Rating: 
Summary: I'm not a John Wayne fan, but...
Review: I still loved this movie! It's so heartfelt and the first time I watched it, I thought it was one of the best I'd seen recently. It's sad, but a lot of good movies are sad. I've seen a lot of John Wayne movies because my parents love him, but this was the first one that I ever had a real desire to see again.
Rating:
Summary: John Wayne saved the best for the last
Review:
John Wayne always played himself in his films. I don't know whether he could 'act', because the characters he played were always the same. I loved him and the stories he played in.
This was probably his best. I loved the Rooster Cogburn parts as well, but this one was, I think, his best. A tired old gunman discovers he is dying of cancer. In fact, Wayne WAS dying of cancer when he made the film, which makes it the more poignant. The supporting cast was excellent as well, each in their own role, and the casting was superb. Ron Howard fit the role of a snot-nosed kid who eventually developed some character, and Lauren Bacall was perfect as the widow--at first outraged, and finally sympathetic to Wayne. Hugh O'Brien was great as the conniving gunslick gambler, and Richard Boone was perfectly cast as a rotten bastard. I never cared for him in the part of Paladin, in the series, but this part was made for him. Harry Morgan acted the part of the marshal as if it were written for him. All in all, this was a great film, and a fitting end to the great John Wayne's career. Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating:
Summary: *******The Duke is the single best actor ever*********
Review: "I wont be wronged i won't be insulted, i won't be laid a hand on, i don't do these things to other people and i expect the same from them" the duke said this during the movie with his awsome voice. This movie is a must see
Rating:
Summary: A tear-jerking Western classic from the Duke
Review: In my opinion, this is one of John Wayne's most underrated films. Oh, people like it well enough, but few see it for what it really is: the twilight of a great epoch in American cinema. In it, Wayne gives one of his finest and most believable performances, and stars opposite a great cast of old contemporaries (like James Stewart) and up-and-comers (like Ron Howard).
This final film of the Duke could not have been more fitting. Wayne plays an old gunfighter who's dying of cancer. He knows he's dying, and tries to live out his final days in peace. The real tragedy of the story is that no one will let him--he is constantly harassed by would-be heroes, newspapermen, and people seeking to play a part in the death of a legend. The role is a different one for the Duke--he doesn't play the tough-as-nails cowboy this time--and yet he seems to fit it perfectly. This is perhaps the most fitting farewell of a Hollywood legend conceivable. No matter what people think of him, few can deny the everlasting impact that John Wayne has had on American society. This film is the last hurrah, the blaze of glory. Wayne's character, and Wayne himself, senses the end of his era, and goes out with style.
Rating:
Summary: This is not your standard movie review....
Review: 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?
Rating:
Summary: Requiem
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: What a Way to Go!
Review: This is a very good movie though it stands a bit taller than it might otherwise because it is such a fitting end to the life and career to one of the greatest actors of all time. Not everyone holds the Duke in such high esteem but I know that millions share my opinion. There is an outstanding innovation in this movie that I can't recall seeing before. It is when Ron Howard narrates the history of Western legend J B Books (Wayne's character) while the film show clips of Wayne from his early Westerns chronologically through his later ones. There is also very good acting by John Wayne. The plot is a good one; an old gunslinger comes out of the wild into a town emerging into the Twentieth Century. He choses this town because he wants to see an old doctor he knew from the past. The doctor confirms that he has terminal cancer so the outlaw, realizing his death is a foregone conclusion, chooses how it will come about. There are many characters that become a part of his final days, maybe a few too many. I enjoyed watching this movie again after a number of years. It was (and is) better than I recalled. However, my major objection to the movie is that it has a "made for TV" appearance about it. Perhaps it the inclusion of so many TV actors (Ron Howard, Sherrie North, Harry Morgan, Hugh O'Brien, Richard Boone, etc) as opposed to so few movie actors (James Stewart, Loren Bacall, and John Carradine). Part of it may come from the segues for each new day that seem tailor-made for commercial breaks. Even the photography at times gives you the impression of video-tape. However, if it WERE made for TV it would go down as the greatest made for TV movie of all-time. As I understand from his biographies, Wayne was pretty sure that he would bounce back again from his latest bout with cancer. Thus, he was already looking at future movie prospects as this one was winding down. Yet he couldn't have chosen a better movie to bow out with than this one.
Rating:
Summary: A FITTING FAREWELL
Review: WITH A CAST LIKE THIS ONE SPORTS, HOW COULD IT GO WRONG?
JOHN WAYNE, JIMMY STEWART, LAUREN BACALL, RON HOWARD, RICHARD BOONE, JOHN CARRADINE, ETC. ETC. ETC.
AND DIRECTED BY DON SEIGEL WHO FRAMED "DIRTY HARRY" FOR US.
WAYNES, JOHN BERNARD BOOKS DRIFTS INTO TOWN WITH A PURPOSE BUT SADLY FOR THE LAST TIME. HE VISITS DOC HOSTETLER (STEWART) WHO CONFIRMS THE WORST. BOOKS IS DYING OF CANCER.
BOOKS BOARDS WITH LANDLADY BACALL AND A DISTANT ROMANCE IS IMMINENT, BUT NOT BEFORE TRADING A FEW LICKS. BACALLS SON IN THE FILM IS A YOUTHFUL RON HOWARD (DESTINED TO BE A GREAT DIRECTOR.)
HOWARD IS ENAMORED OF BOOKS WHO IS A FAMOUS GUNFIGHTER.
THE MOST MEMORABLE LINE OF DIALOUGE FROM THE MOVIE IS WAYNES CREEDO ADVICE TO APPRENTICE WANNABE HOWARD "I WONT BE WRONGED, INSULTED OR LAID A HAND ON. I DONT DO THESE THINGS TO OTHER PEOPLE AND I REQUIRE THE SAME FROM THEM."
ONLY WAYNE COULD DELIVER A SPEECH LIKE THAT AND BE BELIEVEABLE DOING IT.
BOOKS IS VISITED BY A HOST OF FOLKS. SOME ARE OUT TO MAKE THEIR REPUTATION BY ATTEMPTING TO KILL THE NOTORIOUS GUNMAN WHILE OTHERS WANT TO MAKE A DOLLAR OFF OF HIS NOTERIETY. THE CHALLENGERS END UP DEAD OR WISHING THEY WERE.
BUT BOOKS WILL NOT SUCCUMB TO AN ENEMY HE CANT DEFEND HIMSELF AGAINST. HE ARRANGES FOR A FINAL SHOWDOWN WHERE HE FULLY EXPECTS TO GET KILLED. BUT THE DUKE IS TOO DAMN GOOD TO BE BESTED EASY.
HE BLASTS THE BAD GUYS INTO ETERNITY WHILE TAKING A FEW ROUNDS HIMSELF. HE IS DONE IN THE ONLY WAY ANYONE COULD DO HIM IN. HE IS SHOT IN THE BACK BY A BARTENDER WITH BOTH BARRELS.
HOWARD ARRIVES TO WITNESS BOOK'S DEMISE AND THEN AVENGES THE SHOOTIST BY RETRIEVING ONE OF BOOK'S EMBELLISHED COLT'S "WITH ANTIQUE IVORY GRIPS THAT IS SOMETHING TO BEHOLD."
HOWARD TAKES OUT THE BARKEEP AS THE COWARD ATTEMPTS TO RELOAD.
WORRIED THAT THE YOUNG MAN WILL TAKE THE WRONG TRAIL THE DYING BOOKS WATCHES AS HOWARD SLINGS THE PISTOL ACROSS THE ROOM IN DISGUST. (0UCH!) BOOKS PASSES SEEMINGLY RELIEVED.
WHAT TRUE JOHN WAYNE FAN DOESNT GET A LITTLE TEARY EYED AS THE CAST ROLLS ON THIS ONE, KNOWING IT WAS THE DUKES FINAL FILM.
IT IS BASICLY AN INDOOR WESTERN WHICH MIGHT LEAVE SOME HORSE OPERA FANS A LITTLE CLOSTRAPHOBIC, BUT IT IS A JOHN WAYNE MOVIE AND A FITTING END TO A LONG AND GLORIOUS CAREER.
LONG LIVE WAYNES MEMORY. OH HOW WE MISS HIM.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of John Wayne.
Review: I recently had the opportunity to see this film at a local movie theatre. There are only three theatrical prints available for public showings and the owner of the theatre is a huge John Wayne fan and was able to get his hands on one of the prints for a nightly showing for one week. I only mention this because this was the first time I saw THE SHOOTIST and seeing it in the theatre for the first time made the film even more impressive to me. I enjoy John Wayne films and Westerns, but am not a huge fan of either. However, out of all the Wayne films I have seen, this is with out a doubt the best picture The Duke ever made. The movie was also the last film John Wayne ever made and he couldn't have gone out with a better eulogy. Wayne stars as a gunfighter in the twilight of his years named J.B. Books. Books arrives in Carson City, Nevada to seek the medical opinion of a trusted doctor (Jimmy Stewart) who lives there. The doctor doesn't have good news for Books, he has a cancer and is going to die soon. Books wishes to die in relative peace and seeks a room at a local boarding house. However, word spreads that the famous gunfighter is in town and is dying and every trigger-happy man from miles around seeks to get in on the action before Books kicks the bucket. The acting in this film is superb. John Wayne gives the most emotional intense performance of his career and he is backed by a strong supporting cast of Lauren Becall, Ron Howard, and Jimmy Stewart among others. The writing is great and the film contains some great lines. The film is full of the comedy of life, but all set against the backdrop of the serious drama of a dying man's last days. The scenery, sets, and location eloquently capture the beauty, promise, and chaos that existed at the the beginning of the 20th century. The film is a great example of filmmaking done right and is a fitting finale to the career of the great John Wayne. It is a movie that just about anyway can enjoy, from older tykes on up.
Rating:
Summary: "The Duke" as a real human being
Review: There is a real resonance to this film that I have seen in few John Wayne movies. The Duke is still very manly in this film, but most of the macho is gone. I found myself really getting into Wayne's character, and watching with genuine interest what will happen with his relatonship with Lauren Bacall(still looking great) and Ron Howard. The Duke didn't seem to be playing a cariacature of himself but something much more real-it doesn't surprise me that he was dealing with real life and death issues in his own life when the film was made. I kept thinking to myself-"you know, the Duke is really acting in this one!" Also, the fact that the town was changing to more modern ways in the film is analogous to the fact that Westerns were mostly out of vogue when this picture was made-I think the filmmakers were making their own commentary about that in this movie. It probably would have been considered too sentimental to give John Wayne an Oscar for "The Shootist," but it would have made perfect sense-his acting is really deserving of an award in his final performance.
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