Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Sight & Sound Challenge: Red River (1948)

Film: Red River (92/250) 
Critics Poll: 235th 
Directors Poll: 224th 
First Time/Rewatch: First Time

Hello John Wayne my old friend...I've come to shoot at you again...
Another Western! With John Wayne again! He's damn lucky the western existed as a genre, because I doubt we'd be talking about him today if it didn't. Here he's playing a tough-talking, sharp-shooting, stubborn type (surprised?) but he's nicely balanced by the gentle and reasonable Matthew Garth (Montgomery Clift). I really enjoyed the complexities of their relationship and the simplicity of the story. As much as I have discounted westerns in the past as being boring macho guy movies, I've been surprised throughout this challenge by the compelling stories they've told. This film was a story about integrity, honor, betrayal, obstinacy, love, and courage. All that in a movie about cattle, haha. I believe there are a few more westerns on the list, and I'm interested in seeing what those films have to offer.  

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