Shane

Good to tick another classic off the list. I can see how the Western tropes develop from films like this...(exiled gunslingers, patriarchs, family, etc).

Also nice to see a touch of political correctness in this film as regards the indigenous angle and landowning.

Loved the ending

Shane is probably the archetypal Western and a central hero that could be a forerunner to Eastwood's character in Unforgiven. The film takes it's time to set up the relationship between Shane and the family he is staying with, in particular the hero-worship of the young boy and Shane's desire to experience family life. Much of the film is seen through the eyes of the boy, and so enjoyment of the film depends somewhat on whether you find the child annoying or endearing, but it cleverly allows the film to preach a greater complexity to the child whilst allowing its hero to eventually fulfil his slightly more simplistic purpose. Whilst the film does attempt to make the central antagonists a little more than one-note villains, ultimately Palance's entrance into the film is the point at which this approach is set aside in favour of the tropes we have come to expect. It's still watchable throughout, beautifully shot with an ending that is quite moving.

Picture 4/5, sound 3/5 . Pale Rider is a remake of this, I like both, what they told and how they told

Every character in this film is a hero for not murdering Joey... or are they? Bang!

A fairly classic archetypal Western with Alan Ladd as the reluctant-hero type. I think it's mostly elevated by two excellent performances, one from Brandon De Wilde, who was only around 10 or 11 at the time, and one from Jack Palance as a villainous character who conveys so much menace despite having very few actual lines. Few performances have presence like his does. I was delighted after watching it to see that their two performances were the two to attract the attention of the Academy, as well: both were nominated for Best Supporting Actor (I probably would have given it to Palance instead of Sinatra, who won that year for "From Here to Eternity".

It's a solid western but nothing special.

Long and repetitive, with some odd casting choices. Alan Ladd is a bit of a wet blanket here (the costuming doesn't help), and the wonderful Jean Arthur is completely wasted in a role that asks nothing of her. There are some good scenes, especially involving Shane standing up to the evil ranchers, and I like the idea of seeing the conflict through the kid's eyes. But nothing in the movie can work with a kid actor who's that obnoxious. Christ.