A mismatched group of individuals take a stage coach across the desert all for different reason despite the threat of attack by Indians. This is John Ford's classic early western that is a mixture of action sequences but really revolves around the characters that are well developed as each shows their reason for the journey but also their character flaws. There is a strong performance from John Wayne as the wanted man, Claire Todd as the prostitute about to be reformed but it was Thomas Mitchell who won the Oscar as the alcoholic doctor. John Ford had made silent westerns but this was the first of a new generation of westerns that set a style for many later westerns. This was the first to be filmed in Monument Valley, which became standard and also the level of stunt work in the film.
John Wayne
Andy Devine
John Carradine
Thomas Mitchell
Louise Platt
Donald Meek
4/5