MovieChat Forums > The Alamo (1960) Discussion > Wayne's best film??

Wayne's best film??

posted 9 years ago by natewasche
6 replies | jump to latest

Personally I think so. You can tell wayne put his whole heart into it. And it's just a great epic that deserved best picture

[–] dannieboy20906 9 years ago

It was John Wayne's personal moral epic. I think it is a tremendous effort overall and stands up well against similar creations by other great movie icons such as Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. (Though Clint Eastwood may have outdone him while wearing all three hats) I would not call it his best acting role. I am open and need to go back and watch more, but it may be his best directing accomplishment. I also need to go back and check, but I am pretty sure it is not the best thing that he produced.

[–] natewasche 9 years ago

I agree about his acting. Personally his best in my opinion was true grit. It's interesting he didn't even want to headline the alamo but the only way he could make it was if he played a main character. Never the less I'm a sucker for big epics and I felt that he was truly great as a director. That above all other reasons is why I find it his best film

[–] dalbrech 9 years ago

No. Wayne's passion for the project unfortunately clouded his judgement as a filmmaker and he forgot a basic rule of filmmaking: "Don't Tell,Show". I am a Wayne fan (though I don't agree with a lot of his politics) and I find the endless speeches to slow down the film badly.
He handled the action sequences superbly,and got good performances out of his fellow cast members,but the deep flaws in the script keep the film from being one of Wayne's best.
IMHO he did his best work in "True Grit" "The Searchers" and "The Shootist".

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[–] redban (5202) 4 years ago

I like The Shootist.

But I feel movies like “Liberty Valance” and “The Searchers” best capture John Wayne, the icon.

[–] HarlemEagle42 (16175) 4 years ago

It's well made and entertaining. But his finest film to me remains The Searchers.

[–] Jones70 (6195) 3 years ago

It’s definitely one of his best but I would say either El Dorodo or Rio Bravo is his best movie.