The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

If you want a drama that takes its characters as seriously as its plot, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is available in Australia on Netflix and BINGE, and in the US on YouTube TV and Fawesome right now. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. 1,293 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. John Wayne leads a cast that never overplays its hand. Put it on tonight on Netflix and see for yourself.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is worth clearing space for. The writing in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. Questions arise when Senator Stoddard attends the funeral of a local man named Tom Doniphon in a small Western town. Flashing back, we learn Doniphon saved Stoddard, then a lawyer, when he was roughed up by a crew of outlaws terrorizing the town, led by Liberty Valance. As the territory's safety hung in the balance, Doniphon and Stoddard, two of the only people standing up to him, proved to be very important, but different, foes to Valance. John Wayne and James Stewart lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1962. The writing trusts the audience to sit with ambiguity rather than wrapping everything up in a tidy conclusion — it is the approach that separates good drama from great. It rarely drops the ball, and when it does, it recovers fast.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. John Wayne is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.