Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart), un anciano senador del Congreso de los Estados Unidos, explica a un periodista por qué ha viajado con su mujer (Vera Miles) para asistir al funeral de su viejo amigo Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). La historia empieza muchos años antes, cuando Ransom era un joven abogado del este que se dirigía en diligencia a Shinbone, un pequeño pueblo del Oeste, para ejercer la abogacía e imponer la ley. Poco antes de llegar, fue atracado y golpeado brutalmente por el temido pistolero Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). (FILMAFFINITY)

A young lawyer in the old west tries to champion law and order.

The framing device is unnecessary and pretty dull, and the political convention scene is interminable. But when the movie's a Western, it's great.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: C
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B

Enjoyment: B

GPA: 2.7/4 ( )

This has all the ingredients of a classic Western. Climatic gun fight. Directed by John Ford. And starring Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne. But what I love about it really is how subversive it is of the whole genre. The ending and its political and cultural ironies is a wonder. One of my favorite films, and I don't ordinarily care for Westerns. ( )

The centennial collection version of the dvd has an excellent commentary track by peter bogdanovich ( )