Out of the gun smoke into her heart!
Army despatch rider Hondo Lane discovers a woman and her son living in the midst of warring Apaches, and he becomes their protector.
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Character
Classical in form, grave, earnest and effortless.
- classical in formformally daring
- gravecomic
- earnestironic
- effortlessdemanding
- intimateepic
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“Is John Wayne the best thing in Hondo?”
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“Would Hondo hit harder if it came out today rather than in 1953?”
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jun 20227/10
Though the premiss here is hardly original, I still found this to be one of John Wayne's better efforts. He is the eponymous army rider who happens on a remote ranch inhabited by "Angie" (Geraldine Page) and her young son "Johnny" (Lee Aaker) who appear to have been deserted by her husband. He knows that the local Mescalero Apache are disgruntled because the army have broken the truce, but cannot persuade them to leave their home. His visit to the nearby fort confirms his suspicions and after a deadly altercation with her husband on his way back to the ranch, he encounters the warring natives who - luckily for him - have taken the family under the protection of their chief "Vittorio" (Michael Pate). His death, however, changes that dynamic and now "Hondo" must reconcile his need to protect his new family with his decency towards the wronged Apache. It's short and sweet, this. There is plenty of action to keep it flowing along quickly and Page injects quite a bit of grit and determination into her character that is well complemented by a confident young Aaker. Ward Bond crops up now and again, but it's clearly just a vehicle for the star, and he does well enough.
Read the whole review on TMDB - John Chardon TMDB · May 20178/10
A man oughta do what he thinks is right. Leonard Maltin proudly does the intro for the DVD special edition of Hondo, his regard for the film is obvious. Maltin, who also provides a commentary track for the film, muses on the importance of Hondo in light of the 50s tonal shift in the Western genre. A time when the Western cast off its one dimensional approach of cowboy/cavalry heroes slaughtering the enemy (Indians) purely as an entertainment medium. But is Hondo any good? And is it also worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Delmer Daves'-Broken Arrow (Maltin again) which ushered in the 50s with a bold and poignant crack of the whip? The answer to both questions possibly depends on how much you enjoy John Wayne movies in the first place. Here The Duke, playing a half bred Indian it should be noted, is wonderfully framed amongst the Camargo, Chihuahua (Mexico) location. The plot (starting off like Shane, released the same year) follows an interesting course, requiring Hondo to ultimately protect those he has fell in for, while simultaneously understanding his enemy since his blood contains the very same. Also of interest is that Hondo has very much become a solitary man of
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Cast
- John WayneHondo Lane
- Geraldine PageAngie Lowe
- Ward BondBuffalo Baker
- Michael PateVittorio
- James ArnessLennie
- Rodolfo AcostaSilva
- Leo GordonEd Lowe
- Tom IrishLt. McKay
- Lee AakerJohnny Lowe
- Paul FixMajor Sherry
Crew
- John FarrowDirector
- James Edward GrantScreenplay
- Robert BurksDirector of Photography
- Archie StoutDirector of Photography
- Hugo FriedhoferOriginal Music Composer
- Emil NewmanOriginal Music Composer
- Ralph DawsonEditor
- Robert FellowsProducer
- John WayneProducer
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
Ride Lonesome 195979% alikeBoth classical in form, grave, earnest.
The Last Wagon 195678% alikeBoth classical in form, grave, earnest.
The Wild One 195378% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, earnest.
Sword of the Stranger 200778% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
Yellow Sky 194878% alikeBoth grave, earnest, classical in form.
Gilda 194678% alikeBoth classical in form, grave, earnest.
White Squall 199677% alikeBoth earnest, classical in form, grave.
The Clock 194577% alikeBoth earnest, grave, classical in form.
El Cazador de la Bruja 200775% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, grave, earnest.
MEGALOBOX 201874% alikeTelevision · Both grave, classical in form, earnest.
Often watched with
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