A wildly influential western, one which cemented many of the genre’s best-known tropes and stereotypes and invigorated the careers of two of its most noteworthy players. _Stagecoach_ made an overnight star of John Wayne, who had toiled in light supporting roles for years, and boosted the profile of John Ford, already a well-recognized director with nearly a hundred entries in his filmography. The pair would collaborate on countless films over the ensuing quarter-century, and had known each other for some time prior, but Ford wanted to wait for the right moment to work together. Hindsight is kind to that judgement.

Wayne’s Ringo Kid is no angel (he’s an escaped convict on a mission for revenge), but that’s true of most everyone in this shades-of-gray drama. Stranded in the open Arizona desert, he’s picked up by a horse-drawn carriage that’s already bursting at the seams with personality. Onboard sits a US Marshal - bad news for a fugitive - plus a snobby officer’s wife, a drunken town doctor, a sly and shady gambler, a crotchety old banker and an amiable liquor salesman. In each we see both iniquity and virtue (okay, maybe no virtue from the banker) as the looming threat of an Apache war party grows ever-closer. The Kid finds a kindred spirit in Dallas, a harried prostitute and social pariah, and the two gradually win over the others before their journey’s end.

Despite its age and well-worn conventions, this remains an excellent watch in the modern light. Especially the climactic action scenes, which are startlingly vivid and powerful. Actually, maybe those are a little *too* real. These herds of nose-diving horses weren’t play acting, and the director said he found one particular stunt so nerve-wracking, he wouldn’t try it again, even if the first take hadn’t worked out.