The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
A few months back I watched a wonderful documentary on John Ford...I hadn't seen any of his films at the time, but was immediately on the lookout for some of his work. Well, this is the first film of his that I've had the opportunity to watch, and I couldn't be more impressed. A western that beyond being beautifully shit and well acted, really leaves you with something to think about. Our two "heroes" - John Wayne's Tom Doniphon and James Stewart's Ransom Stoddard - are both fascinating characters, and the film leaves you with a moral dilemma: both men have their own flaws and made their own mistakes...but who did the right thing?
Absolutely makes my list of favourite westerns, and I'll be checking out more of Ford's work as soon as I can.
Quote:
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This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact...print the legend.
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Invictus (2009)
A good film, but I was expecting more from Eastwood. Freeman, Damon and the supporting cast all give fantastic performances, but the film as a whole seemed overlong - the blame for which lies partially with the poorly paced script, but also with the lackluster (and often inappropriate) score. I was interested from beginning to end and there were some brilliant moments here and there, but it could easily have been 20 minutes shorter and had a much stronger impact.