I have sort of a love-hate relationship with John Wayne (mostly love). He has done one of my absolute least favorite films (The Green Beret's... my dad was a Vietnam vet, and he loved this film, but I just never could... oh, and he did the conquerer... blecchh), but he also did the Shootist (along with a bunch of other fantastic westerns... not really a big fan of most of his war movies, too blatantly jingoistic for me).
The Shootist is quite simply one of the most beautiful and sad films ever made, showing the dying killer attempting to redeem himself, but ultimately failing. Wayne is quite simply perfect (of course he was also dying while the film was being made, which adds another level of poinancy to the story). He plays a character who has lead a shady life at best, but at the end of it, he wants to avoid dying in bed, but he also wants to avoid inspiring other people to follow in his footsteps (particularly the young boy played by Ron Howard). This odd duality is played out perfectly by Wayne (who has played such characters before, such as The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence).
There are NO flaws in this film, it is simply perfect cinema. Anyone who loves film NEEDS to see this one at least once. Also, it has a tendency to recharge the batteries of those who have been overwhelmed by the violence in contemporary cinema. I try to see The Shootist at least once every couple of years.
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