The Shootist

About ten minutes into The Shootist, Doctor Hostetler (James Stewart) tells aging Western gunfighter John Bernard Books (John Wayne), "You have a cancer." Knowing that his death will be painful and lingering, Books is determined to be shot in the line of "duty." In his remaining two months, Books ...more

John Wayne's last feature film appropriately revolved around the death of an iconic gunfighter and the end of the Old West itself. Like The Searchers (1956) before it, The Shootist explores the burdens of being a legend, a topic undoubtedly close to the actor. Director Don Siegel gives the film a gentle, sentimental touch -- somewhat surprising, given that he made his reputation on such violent, subversive films as Dirty Harry (1971) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). Siegel downplays ...more