Alan Mowbray, Cathy Downs, Henry Fonda

A Western retelling the tale of the Shoot-out at the OK Corral.

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83% liked it

5,960 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

22 critics

G, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: John Ford

Release Date: December 3, 1946

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DVD Release Date: January 6, 2004

Stats: 265 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (265)


  • January 10, 2009
    Wyatt Earp and his brothers are driving cattle to California. They stop off at Tombstone and go into town, leaving the youngest brother behind to mind the cattle. On their return they find their brother murdered and their cattle stolen. Wyatt decides to stay in town with his brot...( read more)her as the town's marshal to bring law and order and catch the murderer. In the town he not only comes up against the hard-drinking Doc Holliday but also the Clanton's.

    Easily the best film that tells the story of Wyatt Earp and the gunfight at the OK Coral. There have been more action packed versions or more ponderous versions but this is still the best. The shootout itself is supposedly the most accurate, as director Ford said `I talked to Wyatt Earp, he told me how it was and that's how we did it' (I'm paraphrasing cause I can't remember the direct quote). However the shootout is not as dramatic as a result ? in fact it is very short and straightforward. The strength in the film is the wider story. The story is well told with attention to character and has a good comic feel running right through it.

    The script allows for good dialogue and the actors bring it to life well. Fonda was always at his strongest in these type of roles and is morally strong. His easy screen toughness really holds the attention. Mature has a good role in Doc, but is not the best doc ever I think. The Clantons are all underused and don't really make a big impact until the final section. Darnell makes a big impact and Downs is good despite being more subtle.

    The film is as much Ford's as Fonda's. His black and white film is as lush as many colour films you see. His use of shadow is powerful ? witness his death shroud on Holliday's face as he talks to Chihuahua who is literally and metaphorically entering into the light. The old west looks as sparse as I imagine it was. Ford's only weakness is that he doesn't bring much tension to the actual gunfight, but his warming, comic telling at other points means that his strengths vastly outweigh the odd weakness.

    Overall this film is rightly a classic that appears in many critics top 100 lists. I was surprised to see it not in the top 250 of imdb (at time of writing). I guess that when modern films are `good' hundreds of thousands of people see it and it moves quickly up the internet polls, however older classics like this can tend to be forgotten as those same users slowly discover it. However, regardless of on line polls this is a very good film that is easily the best telling of the Wyatt Earp story.
  • November 15, 2008
    "Mac, you ever been in love?"
    "No, I've been a bartender all my life."
  • September 11, 2008
    John Ford's My Darling Clementine is one of the earlier treatments of the Wyatt Earp story and it's still one of the best. Henry Fonda is as rock solid as always as the reluctant law man but it is the supporting cast that adds the necessary spice to the story, particularly Walter...( read more) Brennan who shows there was far more to him than the grizzled old caricature that became his trademark as the callous and black hearted patriarch of the Clanton clan. Victor Mature's limited thespian talents actually work here as his Doc Holliday is as stone-faced as he is self destructive and Linda Darnell is sex on a stick as the extremely noirish and fiery tart with a heart. There is also some great night time photography adding to its noirish feel and the final showdown is realistically atmospheric. It may lack the grit and spectacle of post-Leone westerns but for those who enjoy a traditional tale of the old west, this is an enduring classic.
  • March 18, 2008
    Beautifully shot western with excellent performances by Fonda and Mature. Ford's version of the story is a very romantic interpretation. He also gives a sense of the everyday life on the frontiers. The vagueness of Doc's past hurts his characterization.
  • March 5, 2008
    Ford is the most vanilla director of all time - neither a criticism nor a compliment
  • August 16, 2009
    A good take on the Earp legend. Mature plays Holliday in a ponderous way. Fonda maybe a poor choice for fiery Earp.
  • May 30, 2009
    Textbook townie western with the Doc Holliday/Wyatt Earp legend getting another spin; shot in super solid black and white shades.
  • March 13, 2009
    Another great John Ford western. Henry Fonda is great a legendary lawman Wyatt Earp, and is supported by a decent cast. The cinematography is excellent with some great gunfights and chase scenes. This has always been regarded as one of the all-time great westerns by film critic's...( read more), and I can see why.
  • March 4, 2009
    Still probably my favorite western. Excellent visually and movingly acted version of the Wyatt Earp story. I like John Ford in generally but every now and then I love something he does, and this is one of those occasions. I am also always struck by Walter Brennen's serious turn...( read more) as the Clanton father. So often the goofy sidekick, but this is a frightening, underused side of him.
  • January 25, 2009
    Excelente en todos los apartados. Gran ejemplo de elocuencia cinematográfica. / Excellent in all respects. Great example of cinematic eloquence.

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

My Darling Clementine must be one of the sweetest and most good-hearted of all Westerns. full review

View more My Darling Clementine reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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