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Summary: The Duke's Swan Song
Review: I grew up as a child hating John Wayne because of his stance on the Vietnam war. It wasn't until I was in my 20's that I began to watch and appreciate Wayne's movies and now I genuinely love his legacy and many of his films. This is Duke's last film and truly one of his best. His acting prowess is shown to its best advantage here. There is no doubt that Wayne's acting talent deepened with age and was always best expressed when he was surrounded by other quality actors.As most people know, Wayne was already diagnosed with cancer as he made this film. There are few more poignant scenes in any movie than when Wayne's character describes the pains in his back to physician Jimmy Stewart, and Stewart returns with his verdict: "You have a cancer." The viewer knows that John Wayne really *did* have cancer and would die from it in a year. Only those who loathe Wayne could watch this scene and not have tears swimming in their eyes. There are, of course, better John Wayne movies, but few that pack the emotional wallop of this one. All of his scenes with Lauren Bacall are deftly made and touching. Their screen chemistry is gentle and charming. His scenes with Ron Howard are less pleasing, since Howard's acting talents were marginal, at best. I recommend this movie to those who still hate John Wayne or regard him as a lousy actor. This will convert you to believing he was an American icon and a moving, memorable presence in American movies for half a century.
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Summary: The "Last Ride" for "The Duke" was a GOOD ONE!
Review: Portraying a character dying from the same illness that had befallen him, John Wayne's "swan song" was a fitting tribute to both the actor and the West that he so represented in numerous films. As an earlier reviewer stated, Wayne did deserve an Oscar for his performance. As good as he was in "True Grit," it is his quiet, yet determined, acting that makes this a memorable flick. With a supporting cast of skilled veterans (Bacall, Stewart, Boone, O'Brian, Cruthers, and the great John Carradine), the movie is a reminder of the OLD HOLLYWOOD that is no more. "Youngster" Ronny Howard, future exceptional moviemaker, typifies the kid enamored by the elder statesman. Obviously, Howard's casting was a wise decision on the part of Siegel because Howard accepts the torch readily as if to say, "I will carry on!" A very passionate and literate western is "The Shootist." It should have been somewhere on the list of best 100 American films.
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Summary: The Duke in his most poignant role
Review: The Shootist is The Duke's final role, that of an aging gunfighter dying of cancer (which was actually happening when the film was made). It is a touching, sad story of a misunderstood man with a heart of gold who only wants to die in peace, but finds nothing but prejudice and hate from narrow-minded townsfolk and creeps who want to do him in just to make a name for themselves. This is a truly moving film, sure to make anyone who sees it a John Wayne fan.
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Summary: A truly moving experience for Duke fans.
Review: I want to agree with the excellent comments offered here already about this very fine film. I became a huge John Wayne fan when I was five years old. It was 1976 and I watched "The Sands of Iwo Jima" on TV. I've since watched alot of John Wayne movies with my personal favorite being "The Searchers"; but I cannot say any them were a more emotionally moving experience than the first time I saw "The Shootist." I darn near cried. As another reviewer stated, this movie probably will not effect people who are not John Wayne fans the way it will those who are. The fact that this was his last movie and that he was already starting to suffer the effects of the cancer that would kill him three years later add a poignancy to the film for Duke Wayne fans. Combine that real life drama with a truly compelling story of an dying gunfighter, who has outlived his time, and the wonderful performances that bring that story to life and the result is a truly great film. I can think of no better "swan song" for the career of an American icon than "The Shootist." In 1975, John Wayne was JB Books. An icon. A legend. Yes, John Wayne was never a sheriff. He was never a soldier. He was never a cowboy. Yet he represented the American ideal so well that people believed he was all those things. His outspoken patriotism during the Vietnam era made him a hero to millions of Americans. He was also a man who had outlived his genre as had JB Books outlived his era. In 1975, the western film genre was dying. With exception of Clint Eastwood(who has made just 3 westerns since '75), John Wayne was the only actor in the '70s who still made westerns respectful of the genre. The rest of Hollywood either ignored the genre or made fun of it in revisionist films. Like JB Books who felt out of place in the turn of the century West, John Wayne was an anacronism in 1970's Hollywood. John Wayne is JB Books. If you watch "The Shootist" with that in mind it will surely add poignancy to an already moving film.
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Summary: A true tribute and farewell to the Duke
Review: There could not be a more appropriate last film for this man
Rating:
Summary: What a fitting finale
Review: Emotionally subtle and especially poignant given Wayne's long career and his own personal battle with cancer. I have never been a big fan of the Duke but, at the same time, thought he was unfairly underrated as an actor. In "The Shootist", Wayne is remarkable. It's a thoughtful late period Western that is strikingly unique and different. This is not your typical Duke Wayne horse opera at all. The supporting cast is extaordinary as well and not a single performance is wasted. There is a resonance within everyone in the film, as if they all knew this was to be a very special little gem and a fitting farewell. Wayne's swan song ranks right up there with Henry Fonda's in "On Golden Pond". I agree that this is the film that John Wayne should have won the Oscar for.
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Summary: J.B. Hooks could not be played by anyone but John Wayne.
Review: A lot of film critics say that John Wayne was born to play Rooster Cogborn in "True Grit". If this is true, then the Duke lived his whole life to play J.B. Books in "The Shootist". The story is different from the usual fare served up in western genre. In this film, we don't have the young gallant hero. Instead, we have an aging gunfighter with a dubious reputation, a cynical attitude, and a terminal illness. John Wayne plays this character so well that the viewer ends up loving him. I love any John Wayne western but "The Shootist" is by far his best.
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Summary: The BEST western John Wayne ever made!
Review: Wayne plays a man who has outlived his time, and his life, as he is dying of cancer. Making the film even more poignant, is the fact Wayne WAS dying of cancer and this was his last film. It is obvious he was drawing upon his own experiences and was injecting them into his role. Wayne's character "J.B. Books" had risen to "fame" as a man who is quick and deadly with a gun. This follows him to the end as fortune hunters seek to kill him and gain fame in the deed when word is out that he is dying. Descending upon him like a pack of wolves are a variety of low-lifes who can "make a buck" or gain fame from his demise ~ murderers, newsreporters, morticians, and more. To watch his handling of each is very entertaining. The other actors all do a superb job with a well written script in which several wonderful sub stories run through: a) The man who just wants to die quietly but has to defend himself from killers. b) The man who finally finds love, only too late and ill timed. c) The man who decides instead of dying alone and in pain will die with dignity and honor. This is Wayne's FINEST acting job worthy of ANY award you can name. Wayne's interplay with Jimmy Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, Harry Morgan, and many more notably famous actors is exceptional. All of the performances are stellar. The insight into the mind of the "Shootist", let alone the mind of a dying man, that Wayne plays is every bit as engrossing as the final 10 minutes (which will have your full attention and have you sitting on the edge of your seat!). A moving film, with appropriate action scenes that are not overdone, and a sense of what honor means to someone who takes responsibility for their actions in their every day deeds, as well as their life. HIGHLY RECOMMEND for any Western Enthusiast to add to his collection of films.
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Summary: The culmination of a wonderful career.
Review: Although John Wayne's passing left a huge void in the film world (especially the western genre), what a wonderful movie to end a career on! If big John ever deserved an oscar, it was for his performance in this picture. Within the first few minutes, I knew this was going to be a great film (it starts off by showing him a young man growing older via many film clips from his past movies!!). Wayne was a man with power and class, and "The Shootist" lives up to his legend. Between 1 and 10, "The Shootist" gets a 9. If you haven't seen this film, you're missing the 'Duke' at his best.
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Summary: This is the film John Wayne should have won the Oscar for.
Review: I grew up in the shadow of the Viet Nam war, and so never truly developed an appreciation for John Wayne until later in life. This is hardly surprising. After all, I was a dove, he was an outspoken hawk, and besides most of his later films weren't much to write home about. True Grit was mildly entertaining piffle, but Oscar-worthy? Puh-leeeze!! The intervening years since Wayne's death, with the growth of cable TV and the video market, have given me an opportunity to gain respect for the man and his work. Films like Red River, The Searchers, Sands of Iwo Jima, The Quiet Man and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance are now among my personal favorites. But the one film that I think he truly deserved an Oscar for was The Shootist. Knowing that it was probably his last film, being a cancer-ridden actor playing a cancer-ridden gunfighter, and a lifetime of Western acting in every line on his face -- all this gives the film and his portrayal of J. B. Books a resonance unlike any other film in his long career. Whether he's flirting with Lauren Bacall, sparring with Jimmy Stewart, or teaching a callow Ron Howard, Wayne is always sure-footed, dignified and larger than life and all-too-human at the same time. Adios, Pilgrim.
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