The Shootist
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Movie Reviews of The Shootist
Movie Review: Wayne's Nudge to Ron Howard
Summary: 5 Stars
I always think of this movie as a last hurrah not only for John Wayne but for Jimmy Stewart too.
The way Wayne tries his best to dissuade young Ron Howard from becoming a gunfighter, it's almost as though there were a subtext to this storyline, I feel that it is John Wayne trying subtly to dissuade Ron Howard away from being an actor and to nudge him gently into a directing career. After all, this is one of Howard's final pictures as an actor and soon afterwards he picked up the directing reins where he's been sitting pretty ever since. Wayne's own debut as a director was THE ALAMO and if you remember it was re-made not too long ago, not by Ron Howard but he was going to do it only the studio wouldn't back him up as to the huge budget the project required--exactly the same battles the Duke had fought way back in 1960. Now, Ron Howard has been very clear about the debt he has owed the Duke, and it all stems from working together on this one Don Siegel project. His recent flop Western film THE MISSING wioth Cate Blanchett is very much a tribute to Wayne's classic 1956 movie THE SEARCHERS. Howard's career has been more expansive than Wayne's, but really it's a case of the apple landing not too far from the tree. This lends their scenes together in THE SHOOTIST that extra edge of poignancy, it's like a glimpse into the heroic past of John Wayne, and into the directing future of Ron Howard. The clips that you see at the beginning of THE SHOOTIST were chosen with care, and provide a brief panoply of the greatness that was John Wayne. Though THE SHOOTIST isn't the best Wayne movie, not by a long shot, it was miles better than most films of the Bicentennial year 1976, and it seems to look better every year that goes by.
It's great to see Ricky Nelson, Christopher George and Johnny Crawford in bit parts on the DVD version, where you can stop the action and say, "Wow, that is who I thought it is!"
Movie Review: Remarkable ride into the sunset
Summary: 5 Stars
An aged gunfighter tries to find a quiet corner to spend his last days after learning he has terminal cancer, but the world has other plans.
John Wayne plays the old cowboy in THE SHOOTIST, truly one of the most remarkable westerns ever. For one thing, this is Wayne's last movie, and it's fitting that the movie cowboy icon bows out in a movie about a famous gunfighter coming to terms with his own mortality. That the character has `a cancer,' as doctor Jimmy Stewart barks out at one point, makes it all the more immediate. At the time THE SHOOTIST was filmed Wayne had already lost one lung to cancer. Wayne, an understated and honest actor, is so perfect for the role it was a little surprising to hear, on the short `making of' documentary on the dvd, that George C. Scott was consider for the role. Scott was a powerful and clever actor, and certainly would have done a good job with this juicy role, but he lacked Wayne's personal history with cancer and icon status. The cast is filled with strong character actors, most of them playing varying degrees of baddies. Henry Morgan is the sheriff who can't wait for Wayne to kick the bucket. John Carradine plays the gaunt mortician who has a particular interest in what happens after the bucket is kicked. Hugh O'Brian and Richard Boone are a couple of old foes with serious scores to settle.
But the movie is content, wisely, to concentrate most of its attention on character. The heart of this movie is in the scenes between Wayne and Lauren Bacall, as the widow from whom he rents a boarding room from, and her son, played by Ron Howard. Fans of Wayne, those familiar with his earlier westerns, will find these scenes quietly moving. For my money THE SHOOTIST is a classic, contains what may be Wayne's best on-screen performance, and is essential viewing for those who love western movies. A five-star gem.
Movie Review: I'm a lost child scared of the dark.
Summary: 5 Stars
Hearing John Wayne speaking these words is something else. The man who defines courage and grace under pressure. This is what makes this movie so memorable. I had to watch it twice to really enjoy it. Wayne stars as a man prepariing to die of cancer. Wayne at this time had lost a lung to cancer and was weak during the production. I enjoyed the first scene right off the bat. It shows a black and white montage of his previous movies. While you're watching this, you hear him say, "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them." Wayne at his best.The chemistry between Mr. Brooks and Bond, a crusty landlady is terrific. It was appropriate the Jimmy Stewart (Man who Shot Liberty Valence) appear in Wayne's last film as a doctor. He delivers the line, "You have a cancer." Later, after describing the agony of cancer, he tells Brooks, "You're a brave man. If I was a brave man, I wouldn't die like that."
Thus giving the Wayne the idea. Like Davy Crockett at the Alamo, he prepares to die fighting the good fight. Removing three evils from the community. On the final day, it is touching to hear Brooks and Bond saying good bye for the last time. Likewise, he tells one pretty lady (Meldoy Thomas) that he hopes that she finds the right man soon. Likewise he gives his pillow to the driver.
Scenes of his kindess are spread throughout the film. Especially when Miss Bond helps him after he slips in the bathroom. This is a foil to the newspaper men, the marshall, the undertaker, and an old lady friend whose greed and exploitation irratate him.
Like "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence", it also deals with the changing west. That final day is a "false-spring". Very touching and appropriate for John Wayne.
Movie Review: Very special
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not rating this 5 stars because I'm a John Wayne fanatic, because I'm not. I'm not rating this 5 stars because I have a special fondness for Westerns, because I don't. I'm rating it 5 stars because it's one of the most poignant films ever made, absolutely appropriate that the Duke's final film would be about a dying gunslinger's last act to save a young wannabe from following in his sad, lonely, misunderstood footsteps.
The plot of the film, its phenomenal cast, etc., can be easily found in other reviews on this page, so I won't go over that again. Let me just say that this bit of historical knowledge---John Wayne dying of cancer portraying J.B. Books dying of cancer---elevates "The Shootist" from a bittersweet Western character study to a very, very special piece of movie history. In one of his finest performances, the Duke subtly displays the pathos of a man forced to be a loner who now is forced to rely on the kindness of people who owe him no kindness; he can now only repay them by effectively ending one young man's quest to imitate his gunfighter hero. Wayne's performance is perfect; as an actor would say, the best acting is when it doesn't feel like acting. Knowing what he was going through makes the story all the more real.
The film is not up to the level of "High Noon" or "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," IMO the two greatest Western films ever made. But by quietly telling the story of the end of a legend who lived a decidedly unquiet life, "The Shootist" earns, and is not simply given, a unique slot in movie history.
Movie Review: The best John Wayne movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I never cared for John Wayne, the person. I always resented the fact that while my father was getting his arse shot off in WW2, Wayne hid behind having several children to avoid the draft. While my father was overseas, Wayne was in Hollywood making money. I also thought it ironic he made so many war films while safe and sound in the United States while so many weren't. His "All American" stance was just another Hollywood lie. If you doubt me, look it up on GOOGLE by typing in "John Wayne and WW2".
That said - and I'm sure many of you Wayne fans will be upset with me over it, but I don't really care - THE SHOOTIST is, in my opinion, the best movie he ever made. He shows a dignity (and acting skills) I'd not see in his previous films. The addition of Lauren Becall and Ron Howard to the cast, along with several fine character actors, like Richard Boone, has made this Wayne film a classic.
Basic story line: A dying gun fighter has shown up in a quiet little town to spend his last days in a pleasant rooming house. James Stewart as the doctor give him the bad news (something he already knew but wanted confirmed), while Becall runs the rooming house with Howard as her almost out of control son. "J.B. Books" (Wayne) gradually becomes a sort of father figure to Howard, showing him the rights and wrongs in his way of living. The ending, while fairly predictable, is also touching with the Books character ending his career in a way totally suitable to the situation.