"Owns a spot on the Mt. Rushmore of Foundational Westerns (with, oh, let’s say Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, and Shane). Everybody involved worked at the height of their powers: Borden Chase and Charles Schnee, two of the best screenwriters of their era, wrote challenging, complex characters; John Wayne was at his best when he played a son of a bitch (also, The Searchers); Montgomery Clift, taking the baton from John Garfield, was preparing to pass it to Brando and Dean; Dmitri Tiomkin composed an iconic score; Hawks synthesized all."
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