The western is a longtime staple of American cinema. And no one did them quite like John Ford. Ford was one of the founding fathers of film and one of the most successful to cross into the sound era. Stagecoach is one of his earliest sound films and arguably his best. The film follows a group of nine people, each with different motivations, as they travel from Arizona to New Mexico. They run afoul of Apaches on the journey and find themselves forced to work together, despite their differences. There are some great performances here, including Claire Trevor as Dallas, a prostitute leaving against her will, Thomas Mitchell as Doc Boone, an alcoholic doctor being run out of town, and John Wayne as the Ringo Kid, an escaped criminal with revenge on his mind.
Thanks to John Ford’s trademark long shots and an impressive ensemble, this film has survived nearly eighty years.
One of my all-time favorite westerns and deserving of the high esteem it has maintained, I give it…
5 out of 5
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