(by sychonic on 15 June 2002)

I'm surprised this one doesn't get more accolades. To me it's really one of the best westerns ever made. This is one of those films that proves that the western genre can produce true art. The filming, the performances -- this is one of Wayne's best ? it's quite overlooked that this guy could act: The desperation, the confusion, the exhaustion, it's all just amazing.
It's more of a character study than anything else, with the characters facing desperate thirst, an aching empty land, relentless sun, and the movie shows how these men deal with it, all the while they are attempting to care for a child. Something they are ill equipped to do.
There are clear religious elements to the movie, and they make this all the more compelling -- these are not good men, but they have a sense of honor and faith, in their own way. They can't break their word to a dying woman, to care for her child. Their faith in each other is touching.
It's gritty, yet very tender, a strange juxtaposition, like the beauty and cruelty of the desert.
See the movie if you can.