John Wayne gives off one of his strongest performances in this John Ford western, convincingly playing a character who is much older than he was at the time. Ford uses his hues very well in this film, with vibrant colours, especially oranges. Also the realistic weather effects are worth noting. Other than these three areas though, there is not much else to bring the film above average of its type. It is a prototypical western, with dull supporting characters, three of which are involved in a love triangle that feels tacked on, adding very little to key story at hand. The narration does not work too well either, and the violence seems awkward; the film also moves rather slowly due to a lack of real excitement in the storyline and a lack of solid character study for compensation. So, I did not think too much of the film myself, but it is certainly okay overall. If nothing else, the film is worth watching for John Wayne's performance and looking at John Ford's colour and lighting techniques.
Review of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
