Better Late Then Never

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

STAGECOACH is a slick, action-focused western from famous director John Ford, best known as the movie that catapulted John Wayne from B-movie success into Hollywood stardom. The plot is simplicity itself and involves a stagecoach riding through Apache territory. Much of it gets by thanks to character interplay between a diverse assortment of different types, among them Wayne's convict hero and John Carradine playing a gambler. After an hour of set-up, the climax lets rip with some well-shot mayhem and a ton of stunts. This isn't my favourite western, but it certainly sets the stage for subsequent entries in the genre.

Saw this in the 90s on a vhs. Revisited it recently on a bluray. It is an awesome entertaining film with beautiful scenery n amazing action sequences. The long shots captured the landscapes well, the characters r all very memorable n the tension is maintained throughout, the action scenes were top notch, especially the stagecoach running in the middle of the vast wide open space n pursued by the Indians. Wayne shooting his guns from the top n he controlling the horses were amazing action sequences. This movie did two great things. Wayne became a major movie star n western movies upgraded to A grade. It is also the first western shot in the beautiful Monument Valley. The movie is about a group of passengers who r travelling in a stagecoach. The passengers are given the alarming news that Geronimo is on the warpath and that their lives are in danger but each of the passenges has their own reasons for taking the risk. When the Marshall is informed that an outlaw is present in the destination town, he joins the stagecoach which is filled with a driver whos got a unique voice, a prostitute who has just been forced out of the previous town, a drunken doctor, a pregnant woman, a gambler, a liquor salesman and a crooked banker. Wayne gets a solid entrance after we have heard about him multiple times from other characters. Ringo Kid (Wayne) joins the stagecoach cos his horse has gone lame. He has to surrender his gun to the Marshall n will be arrested once they reach the destined town but our Ringo kid has to settle score with a trio of outlaws who killed his father n brother.

Iconic John Ford/John Wayne Western, in Fact, an Iconic Western of its own. It was the First of Many Ford/Wayne Films, and is the Movie that made Wayne a Star after over a Decade in Hollywood.But it's easy to forget that "Stagecoach" is an Ensemble Piece with many Strong Characters and Performances. The Stereotypical Westerners are...Dallas...The Whore with a Heart (Claire Trevor) Ringo Kid...Misunderstood Hero Gunslinger/Wanted by the Law (John Wayne)Hatfield...Dude Gambler/Southern Gentleman (John Carradine) Doc Boone...Alcoholic/Forced to Sober Up for Redemption (Thomas Mitchell)Mrs.Mallory..Stuck Up & Pregnant Soldier's Wife/Sees the Light (Louise Platt) Gatewood...Corrupt Banker and Thief (Berton Churchill)Buck...Comedy Relief Stagecoach Driver (Andy Devine) Peacock...Comedy Relief Whisky Peddler (Donald Meek)Cramming all these Colorful Characters into a Stagecoach with Geronimo on the Warpath, Traveling through Monument Valley was Certain to be Watchable and Exciting for Audiences in the 1930's. The Film was Rich with Ingredients.The Director's Heavy Hand Weighs the Movie Down at times with Forced Levity and Bombastic and Belligerent Portrayals (a Ford trademark). The Indian Attack is Fanciful Fiction but Exciting. The Music is also Bombastic and Overdone and the Ending Gunfight can seem Anti-Climatic and Pretentiously Prolonged as the Suspense is Piled On by the Never Subtle Style of the Director.Overall, it is an Important and Fine Film. Overrated and Dated. A Must See for Film Historians, and Fans of John Wayne and the Director.

John Ford created a Western that has every element you can have. It has a bank robber, a pregnant lady, a man falsely accused, some bad guys that accused him, a prostitute with a heart of gold, gunfire, Indians, the cavalry coming in at the last minute, John Wayne who, of course, never did anything wrong. These people are all travelling on a stagecoach so it becomes ensemble acting as they try to keep alive and get where they're going. Ford was a master director with a great eye for the camera. In addition to some really good plot elements and characterization, we see camera angles, close-ups, a wide shots that give the uninitiated an excellent interpretation of the Old West. This is worth seeing if only because it is a benchmark film, not merely a Western.