Hondo
There are many who marvel at the legend of John Wayne, a guy who was always 100% right on the money and gave a great performance whenever he played John Wayne. Sometimes, when the Wayne persona was put into a film which was exceptionally well written and directed (The Searchers), the results were incredible. Other times, not so much. Take this entry from 1953 (based on a story by Louis L’Amour) where everything seems to be in place, Wayne’s got his horse and dog and attitude, but regrettably, there’s just not much of a story here to tell. The Duke plays a gunfighter who stops for food, water, and rest at a ranch run by a married woman (Geraldine Page) and her young son and soon figures out that, unlike what she claims, her wayward husband has no intention of coming back “anytime soon”. Wayne continues on his journey, but soon an Indian uprising and the death of Page’s husband bring him back to the ranch, where the two of them start to hook up, deal with the Indians, and eventually leave to go West to his ranch in California, having to deal with one last Indian attack on the way. That’s about IT, sadly, but perhaps the real reason this movie was significant was because of its (at the time) radically sympathetic portrayal of the Apache Indians themselves, with their leader (Michael Pate) showing great respect for Wayne, Page, and the son, and even Wayne himself makes a statement along the lines of when the Calvary wipes them and their way of life out, it will be a shame. But, as stated, the story isn’t really much to go on, even with Wayne’s old friend and frequent co-star Ward Bond showing up later on to hang out, and a supporting cast that includes James (Gunsmoke) Arness. When originally released, the film was shown in 3-D, and yes, there’s a couple of instances where certain objects are “thrown” into the camera to give off that effect, but for the most part, this is just the same ol same ol from the Duke in a film that is perhaps best remembered today as being the favorite movie of Al Bundy’s…
5/10