In John Ford's worst Western, artificially filmed almost entirely on sound stages, John Wayne plays Tom Doniphon. Doniphon has a ranch outside of Shinbone, a town terrorized by Liberty Valance. As befitting a character played by John Wayne, Doniphon talks tough: "Liberty Valance's the toughest man south of the Picketwire ... next to me," he boasts. But on the two occasions when Doniphon has verbal confrontations with Liberty Valance, Doniphon is backed up by his "boy" Pompey, an imposing black man aiming his rifle right at Liberty. I hate to say this about John Wayne, but Tom Doniphon is a coward. For all his tough talk, he doesn't face Liberty Valance in a fair fight. Instead, he hides in the shadows and bushwhacks him. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance more accurately Ambushed him. Then he Executed him. The one thing he didn't do was Face him. Or Outdraw him. Or Outgun him. Or Outfight him. In fact, in one embarrassing scene, the mighty Tom Doniphon couldn't even muster enough breath to blow out a match. In another scene equally embarrassing, a pacifist lawyer who Doniphon provoked punches Doniphon in his mouth and knocks him on his ass. So much for being the toughest man south of the Picketwire. Then there's John Wayne's performance. He was always more of a movie star than an actor, but in this film he was reduced to a caricature: John Wayne sounding like he's impersonating Rich Little impersonating John Wayne. Add to that the casting of the annoying Andy Devine as comic relief where none was needed, and O. Z. Whitehead, age 51, incredibly playing an elementary school boy who sucks lollipops, and in one scene, is seen skipping, and James Stewart and John Wayne both 20 years older than the characters they were playing. Honestly, if this had been John Ford's only Western, no one today would remember his name.

THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE is a western drama about an inspiring event, the conflict between traditional and modern ways of thinking and a big lie, which will be reflected in a rough anticlimax.A senator and his wife arrive in Shinbone, a frontier town in an unnamed western state, to attend the funeral of their old friend. A local journalist asks, why a United States Senator would make the long journey from Washington to attend the funeral of a local rancher. A Senator begins the story of a young and idealistic lawyer, which has occurred 25 years ago. His stagecoach is robbed by Liberty Valance and his gang. When he takes Valance to task, he is brutally whipped and left for dead. In Shinbone, the townspeople help him with his injuries. There is a cowardly sheriff, beautiful waitress and charming rancher, who is the only man willing to stand up to the cruel Valance...Roughly speaking, this is a story about the conflict of a resolute mind and raw power. However, an interesting plot follows the political evolution in one small town.Can a problem be resolved with the talk (by law) or with guns?Although the story occasionally turns into melodrama, Mr. Ford did not underestimate the structure of a classic western. His ironic reference is complementary with intriguing appearances of the main protagonists. An urban legend is hiding the truth, which is a milestone in the lives of the protagonists. The atmosphere is very sad and somewhat poetic. Characterization is very good.James Stewart as Ransom "Ranse" Stoddard is a bit confused, but brave and determined at the same time. His character is the epitome of honesty and justice in this film. I think that his appearance is irritating, but Mr. Stewart was again very convincing. Vera Miles as Hallie Stoddard is a very beautiful when she gets angry. She is a girl who has more courage than a local sheriff.John Wayne as Tom Doniphon is a charming and resourceful hero of this story. However, he will not graciously ride into the sunset at the end of this film. His character is, though aware that he has changed the course of a local history, suffocated in their own self-esteem and irony. Lee Marvin as Liberty Valance is a malicious and energetic maniac, who is a very good as Tom's counterweight.Sadness and melancholy at the end of the film is something totally new to the genre.

The Other Day I Watched And Posted A John Ford Classic "Stagecoach" ... Here Is Another Classic Of John Ford's ... One Of The Great Westerns Of All Time ... Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, John Carradine, Vera Mills, Lee Marvin, Edmond O'Brien, Andy Devine, Woody Strode And Lee Van Cliff To Name A Few .... The Story Of A Legend That Wasn't A Legend And A Man Who Wasn't A Legend That Should Have Been A Legend ... The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Is A Lesson In Sacrifice And Humility ... Sacrifice And Humility Virtues As Old As Time And As Young As The Present And As New As Eternity ... A Magnificent Story Simply Written And Portrayed On The Screen With The Respect That Such Story Telling Deserves ... It Does Not At All Surprise Me That No One Has Attempted To Remake This Movie ... The Skill And Dedication To Craft This Kind Of Movie No Longer Exist And Any Attempted To Do So Would Result In What Would Surely Be A Very Poor Imitation At Best ... I Am Glad This Movie Was Made When It Was Made By Whom It Was Made And By Whom The Characters Were Portrayed ... At Another Place And At Another Time I Shudder To Think What Would Have Been The Result ...

Stewart plays Ransom Stoddard, a peaceful and idealistic attorney. Wayne plays Tom Doniphon, a tough sharp-shooter and complete opposite to Ransom. Both men share a common interest in the same woman, but also share a common dislike to the town's local thug, Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Lee Marvin plays Liberty Valance, a local thug who bullies the town with violence and intimidation, which is more than enough for Ransom to pair.But what was thought to be a miraculous moment for Ransom was actually a surprising twist near the end. Tom let Ransom take credit for killing Valance because he was a good man, and people had looked up to him for standing up to a bully, whereas Tom himself would've just be remembered as a gun-slinger who was always at odds with Valance, and it would've been a matter of time if one of them killed the other. Tom also knew that the same woman the two men vied for loves Ransom, so he accepted that the best man won her heart (and that's why he wanted Ransom to live, for her).Stewart and Wayne were both brilliant in the film. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was one of the greatest western films of all. In 2007, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".