Everything great about American westerns can be found in John Ford’s The Searchers, a regular candidate for one of the greatest films ever made. John Wayne plays Civil War veteran Ethan Edwards, a racist, cranky bastard who has to deal with the death of his brother and sister-in-law –murdered by comanches – before tracking down their kidnapped children along with his part-indian companion Martin (Jeffrey Hunter). Their journey unfolds over a period of years, and monument valley becomes a character in itself, gorgeously realized by the director. It’s the performances, particularly Wayne who balances his characters heroic and hateful sides
Read More