Stagecoach

Pros: Ensemble cast, story, action, direction, cinematography, location, score, a true classic

Cons: Stagecoach has been copied many times, never surpassed

The Bottom Line: Stagecoach reinvented the western genre, changing it from cheaply made matinees to a respected art form. See it!

Review: Stagecoach "Well, I guess you can't break out of prison and into society in the same week." The Ringo Kid This is the film that rocketed John Wayne to superstardom and brought respectability to the western genre. Formerly, ...

Pros: Big John Wayne got big in this movie.

Cons: A tad racist and hokey in places.

The Bottom Line: This was a watershed movie which changed the way Westerns were made, and influenced countless other movies beyond the genre of the Western.

Review: Everyone who likes movies knows that there is a type of movie called the "Western." Generally, these movies are about the American West from the time period of 1860 to 1910. And the actor who made the brightest mark in the history of American Westerns...

Pros: characters, cast, script, direction

Cons: stereotyping, musical number

Review: "Stagecoach" is an outstanding early Western, directed by John Ford and featuring John Wayne, who was escaping from an endless series of "B" Westerns. While there is plenty of drama, the characters are diverse and well-defined, and...

Pros: Great classic western

Cons: no cons.

Review: Even though "Stagecoach" made John Wayne a real star, it wasn't him that made this movie so great. It was good writing and directing. The story itself steals the show. Wayne was just a plus to it. Along with a lot of others, like Claire...

Pros: Archetypal characters, solid story, comic relief, stunts and action...

Cons: DVD transfer a bit grainy & jumpy...

The Bottom Line: The Western gets good.

Review: Sometime in 2001, I was going through a Western phase. I picked up several John Wayne movies, including Red River and The Searchers, but somehow missed Stagecoach. I passed it up on purpose, assuming it would be too slow and stodgy for my taste. The ...