrate what made the taming of the American West such a profound and enduring tradition in American film making. This cast of Hollywood greats and legends show us why they are revered as giants in the film industry.
Movie Review: This is not your standard movie review....
Summary: 5 Stars
This is from the heart....I grew up with a generation of kids who had never seen all the "B" westerns that Mr. Wayne made when he was a strapping young man who was hired because he COULD do all those things you couldn't afford to pay stunt men to do if you were a small studio....
My generation never saw him REALLY ride horses, jump on bad men, have 3 minute fist fights, rescue run away stages and all the other daring things he could do that regular actors just couldn't do.....my generation saw him after he was a huge national treasure, an icon and so valuable he had to let others do the stunt work: they thought he was "just a star"...a really big star, but just a star.....not a bigger than life, man's man who could do everything he did in films, for real.....
John Wayne was everything we in America cherished, before the liberals began to fear personal responsibilty and "self esteem" problems that allow a kid to think 2+2=5 so his feelings aren't hurt, even thought he learns nothing....John Wayne and the characters he played had all the virtues that make America the great land is was to become.....(sometimes I look at what we are today and I worry for our future, but my prayers are that the Good Lord will watch over this great nation and prevent it from giving away services to illegal aliens and other such wrong things, and return us to the age of hard work, smaller government hand outs and right and wrong......)
When I saw this film I knew it was Mr. Wayne's last, it was a feeling that came over me: I knew this was the last time we'd ever see him on film, a way of saying good bye to his fans around the world and kind of explaining what was happening to him at the same time......you could see it in Jimmy Stewart's eyes....Jimmy knew.....
The good news is there are some new heroes in America today, not the least is the fine creator of Amazon.com, who faced a new frontier and earned the success he deserves from his efforts.......
My point is this: we need Mr. Wayne more today than we have in a long time, (especially after the clinton era) and this good film shows some insight into a great man, not just a great actor.
This film is worth owning because it was Mr. Wayne's last, and with "Liberty Valance" for the opening, this is the perfect ending to a double feature that could teach a lot of Americans just what actually being an American means...
But then I guess just about any movie he was ever in could do that...right pilgrim?