The Searchers
The Searchers
An American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.
Ray Hopkin reviewedMay 20, 2025
This is a masterpiece in the western genre. John Wayne gives one of his most brilliant performances, mainly because he's playing someone who is so repellent, a racist, and keeps you guessing until the end what he'll end up doing. Although I'm not sure he would have softened up so much in the end. The movie is beautiful to watch, and the moral dilemmas it brings up are probably still relevant today, maybe more so. I think that both Ethan and Scar are mirror images of each other, surrounded by their respective societies who are struggling to just get by, but are always in the shadows of these two men who are so repugnant, racist and riddled with hatred and revenge. It's an absolutely brilliant movie.