The Searchers
John Ford
Directed by:
1956


Looking back on this film, I find myself remembering the strong character moments and vistas of the American Southwest. However, I'm forgetting what made this movie so unenjoyable at times. The action is god awful, and the acting is not much better in some cases. The characters, besides the very strong Martin and Ethan, are laughable and unimportant. Laurie and Debbie especially annoy me, and I wish they could have given the only women in the movie more impact on the world. On that note, while not a critique of the quality of the movie, this film is incredibly racist and sexist at times. It pains me that they didn't give the Natives a more fleshed out role in the story. Instead they play as the typical bad group of people who must be attacked for their crimes, which can sometimes be a fine thing to have, but not in this case. Overall I think this movie is great in terms of its visuals and characters, but you'll have to sit through a barrage of poor quality film to get to it.
