FILMGAZM PRODUCTIONS
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • ACTION
    • BIOPIC
    • COMEDY
    • CRIME
    • DRAMA
    • FAMILY
    • FANTASY
    • HORROR
    • MUSICAL
    • SCI-FI
    • SPORT
    • WAR
    • WESTERN
  • PODCASTS
    • THE FILMGAZM PODCAST
    • OSCAR SUNDAY
    • BEYOND THE BAD
    • FAKE TRUE STORIES
    • THE SNEAK PREVIEW
  • Articles
  • Hall of 10's
    • CONNOR'S HALL
    • CALEB'S HALL
    • AUSTIN'S HALL
    • JOSH'S HALL
  • Trailers
  • Meet the Team
  • In Memoriam
  • Ratings
Picture
An aging senator recounts the time he made enemies with a
​notorious gunslinger, and barely escaped the incident with his life.
WESTERN

The Man Who Shot
​Liberty Valance 
(1962)

Directed by John Ford

Written by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck

Starring John Wayne, James Stewart, Lee Marvin, Vera Miles, Edmond O'Brien, Andy Devine, Jeanette Nolan, John Qualen,
Ken Murray, Woody Strode, Strother Martin, Lee Van Cleef

Based on the short story by Dorothy M. Johnson

Oscar Nominations - Best Costume Design

Connor Eyzaguirre
June 10, 2019
8/10
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a masterpiece of the American western genre, and contains what may be John Wayne's greatest performance, as well as incredible work from both James Stewart and Lee Marvin. It's a film that turns a number of tropes on their heads and subverts audience expectations. In short, this is the rare case where Wayne is not the hero of the film, but is instead upstaged and ends up depressed and alone because of it. It's not at all what I expected, and it greatly exceeded my expectations.

James Stewart plays Ransom Stoddard, a young lawyer who breezes into town only to run afoul of notorious gunslinger and robber Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), who robs him and beats him. Upon arriving to the town of Shinbone, Ransom is called out by Valance as a troublemaker and threatens to kill him. Thanks to the intervention of local hero Tom Doniphon (Wayne), Ransom lives to regret his decision to come to this town. As the film progresses, we grow attached to Ransom because he's the everyman, the little guy, the unsung hero. He's not the untouchable western legend. Hell, in the first ten minutes, he gets nearly beaten to death by the bad guy. This film is very character driven and treats every character like they're the hero of their own story, something that a lot of Wayne's films never had.

While I would say that this film is way more of a James Stewart film than a John Wayne film, I still think it holds Wayne's best performance. He finally gets to play a bit against type in the third act by not becoming "The man who shot Liberty Valance" and losing the girl. In this state, we get to see a John Wayne entering depression and attempting suicide. It's an emotional film that doesn't let up and keeps your interest throughout. It's a fantastic watch.

Mission Statement

Filmgazm is made by movie lovers for movie lovers. We believe in the magic of film and we aim celebrate films of all genres and throughout cinema history, regardless of who's behind the camera or who financed it. We at Filmgazm believe that every film deserves to be reviewed on its own merits and that's what we are here to do. Enjoy the show!
DISCLAIMER - Filmgazm does not own nor do we pretend to own any posters, artwork, or trailers on this site. We mean only to review
​and discuss movies. All trademarks are the property of the respective trademark owners.
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • ACTION
    • BIOPIC
    • COMEDY
    • CRIME
    • DRAMA
    • FAMILY
    • FANTASY
    • HORROR
    • MUSICAL
    • SCI-FI
    • SPORT
    • WAR
    • WESTERN
  • PODCASTS
    • THE FILMGAZM PODCAST
    • OSCAR SUNDAY
    • BEYOND THE BAD
    • FAKE TRUE STORIES
    • THE SNEAK PREVIEW
  • Articles
  • Hall of 10's
    • CONNOR'S HALL
    • CALEB'S HALL
    • AUSTIN'S HALL
    • JOSH'S HALL
  • Trailers
  • Meet the Team
  • In Memoriam
  • Ratings