The Searchers (1956)

John Wayne plays a man on a mission, a former Confederate soldier named Ethan Edwards who's searching for kidnapped members of his own family. He's aware that time is of the essence, aware that his search might have to end in tragedy, but his determination nevertheless remains unwavering.
Separate from its overwhelming reputation, the beauty of the film is perhaps foremost in the (overused) Monument Valley landscape, but it goes much deeper than that and it's something that you might not be wholly aware of on first viewing. Enjoy it as a story the first time, but use repeated viewings to pick out the all-important details: the letter that plays with time, the reasons for the conflicting emotions that burn like a fire in Wayne's eyes, the way Dir. John Ford uses frames within the frame, etc, because below the surface is where the film's more complex considerations are to be found.

4 blanket trades out of 5