There are films that can mark the end of an era, but few do it so clearly as The Shootist, the 1976 western directed by Don Siegel. Made in a time when westerns, once the most popular Hollywood genre, were in terminal decline, it is best known as the final film in the long and distinguished filmography of John Wayne, the legendary actor who enjoys a reputation as an icon of the western genre. Scenes from the western films he starred in throughout his career serve as an illustration in the prologue, depicting thirty years in the life of the protagonist, the legendary gunfighter J. B. Books. In January 1901, he can still rely on his deadly skills, but old age and bad health have finally caught up with him. He comes to Carson City, Nevada, to visit Dr. Hostetler (played by James Stewart), a physician, old acquaintance and one of the few people he trusts. The doctor examines him and delivers devastating news – Books has advanced cancer and only a few weeks to live before a slow and agonising death. Books decides to spend his last days quietly, and Hostetler sends him to rent a room under an assumed name in a house owned by the widow Bond Rogers (played by Lauren Bacall). When she discovers who Books really is, she is at first horrified, unlike her rebellious son Gillom (played by Ron Howard), who starts to worship the ailing but still charismatic man. While Marshal Thibido (played by Harry Morgan) does not want Books in Carson, seeing him as a relic of a barbaric Old West in a town embracing modern 20th-century civilisation, various other citizens try opportunistically to use his presence for financial gain. At the same time, many gunfighters, motivated by vengeance or a desire for fame, arrive in Carson to kill him. He begins to see the inevitable showdown as a better and more dignified way to end his life.
John Wayne’s last performance is arguably the most moving of his career, especially in light of the fact that the actor, just like his character, had cancer. Unlike Books, Wayne struggled with that ailment for years before finally succumbing to it three years after the premiere, and this was accompanied by other illnesses, like the influenza that hospitalised him during the production of The Shootist. Despite all that, Wayne plays his character masterfully, successfully portraying an ultra-masculine, no-nonsense character finally coming to grips not only with his own mortality and vulnerability, but also with a new, modern, and orderly world symbolised by telephones, electricity and “horseless carriages” – a world which has no use for people who enjoy wide open spaces and dispense their own individual brand of justice. Wayne is well-matched by two other Classic Hollywood stars: Lauren Bacall as a quiet, dignified woman who struggles with conflicting emotions when faced with her charismatic lodger, while Wayne’s old friend James Stewart, also billed as “guest starring”, delivers another strong performance. The other members of the cast are mostly adequate, including a young Ron Howard in his last major role before switching careers to directing.
Don Siegel, also one of Wayne’s old associates, directs the film competently. The film, despite being shot at authentic locations, at times looks like a glorified television production. This could be attributed to a lack of particularly memorable music and too many scenes taking place indoors. Siegel partially acquits himself by staging an effective final showdown, although its impact is not as strong as it could have been because the villains and their motivations are not developed enough. Yet, despite all that, this is a very good film that could satisfy even those viewers not particularly fond of Wayne or westerns. In the end, The Shootist represents one of the most effective rides into the sunset in cinema’s history.
RATING: 7/10 (++)
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