Heroes have always been a trademark in film. Inevitably, what invests you in a film’s story is the ability to relate and root for the main character. In the post WWII era, the hero role was everything to a film, and the western genre was the easiest setting to promote this role model. John Wayne always comes to mind, but this western gives us the character of Shane. Honestly, I have to go off of my film education to know that this film is held in such high esteem because of the popularity of this character type in westerns. It’s not a bad film at all, but unfortunately, its simplicity is wrought in forgetfulness.
Shane (Alan Ladd) is a reluctant gunfighter who stumbles upon a homestead family who is in a constant struggle to keep their land from the evil cattleman, Ryker (what a great villain name). The film is mainly seen through the eyes of the young boy Joey, as Shane gets caught up in the middle of this conflict. The film is not so much a tale of good versus evil, but how we perceive our heroes although their actual characteristics may not make them so.
It was hard for me to grasp onto why this movie was on this list. I will say, it was much better than I expected it to be, especially after reading the plot description. It is entertaining throughout, but Joey (Brandon De Wilde) about did me in. Young actors of today are much more skilled, but it feels like he is constantly yelling, “Shane!” in a whiny voice or saying, “Oh, geez!” in a 50’s sitcom manner. The fact that he was nominated for best supporting actor goes to show how different the acting style was back then.
Ladd as Shane didn’t quite carry the heft that a Cary Grant or a John Wayne would bring to the role, but he does a fine job of striking the hero pose. Every compelling story has a great villain, and the bad guys in this film are a lot of fun to watch. It’s fun to see a young Jack Palance grimace through the screen and they make it a little hard not to root for them. The settler families who are supposedly the good guys come off as weak and seem to complain constantly. I will give major credit to a fight scene that happens in the town’s bar that seems to go on forever, in all the good ways. This fight is purely epic and I think every piece of furniture gets destroyed and mangled. It was fun to see such a well choreographed scene that didn’t have to use fast cuts or stunt doubles to provide thrills. It was laughable how long it goes, but I loved every minute of it.
Despite the cringe-worthy whine of Joey, Shane’s story leans on the uncomplicated plot of the good guys versus the bad guys. Sometimes when a film just sticks to the basics, it can be a solid entertaining ride. Shane won’t be the first western that I’ll go to, but I think you could do much worse.
I give Shane 3 out of 5 bar fights.
#45 (AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies)
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