Stagecoach (1939)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jim H

  
  A motley group of people travel through dangerous "Indian country" (isn't it all supposed to be Indian country?). As I watched this film, I found myself wondering the characters were cliches in 1939 because then I might have found something fresh and original about John… More
  A motley group of people travel through dangerous "Indian country" (isn't it all supposed to be Indian country?). As I watched this film, I found myself wondering the characters were cliches in 1939 because then I might have found something fresh and original about John Ford's film. But in 2011, I found everything predictable with the exception of the doctor's eventual heroism. Overall, I don't feel qualified to give an educated opinion on this film; I'm trying to like Westerns, but this film feels like a racist (Natives are, of course, depicted as wild, savage, malevolent forces) cliche. I can't be the only one who thinks that, but judging from the critics' and Super Reviewers' raves, I must be.

• Melvin W

  
  Ringo Kid: You may need me and this Winchester, Curly. Saw a ranch house burnin' last night.  "A Powerful Story Of 9 Strange People." Stagecoach is among my three favorite westerns of all-time with Once Upon a Time in the West and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.… More
  Ringo Kid: You may need me and this Winchester, Curly. Saw a ranch house burnin' last night.  "A Powerful Story Of 9 Strange People." Stagecoach is among my three favorite westerns of all-time with Once Upon a Time in the West and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Stagecoach is the most significant of the three because it was the first. It opened the door for Leone and his Western epics. Stagecoach also made John Wayne an American hero and a household name. The film is fun, insightful and incredibly well made. It holds up really well for being made over seventy years ago. John Ford directed a masterpiece and the first real classic Western. The story is obviously that of a stagecoach that is going through rough territory. It is rumored that Apache's loom not to far and the characters always keep those savages on the viewers minds by always talking about them. We don't see the Apache's for a long time, but we always feel them. The stagecoach holds some great characters. There's a gambler, a drunk doctor, a pregnant woman, a business man, a liquor man, two drivers and Ringo Kid and his love interest.  Ringo is the most interesting of all these interesting characters. He has just broken out of the prison and is set on having his revenge on some brothers who killed his family. He isn't a bad guy. He is well mannered while in the presence of ladies and is an overall nice guy. He isn't the type of gunslinger we normally see, that kills because he enjoys it.  There are many conflicts in the movie. There's the obvious one, that being the Apache's. There is also a portion of the movie where the passengers are stuck in a location because one of the women has just given birth. They know the Apache's are nearby and have to decide whether to stay and let the woman and her baby rest or whether to high tail it out of there and risk the woman and baby's health. The doctor is always drunk and a few of the other characters are always fighting. The passengers must band together in the end if they want to survive. There is much more drama then anything else in Stagecoach. It is all drama for the first hour plus, then we finally get the action we have been anticipating the entire film. That isn't to say that the first part of the movie is boring, because it is anything but. The whole movie is a complete masterpiece and a movie that is an absolute must see.

• Tim S

  
  Don't just think that this is just another John Ford film. It's also not merely the movie that brought John Wayne to the attention of the entire world. No, the release of Stagecoach gives birth to the modern day western as we know it. Wonderfully acted with a wide array of… More
  Don't just think that this is just another John Ford film. It's also not merely the movie that brought John Wayne to the attention of the entire world. No, the release of Stagecoach gives birth to the modern day western as we know it. Wonderfully acted with a wide array of colorful characters, beautifully filmed (as always, of course), and impeccably made from beginning to end, it's another feather in the hat of one of film's visionary pioneers. With a sort of a road movie mentality to it, the story itself is fun and interesting. It does get a little dramatic at some points, but thankfully we've invested in the characters enough to be caught up in it. This is definitely a landmark film and not to be missed.

• Graham J

  
  Ford's early masterpiece boasts Wayne's first great performance and a stand out performance from Thomas Mitchell as Doc Boone.

• xGary X

  
  A stagecoach containing a disparate assortment of characters comes under Indian attack. John Ford revolutionized the genre with this beautifully crafted western and John Wayne was catapulted to stardom for his performance as the vengeance seeking gunfighter caught up in defending a… More
  A stagecoach containing a disparate assortment of characters comes under Indian attack. John Ford revolutionized the genre with this beautifully crafted western and John Wayne was catapulted to stardom for his performance as the vengeance seeking gunfighter caught up in defending a group of strangers. But for me, the film is all about Thomas Mitchell as his preferred typecast of intellectual drunkard although it's one of many wonderful performances as the faultless cast represent a hugely likeable bunch and offer Ford an opportunity to highlight social prejudices. The message is to never judge a book by its cover as gunslingers can be honourable, "fallen women" can be thoughtful and considerate, drunks can be courageous and respected gentlemen can be crooks. Also featuring some ground breaking stuntwork, this story has been remade many times and its influence can be seen in everything from the work of Akira Kurosawa to The Breakfast Club and it still stands up as one of the very best of the genre.

• Conner R

  
  For me, this is what I would consider the first western classic. It also happens to be one of the most revolutionary and influential westerns and movies period. John Ford not only brings together an action packed story with sequences that puts anything before it to shame, but he also… More
  For me, this is what I would consider the first western classic. It also happens to be one of the most revolutionary and influential westerns and movies period. John Ford not only brings together an action packed story with sequences that puts anything before it to shame, but he also brought timeless characters together. While it?s not his first movie, this is definitely the movie that made John Wayne the legend he is today. The Ringo Kid is a figure that will never go away, resembling the true western hero. As far as I?m concerned, this is more of a start to modern film making than Citizen Kane was, winning the hearts of millions and telling a story on a scale that had never been done before.

• First L

  
  Director John Ford's "Stagecoach" is often regarded as his first great western, as well as John Wayne's first big, break-out starring role. The story is simple enough: a group of disparate passengers on a stagecoach must travel through indian country while… More
  Director John Ford's "Stagecoach" is often regarded as his first great western, as well as John Wayne's first big, break-out starring role. The story is simple enough: a group of disparate passengers on a stagecoach must travel through indian country while Geronimo is on the warpath. The passengers include a washed-up, alcoholic doctor and a "fallen" woman who've been run out of town; a soldier's wife who is looking to find her husband; a southern gentleman (who is also a gambler and a gunslinger) who goes along for the ride, just to "protect" the lady; a bank manager who's stolen the payroll, and a traveling liquor salesman (much to the delight of the doctor, who at one point lovingly/drunkenly strokes his cheek). There's also a character named "The Ringo Kid" (Wayne) that they pick up out on the trail, but more as the sheriff's prisoner than passenger (there's a bounty on his head as he'd been feuding with the men who killed his family). At first, the stagecoach is escorted by the calvary, but due to Geronimo's activity in the area, all military must be diverted from the non-essential jobs. As the stagecoach travels from town to town, the more apparent it becomes they are on their own, as the threat of indian attack looms ever larger (Geronimo is at the forethought of everyone's minds). And yet, even the threat of death doesn't dissuade some from their societal predjudices as Dallas, the fallen woman, continues to be treated as an outcast. Only Ringo has enough compassion to see beyond her status and find her worthy of friendship (and possibly more). Stagecoach has all the elements that go into making a great western, and a tense, action-filled climax that stands up to any action sequence from any era. Stagecoach manages to follow several western conventions without ever falling into predictability.

• Michael G

  
  Stagecoach is the granddaddy of all westerns and a pretty solid movie full of great characters and greater direction by John Ford. The cast was fantastic in the archetypal story about a diverse group of travelers trying to get through dangerous territory to safety. I never thought… More
  Stagecoach is the granddaddy of all westerns and a pretty solid movie full of great characters and greater direction by John Ford. The cast was fantastic in the archetypal story about a diverse group of travelers trying to get through dangerous territory to safety. I never thought I'd live to see the day where I praise John Wayne, but he was astounding in his breakthrough role as the Ringo Kid. Claire Trevor was gorgeous as Dallas and there wasn't an actor (or actress) out of place in the well-chosen cast. The last act or after the Apache battle/chase (which for 1939 was extremely well done) was probably the weakest part but with each of Ford's movies I see I kick myself a little harder each time for not seeing it sooner.

• Pierluigi P

  
  Thrilling, humorous, moving. the good adjectives to describe the first Ford-Wayne masterpiece are countless. A magnificent film with richness all over, heroism, racism, social class struggles, love stories and a charming alcoholic played by Thomas Mitchell.

• Ryan R

  
  Since I first got into this website I have matured quite a bit as far as my perspective of film goes. A couple of months ago I would have called you a liar if you said I would be watching John Ford and Wayne Westerns from the 1930's. To be honest, as an artist who loves the… More
  Since I first got into this website I have matured quite a bit as far as my perspective of film goes. A couple of months ago I would have called you a liar if you said I would be watching John Ford and Wayne Westerns from the 1930's. To be honest, as an artist who loves the beauty of vivid color palettes, the sight if flat black and white images usually make me want to pull my fucking hair out. That's why, despite loving comic books more than I can tell you, there are some classic comics that I cannot pick up. The same goes for film. I love color so much that it pains me to see movies without it, but I have to say that it never even crossed my mind when I was watching this. Stagecoach is a work of sheer brilliance that everyone should see. Westerns ranked down there with Musicals as my least favorite genres for a very long time, but ever since I saw 3:10 To Yuma, my love for them has not stopped blossoming. I'm not sure, but I think this is my first time watching a John Ford movie. Maybe a John Wayne film as well. From what I learned this is the movie that propelled John Wayne into the star he became. I have to say it was a pleasure watching the birth of a star. He fit his role to perfection, as did pretty much everyone else in the movie. This movie revolves around its characters. And a character is only as good as the actor in the costume portraying them. The entire cast of Stagecoach did their part. The dynamics of the characters was beyond fantastic. They were all very different personalities, yet they seemed to complement each other very well. The drunken doctor was my second favorite character, second only to the driver of the stagecoach. He was a big bumbling doofus, and he made me laugh at just about everything he said. He proved that humor can be very simple, yet clean, and still get all the laughs it aims to get. Very funny movie, but it has a heart as well. The whore (I guess she was a whore) who was as sweet as anyone brought heart to the story. Her relationship with Ringo developed a bit quickly for my taste, but that was a minor issue. I can go on all day about the characters, but I won't. I'm pretty sure many have already seen it and everyone else has heard of Stagecoach at some point or another. There is a tiny bit of action in this movie as well. And I won't say too much about it because it is very reserved, and nothing exciting by today's standards, but I enjoyed watching the characters work together to survive the much anticipated Apache attack. Stagecoach considered by many to be the greatest Western of all time. While I would not go that far, it was certainly one of the best I have seen. That does not mean much because I haven't seen many. But I look forward to.

• Burger S

  
  This is the Grandaddy of all Westerns. Do not be put off by the year. Any fan of Tombstone will immediately see the influence of John Carradine's character on Val Kilmer. This is was also a blueprint for Paul Newman's Hombre. Watch it for free online ;)

• Danny R

  
  A peerless western masterpiece flawlessly directed by John Ford, this is the film that caused a renaissance in the western genre by reinvented it, the possibilities as spectacle reaffirmed and a new classicism was born in the maturing of the western, balancing character study with a… More
  A peerless western masterpiece flawlessly directed by John Ford, this is the film that caused a renaissance in the western genre by reinvented it, the possibilities as spectacle reaffirmed and a new classicism was born in the maturing of the western, balancing character study with a treasury of memorable performances from it's exceptional cast beginning with John Wayne, as the Ringo Kid a good-guy gunslinger; in a brilliant star-making performance that propelled him to genuine superstardom, Thomas Mitchell in a memorable turn that won him an Oscar as the drunken Doc Boone, Claire Trevor as a "good" prostitute, John Carradine as a aristocratic gambler, George Bancroft as the compassionate sheriff, Andy Devine as a grizzled stagecoach driver, Donald Meek as a whiskey drummer, Louise Platt as a woman of quality and Berton Churchill as a crooked banker, all of these assorted passengers are on the same stage going into dangerous Indian country, their reactions under stress and the impending Indian attack only adds to the suspense. Stunt legend Yakima Canutt provided the hair-rasing thrills in the lengthy indian attacks. Filmed in John Ford's beloved Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah border A majestic, exciting, dramatic western classic motion picture, and one of the all-time greats. Highly Recommended.

• Chris B

  
  This western has it all; adventure, humor, suspense, and plenty of drama. Stagecoach does a great job at breathing life into each character and their stories and also how they interact with each other. By the time of the Indian attack we know who we like and who we don't but… More
  This western has it all; adventure, humor, suspense, and plenty of drama. Stagecoach does a great job at breathing life into each character and their stories and also how they interact with each other. By the time of the Indian attack we know who we like and who we don't but ultimately you want to see the stagecoach as a whole make it through. Even with the Indians out of the way and the damage done, the film isn't over. The real threat against Ringo Kid lays waiting. I thoroughly enjoyed Stagecoach and thoughts it was a terrific film! Highly Recommended if you are into Westerns, this is the starting point!

• Brandon K

  
  Loved loved loved it.

• Simeon D

  
  Being considered John Ford's greatest cinematic achievement and a benchmark in cinema, I was expecting a masterpiece. At best you could say that this is a classic, but in the end it's just a 1930s blockbuster; for the better or the worse. The story is dull, the direction is… More
  Being considered John Ford's greatest cinematic achievement and a benchmark in cinema, I was expecting a masterpiece. At best you could say that this is a classic, but in the end it's just a 1930s blockbuster; for the better or the worse. The story is dull, the direction is flawed, and though the action is good for its time, it's a little flat. 70/100

• Brian R

  
  I just lost my review but to put this short...I thought "Stagecoach" was a good picture. It's what I like to call John Ford's "Lifeboat" movie. The picture mostly involves people riding in a stagecoach and stoping to eat, have drinks, play cards, displays… More
  I just lost my review but to put this short...I thought "Stagecoach" was a good picture. It's what I like to call John Ford's "Lifeboat" movie. The picture mostly involves people riding in a stagecoach and stoping to eat, have drinks, play cards, displays of humour and wit between men, tender moments, then the characters ride out and get stereotypically get ambushed by Native Indians. I wouldn't considered "Stagecoach" the best western ever made by John Ford but more like a resume since this was his first sound western picture and worked in other genres before he became known as a western filmmaker. Nonetheless this picture was the beginning of later great movies to come from the master. John Ford's silent picture "Broadway Horse" I found to be funny, sweet, and extravagant.

• Ivan D

  
  Monument Valley. John Wayne. Western. "Stagecoach" has elevated those three certainly unknown corners of cinema(westerns were nothing but disposable entertainment at the time) into something akin to "definitive". Some film fans today would drool just thinking of… More
  Monument Valley. John Wayne. Western. "Stagecoach" has elevated those three certainly unknown corners of cinema(westerns were nothing but disposable entertainment at the time) into something akin to "definitive". Some film fans today would drool just thinking of those three being combined, especially being John Ford the one to bring it to fruition. Motion pictures have gone on for more than 70 years since the release of this picture, and only a handful of filmmakers would not say that "Stagecoach" has not enhanced their inspirations in some ways. Even the great Orson Welles got some for his "Citizen Kane". Apart from it being a technical display of filmmaking prowess, it has also able to heighten the genre's maturity towards the human characters, and the social reality realized during the times of the wild west. "Stagecoach" is a film not bothered by time, and looking at its climactic action sequence, it is clearly impervious of aging, unlike other pictures of that era that is nothing more than a testament of the old ways. No one would have thought that a trash genre such as the western would reach the realms of cinematic art, but the making of "Stagecoach" proved that it certainly can.

• Jonny C

  
  Good western from director John Ford and The Duke. When a motley group of passengers board a stagecoach at the risk of an Indian attack, they make an unlikely bond. This is one of Wayne's earliest performance and his first of 17 collaborations with Ford, and although he lacked… More
  Good western from director John Ford and The Duke. When a motley group of passengers board a stagecoach at the risk of an Indian attack, they make an unlikely bond. This is one of Wayne's earliest performance and his first of 17 collaborations with Ford, and although he lacked the acting chops that he'd soon develop, his charisma and screen presence is evident. Stagecoach may take a while to get going, but once it does its a great ride.

• Jim W

  
  I saw this in film class a few years back. It's surprisingly very well made Western for such an old movie. John Wayne kicked ass too.

• MJS M

  
  Great western, an extremely well made adventure, that reminds you how important John Ford is.

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