Featured Audience Ratings

• Graham J

  
  Fonda is fantastic as Wyatt Earp and featuring Walter Brennan's most sinister performance.

• Luke B

  
  A fantastic telling of the gunfight at the OK Coral. It's brought down ever so slightly by Ford's romanticism of the genre. Too much focus on the ladies distances the characters from, what should be, their heartache. Tombstone will always be my favorite version of this… More
  A fantastic telling of the gunfight at the OK Coral. It's brought down ever so slightly by Ford's romanticism of the genre. Too much focus on the ladies distances the characters from, what should be, their heartache. Tombstone will always be my favorite version of this story, and this hits many of the same notes. It's wonderfully shot, and unlike some early westerns, you get a real sense of heat, space, and isolation. Fonda is his typical brilliant self, carrying the film, and capturing Earp's rugged edges. It has a very clean pace, even though, what should be the main focus, is simply the interludes for the bromance/romance.

• Michael G

  
  My Darling Clementine is yet another testament to the greatness of not only Henry Fonda in an earnest portrayal of Wyatt Earp, but John Ford's legendary directorial ability. The photography in Ford's familiar Monument Valley setting was as always superb but for me,… More
  My Darling Clementine is yet another testament to the greatness of not only Henry Fonda in an earnest portrayal of Wyatt Earp, but John Ford's legendary directorial ability. The photography in Ford's familiar Monument Valley setting was as always superb but for me, that's kind of where my raving about My Darling Clementine ends. Well, maybe except for the OK Corral sequence at the end and the Hamlet scene. Those were incredible. But Victor Mature was an astoundingly dull Doc Holliday (maybe if I hadn't seen Val Kilmer's turn in Tombstone previously...) and I found it incredibly hard to give a shit about Linda Darnell. Really, how can you get excited and/or aroused by a woman playing a character named Chihuahua? Otherwise, with its great supporting cast I'd definitely agree with anyone putting My Darling Clementine on an essential westerns list.

• Devon B

  
  John Ford's first movie after WWII, My Darling Clementine lacks the grandeur that makes up his later work. In fact, at times I had to re-check the date on the film, as sets and film quality made it look a decade older than what it was. The film tells the story of the gunfight… More
  John Ford's first movie after WWII, My Darling Clementine lacks the grandeur that makes up his later work. In fact, at times I had to re-check the date on the film, as sets and film quality made it look a decade older than what it was. The film tells the story of the gunfight at the OK corral, with Wyatt Earp (Fonda) and Doc Holiday (Victor Mature). Victor Mature seems miscast as Doc Holiday (I thought Kirk Douglas did a much better job as Holiday, and somehow he fits my stereotypical image of the man) Henry Fonda is a fine Wyatt Earp, but he plays the same character in every film, so it's hard to judge his performance. The script is fine as well, that is, until the title character makes her appearance onscreen and brings the film to a screeching halt. By the time Earp takes Clementine to the church square dance, I was dozing off. There's a B western quality to this film that, while overcome in the long run, does sour the experience a little for me. John Ford and Henry Fonda should be a slam dunk, and while the first half of the film is imminently watchable, the overall feeling is a letdown. Maybe it's like the lighting on Doc Holiday's girlfriend "Chihuahua" (Linda Darnell) as she's being operated on, it just feels like it's out of place.

• Jeremy S

  
  "Mac, you ever been in love?" "No, I've been a bartender all my life."

• Cassandra M

  
  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 brother… More
  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 brother 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.

• xGary X

  
  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… More
  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 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.

• Ken S

  
  Classic "Guy comes into town and decides to clean up the rotten element" Western by the master John Ford. The economy of storytelling is really impressive in this kind sublime re-telling of the Gun Fight at the OK Corral

• Tim S

  
  A bonafied classic. John Ford's wonderful look at Wyatt Earp and the shootout at the O.K. Corral is as gorgeously filmed as it is entertaining.

• Matthew Y

  
  Not my favorite or even runner-up film about Wyatt Earp, Dodge City or the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral, nevertheless it is a solid directing job from the master John Ford that contains an all-star cast and a more convincing romance angle than any other adaptation.… More
  Not my favorite or even runner-up film about Wyatt Earp, Dodge City or the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral, nevertheless it is a solid directing job from the master John Ford that contains an all-star cast and a more convincing romance angle than any other adaptation. Considering how many versions of these characters we've seen I think everyone has a bit of an idea what their ideal Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday would look and sound like and Henry Fonda and Victor Mature are likely not it. Of course they are more than watchable in the film and give a more old-school Hollywood feel to the famed fable. It's always great to see Walter Brennan in anything but its odd seeing him in a more menacing role, he's much better in the comedic yet heartfelt sidekick role he played famously in numerous films. Though inaccurate the films most entertaining through the love rectangle of Earp, Doc, Chihauhua and the titular Clementine (played very memorably by the lovely Cathy Downs). One of the better Westerns, Ford films and Earp adaptations...just not the best. Oh and for better or worse yes the song is in the film.

• Jared H

  
  Although I personally prefer the awesomeness that is "Tombstone" when it comes to movies about the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday, and the O.K. Corral, this one is still really great. Henry Fonda and Victor Mature as Doc Holliday strike all the right notes. This is making me… More
  Although I personally prefer the awesomeness that is "Tombstone" when it comes to movies about the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday, and the O.K. Corral, this one is still really great. Henry Fonda and Victor Mature as Doc Holliday strike all the right notes. This is making me excited about this Western class that I'm taking.

• Brian R

  
  This is probably my fav John Ford picture and one of the finest westerns I've ever seen. Henry Fonda plays as the famous sheriff Wyatt Earp who happens to land at town of Tombstone due to his brother being killed. Earp meets Doc Holliday(Victor Mature) who was once a doctor but… More
  This is probably my fav John Ford picture and one of the finest westerns I've ever seen. Henry Fonda plays as the famous sheriff Wyatt Earp who happens to land at town of Tombstone due to his brother being killed. Earp meets Doc Holliday(Victor Mature) who was once a doctor but no suffers from high altitude of heavy drinking. Earp also meets a young woman by the name of Clementine who he loves and respects. I loved this film because it's soft and tender dispite the gunfight at the OK Corral. The film's tone never left me feeling bothered but appreciated, and I felt a sense of community in this film where other picture like "There Will Be Blood" lacks. My fav scene has to be when Earp has just been all polished up at the barber and Clementine smels the sweet scent from Earp, then Earp replies "Oh that's just me...barber"

• Jonny C

  
  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… More
  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, and I can see why.

• cody f

  
  The most inaccurate telling of Wyatt Earp I have ever seen, but it looks great and is entertaining.

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