The Searchers
1956
🎯 Verdict
✍️ Full Review
I didn't expect this to be that funny. The question is- was that all deliberate or it just felt like that because of a different era? Setting aside the rationalization and blatant banner of manifest destiny and American Exceptionalism vis-a-vis savagery driven by tribal instinct of men which can be attributed to this being a product of its time, you gotta hand it to Mr. Ford for the technical prowess involved in this western. The set designs, the location, the skills behind the camera, all of it's just top-notch. Multiple ill-judged attempts at humor, even back in '56, not so much. Yet, The Searchers also displays the paradoxical nature of the indomitable spirit of wandering on a mission of rescue white knighting through the treacherous conditions of an adventure and the desire to come home in hope of settling for good playing house. That mono-a-mono brawl at the end was some of the most serious cowboy shit I have ever seen. Story-wise it's all over the place.