Stagecoach was a pleasant surprise. I watched it not expecting much other than a starmaking turn from John Wayne, and an example of John Ford’s early Western work. But it’s actually a really good movie. A group of characters get on a stagecoach that’s going through Apache territory, each for their own reasons, and the movie gets a lot of mileage from their interactions. Some of my favourite parts are how John Wayne’s character, the Ringo kid, treats the woman of ill-repute like a genuine lady, and doesn’t understand why the other characters are so cruel to her. It’s no wonder he became a star after this movie: his performance is incredibly endearing. But it’s not all about the interactions: there’s some great camerawork, and Ford really uses the sets to great advantage showing the difference between being “trapped” in the safe indoors and being “free” on the dangerous road. It’s a little hokey, but I would definitely watch it again.

Excellent action movie with a fast-paced plot and iconic, if stereoptypical characters. Seen as part of my Screenplay as Dramatic Literature class. Screenplay/movie notes