Wolff rating: EXCELLENT
Plot summary: A group of westerners in Arizona are thrown together on a dangerous stagecoach ride.
Biased, pithy comments: This is one of those movies that can seem hollow if you don't notice the date. This is the classic ``lifeboat'' movie, where good and evil are set side-by-side in danger, and you get to find out whose character runs how deep. It might seem hollow after seeing ``Die Hard,'' ``Airport 76,'' and ``Speed,'' but of course these movies have mined this film for all that was good, and left aside some of the overdone character acting and the slow start. Although this is the movie that catapulted Wayne to true stardom, it's really Carradine and Mitchell that stick with you (and, indeed, Mitchell won an Oscar). Also, watch out for ``Yakima'' Canutt's daring one-take stunts (Ford wouldn't let him do two takes; too dangerous, and, anyway, Ford liked one-takes). One of Ford's seminal works.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, Louise Platt, George Bancroft.
Directed by: John Ford