The Shootist

Rating:
Summary: John Wayne at his best
Review: No finer film could have been made for the last one John Wayne would star in .The story of a dying gunman and how he decides to end his life. One of the best scenes is with him and Ron Howard when Wayne gives him shooting lessons and tells him the code he has lived by throughout his life.One of John Waynes best.If you liked Eastwoods Unforgiven,you will like The Shootist.A must see for all John Wayne fans.

Rating:
Summary: Very special
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Very good western with strong three dimensions
Review: The characters in The Shootist are very three dimensional (profanity abounds). The film has a great interesting feel to it. Wayne's deep performance carries it despite a little scene stealing by Jimmy Stewart as a crusty but nice doctor. Westerns are always a little familiar but this one is quite full of originality. A winner.

Rating:
Summary: A sad goodbye
Review: Yes, the Duke was dying of cancer during the making of this last film, just as his character was. That makes me feel like a rat for writing this, but I have to tell the truth.

John Wayne has been in some of the best westerns ever made, and also in some of the most exuberantly fun garbage. The Shootist (1976) is neither. The performances are all good, as far as they can be, given the material, but the material is just not up to scratch. The movie is slow and very light on action. That would be alright, if there were an interesting plot or insightful character studies. But there aren't. The plot meanders aimlessly and the characters are pretty much stock two-dimensional western fare. Only Harry Morgan's gleefully callous sheriff was a character I hadn't already seen in a hundred movies and not much was done with him (the undertaker, I noticed, could have been lifted directly out of Wayne's "Blue Steel" (1934)). Oh, and just to top it off, Ron Howard, who co-stars, was badly miscast. Howard does a workmanlike job with the script he is handed, but he looks like he's 18 and as "the impressionable kid torn between his hero and his maw" he's playing a part that should have gone to a 12 year old.

You can start ya pistols blazin' cause I'm gonna say it - the Duke limped off into the sunset with this picture. If you want to see a great John Wayne movie, rent "The Searchers" (1956). If you want to see a great movie about an over-the-hill gunfighter facing his past, rent Clint Eastwood's "The Unforgiven" (1992). If you want to kiss an old man goodbye because you love him, rent "The Shootist" (1976).

Rating:
Summary: A fitting end for a western hero, John Wayne
Review: The Shootist is an excellent western that was John Wayne's last movie. It is a fitting tribute as the Duke's character tries to live out his life with as much dignity as possible just as Wayne did. J.B. Books is an infamous and aging gunfighter whose reputation preceeds him wherever he goes. Books goes to visit an old friend, Doc Hostetler, in Carson City who tells Books that he is dying of cancer. Hearing this, Books tries to live out his remaining days as peacefully as possible. However, several gunfighters arrive in town who want to be the man that gunned down J.B. Books. This was an excellent movie for John Wayne's last film. At times, it is painful to watch the Duke because it is apparent he is struggling with the cancer that eventually killed him. Nonetheless, a very entertaining western for John Wayne's final movie.

John Wayne gives an excellent performance as dying gunfighter, John Bernard Books, who wants to live out his remaining days in peace. His performance is one of his best as he tries to resolve his life as best as he can. Lauren Bacall plays Bond Rogers, the woman who owns the hotel Books stays in. The relationship between the two as they feel each other out is very well developed. Ron Howard stars as Gillom Rogers, the young man who comes to idolize Books during his stay at his mother's hotel. In a guest starring role, Jimmy Stewart is excellent as Dr. E.W. Hostetler, Books' old friend who diagnoses him with cancer. The gunfighters gunning for Books include Richard Boone, Bill McKinney, and Hugh O'Brian. John Carradine, Harry Morgan, Scatman Crothers, and Rick Lenz also star. The DVD includes widescreen presentation, cast and crew interviews, and a theatrical trailer. For an excellent western and John Wayne's last film, check out The Shootist!

Rating:
Summary: John Wayne's elegiac swan song; Farewell, Duke...
Review: As movie genres come and go, the American Western was gasping for its last breath when John Wayne starred in "The Shootist" in 1976. This story about a dying gunfighter counting down his last days in the New World is loaded with an extremely heavy dose of symbolism. This is a quiet western, completely emphasizing dialogue over action. Directed by Don Siegel, a master of the western, the overall mood laments the passing of the Old West and its ideology. I agree with other comments that this film has a slightly made-for-TV quality about it, but it's clear this is supposed to be a delicate look at the death of a revered cowboy, and not a wide-open prairie epic. Like the character himself, John Wayne was dying, and provided for us what would be his final performance. The last words Wayne ever said onscreen at the end of this film are the same words I'd say to him if I had ever met him - "Thank you, sir."

Set in Nevada in 1901, Wayne plays John Bernard Books, considered one of the last infamous gunfighters of the Old West. Books settles into Carson City and learns he's dying of cancer. Hoping to live his last few days quietly, he is befriended by a strong-willed widow (Lauren Bacall) who owns a boarding house, and her impressionable son (Ron Howard). His presence becomes known, and enemies from his past emerge looking for a fight, while other so-called friends try to coax the legendary outlaw into letting a little fame rub off. Books soon develops a tender friendship with the Bacall character, while becoming a mentor to her eager son, even though the local Marshall is pressuring him to leave town immediately. Books soon figures out how to rid himself of his enemies and his debilitating condition in one swift stroke. The cast is a large who's-who of western actors and they do an all-around great job; Lauren Bacall looks a little less glamorous than usual, but fits right in as the stern yet feminine widow. Ron Howard gives a brash, "aw shucks" grown-up version of Opie, and Harry Morgan provides a little humor as the cowardly, trash-talking town deputy. There's also a small but fantastic supporting role by the eternal Jimmy Stewart as the doctor who informs Wayne of his ailment.

As the titular dying gunfighter, Wayne's role is not as complex as it was in "The Quiet Man" or "The Searchers", but this is still some of the best acting he's ever done. This is a solemn film, about someone reaching the end of their life and isn't afforded much time to rest and reflect because their past is catching up. The sad perspective of the Old West as an antiquated era also shows how we sometimes have trouble trying to stay with the times when the rest of the world is rapidly moving forward. This movie has grown in appreciation over time with many Wayne fans due to his calm, age-old performance. I can't think of another film that has served as such a fitting goodbye to an actor. "The Shootist" is - both literally and figuratively - the Duke's final bow.

Rating:
Summary: THE ICON
Review: I GREW UP WATCHING SATURDAY(OBVIOUS RERUNS)MORNING WESTERNS WITH MY DAD, AND I REMEMBER WITH GREAT FONDNESS THE OLD JOHN WAYNE MOVIES WHEN HE WORE TO MUCH MAKE UP. THESE ARE DAYS I REMBER MOST BECASE THEY WERE WITH MY DAD. HIS LATER MOVIES BROUGHT TO US A HERO THAT WENT THE EXTRA MILE, THAT DID NOT QUIT, THAT TRIED TO DO THE RIGHT THING. HIS YES WAS YES AND HIS NO WAS NO. THE SHOOTIST IS NOT MY FAVOITE MOVIE BECAUSE ALL THROUGH IT I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE HIS LAST, AND I DO NOT LIKE IT WHEN HE DIES IN HIS MOVIES. IT IS ONE OF HIS GREATEST.

Rating:
Summary: EXTRA - SHOOTIST J.B. BOOKS DIES IN METROPOLE GUNFIGHT
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