Top Ten John Wayne Films

Marion Morrison would probably be the first to admit that he wasn't the world's greatest actor, but as John Wayne he became an American icon, and contributed many memorable performances. My favorites, generally considered by critics to be among his best, are listed here.

1) Red River (1948)

Expensive to make and underappreciated at the time (only two Oscar nominations), "Red River" was Howard Hawks' first Western, and viewed by many as his best. It's certainly one of Wayne's most complex roles, and one that put him at the top of the acting heap.

2) The Quiet Man (1952)

The only film on this list that isn't either a Western or a war movie (and one of the few highly rated Wayne films that is neither), it's also director John Ford's first romantic comedy and Wayne's best collaboration with Maureen O'Hara. A unique film.

3) The Searchers (1956)

The one Wayne movie that appeared on the AFI's list of 100 greatest films. Like several of the films on this list, it was directed by John Ford. It is probably the prototypical Wayne performance, as his character is the focus of the entire story.

4) Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)

Wayne's most popular WWII movie, and another of his legendary performances, earning him an Oscar nomination. Despite what some view as propaganda, the movie's use of actual battle footage makes it quite realistic.

5) They Were Expendable (1945)

One of my personal favorites. Made with the events of the early days of WWII in the Phillipines still fresh in the mind of director John Ford, it has a strong air of realism.

6) The Shootist (1976)

Duke's last film was one of his best - in my opinion a better performance than either of his other Oscar-nominated Westerns ("True Grit" and "The Alamo"), and certainly a better film than either of them. Perhaps the secret to his performance was the fact that his life was taking the same turn as the cancer-stricken gunman he played.

7) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence (1962)

A film that went from being panned by critics when it opened to being somewhat overrated today, "Liberty Valance" brings together director John Ford with Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and Lee Marvin. Seems like a can't-miss combination, and it is, even though at times Stewart seems to be in a different, more subtle film than everybody else.

8) Stagecoach (1939)

The film that made Wayne a star is also one of the pivotal Westerns, responsible for lifting the genre up from the depths of "B" pictures. John Ford's first Western talkie got seven Oscar nominations (not including Wayne, however).

9) Rio Bravo (1959)

The critics hated this one at the time, too. It has Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson, for pete's sake! But somehow the combination works, with humor and even music thrown in along with a fairly predictable Western plot to produce a film that's actually a lot of fun.

10) She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

It was between this one, the second in the John Ford cavalry trilogy, and "The High and the Mighty" for the final spot, but the latter hasn't been available on video for many years, and this film will have to stand for all three films in the much-praised Ford trilogy.