My background: I have been a fan of Westerns for a while now, but I had yet to dip into what are widely guarded as the "classics". I decided to give this film a look after being told for my entire life about what a classic it is. This movie is regularly in the top 5 (and often #1) on the 'best westerns' list.

Is the movie important? Sure, for a variety of reasons. It influenced a generation of young filmmakers. It offered groundbreaking cinematography. But much of what makes this movie important is its imperfections. While the movie aimed to show how terrible we viewed and treated the Native Americans, I would say that the movie itself offered a commentary on how terrible we viewed Native Americans. Couldn't they cast an actual Native American in the lead roles?

And then there is the movie itself. I've heard this movie called an "epic", which is hilarious. Go watch Lawrence of Arabia and then get back to me. The movie features Wayne playing an incredibly boorish and one-sided character meandering the desert over several years, even after he learns that the girl does not want to be found. Why? The whole movie feels like a giant patchwork of mediocre scenes. Wayne is never going to be known for his acting, but I dare say that the rest of the cast was equally mediocre. The whole thing is just... mediocre. But because it influenced other directors that went on to make far better movies.....

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