John Ford directs this western story that opens with Senator Ransom Stoddard(played by Jimmy Stewart) arriving by train in the town of Shinbone, to attend the funeral of old friend Tom Doniphon(John Wayne). He tells a local newspaper reporter about his first arrival in Shinbone by stagecoach, where it is robbed by a bullying ruffian named Liberty Valance(Lee Marvin, well cast) As a young lawyer left only with his law books, he gets a job in a local restaurant as a dishwasher, only to run afoul of Valance again, who is being used by local landowners who oppose proposed statehood. Stoddard is approached to be a representative, and after being challenged by Liberty, is elected, though Valance decides that only a showdown can settle things...
Thoughtful and effective film is more a showcase for Stewart than Wayne, much the same way Stoddard comes to overshadow Tom, though both actors are equally memorable, as are the characters they play.
Thoughtful and effective film is more a showcase for Stewart than Wayne, much the same way Stoddard comes to overshadow Tom, though both actors are equally memorable, as are the characters they play.