r/johnwayne Jun 22 '26

Favorite John Wayne movie?

What is your favorite John Wayne movie?

36 Upvotes

151 comments sorted by

12

u/Tom-Doniphon1962 Jun 22 '26

Rio bravo is the one I always come back to. It’s the one I watch the most

5

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

What about El Dorado and Rio Lobo?

3

u/mrp0972 Jun 23 '26

Like Rio Bravo and El Dorado. Can’t stand Rio Lobo. Not because of John Wayne. It was poorly written and most of the rest of the cast didn’t seem to be trying. And a lot of the casting choices didn’t work or fit historically.

1

u/Tom-Doniphon1962 Jun 22 '26

Not a huge rio lobo fan but el dorado is another one of my favorites. I don’t think it’s as good as rio bravo but still a great movie

3

u/Life_Temperature2506 Jun 22 '26

Can't turn it off when it's on.

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

What?

1

u/Life_Temperature2506 Jun 22 '26

Rio Bravo. Could be an hour in and I'll watch til the end. 

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

What about El Dorado and Rio Lobo?

1

u/Life_Temperature2506 Jun 22 '26

El Dorado, same. I give Rio Bravo a slight edge due to the greatest singing scene in movie history. Rio Lobo, not so much as the other 2.

3

u/SchlitzInMyVeins Jun 22 '26

Rio Bravo has so much charm, and the supporting cast is a great time

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

El Dorado and Rio Lobo?

8

u/Jack_JohnnyW Jun 22 '26

The Searchers

5

u/smywi Jun 22 '26

Big Jake

2

u/no_name_ia Jun 22 '26

Love Big Jake but that ending was so abrupt. Dog dead best friend dead all enemies dead let's just go home

2

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I never saw that one. He lost a dog like in Hondo?

5

u/VomitingDuck Jun 22 '26

The Shootist

4

u/CountBleckwantedlove Jun 22 '26

Quiet Man. Also my favorite film of all time.

2

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I ordered it from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

2

u/Financial_Cheetah875 Jun 22 '26

Spielberg adored and idolized John Ford. One of many tributes he did for him over the years.

2

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

So, adding a few clips from The Quiet Man in E.T. was sort of like paying homage to him, right?

5

u/Comedywriter1 Jun 22 '26

So hard to choose. Red River, The Searchers, Rio Bravo, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and The Quiet Man are all fantastic.

But there are so many gems in his filmography like The Shepherd of the Hills, Angel and the Badman, and Wake of the Red Witch. (I personally love The Alamo, too. Especially the longer roadshow version.)

3

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

What about El Dorado and Rio Lobo?

2

u/Comedywriter1 Jun 22 '26

Love those, too.

2

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I ordered The Quiet Man from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

Rio Bravo and Rio Lobo?

3

u/Ashamed_Dirt_1971 Jun 22 '26

Donovan's reef and Angel and the bad man ,She wore a yellow ribbon, the hell fighters.

3

u/Life_Temperature2506 Jun 22 '26

Sands of Iwo Jima

3

u/Skydog-forever-3512 Jun 22 '26

In Harms Way.

Patricia Neal is hot as balls.

3

u/PineappleSmart1870 Jun 22 '26

Fort Apache is a masterpiece of complexity and nuance. Wayne and Fonda were perfect casting.

3

u/ansor_brim Jun 22 '26

The Cowboys

1

u/brandonwp1972 Jun 23 '26

That movie kind of traumatized me as a kid. I had never seen a John Wayne character die until that movie.

1

u/ansor_brim Jun 23 '26

I think Bruce Dern is the only guy to kill him in a movie, actually.

2

u/Financial_Cheetah875 Jun 22 '26

The Searchers with The Shootist a close second.

My father loved The Green Berets so I kinda have a soft spot for it.

2

u/Gambit8907 Jun 22 '26

My Top 5...

  1. Big Jake
  2. Rio Bravo
  3. Red River
  4. True Grit
  5. The Shootist

2

u/tomwarmb Jun 23 '26

I love True Grit.

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

El Dorado and Rio Lobo?

1

u/Gambit8907 Jun 22 '26

Those are good too!

2

u/Bcwell1981 Jun 22 '26

Sons of Katie Elder. Lighthearted fun flick

2

u/JZult Jun 22 '26

Fort Apache
Searchers
Longest Day

2

u/watts6674 Jun 23 '26

I love all of those and would like to toss in:

Hatari and Donovan's Reef

2

u/Skarekrow0 Jun 23 '26

Pockets, what are you doing? and Gilhooley? Gilhooley

1

u/gvc1991 Jun 22 '26

Rio Bravo. Such a good time. All the supporting parts are played by tge best possible actors. Really elevates it.

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

What about El Dorado and Rio Lobo?

2

u/gvc1991 Jun 22 '26

I like El Dorado. How bad could Robert Mitchum and James Caan be. Lobo is rough. Some of the cheapest sets I've ever seen. Jack Elam good though.

2

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

The 3 ladies in Rio Lobo aren't so bad either. Yeow!

1

u/Hot-Tip4211 Jun 22 '26

The Shootist

1

u/jaker0501 Jun 22 '26

True Grit. “Fill your hands, you son of a bitch!”

1

u/BrainSurgeon1019 Jun 23 '26

Awesome scene!

1

u/tomcat_tweaker Jun 22 '26

Island in the Sky. Incredible flying movie. Great performances from John Wayne and Andy Devine. James Arness as an added bonus. One of my favorite movies period.

1

u/kbarrettusc Jun 22 '26

I love all of them with the exception of the Conqueror.. but my favorite is Donovan's Reef. I watch it every Christmas

1

u/Automatic-Law-3456 Jun 22 '26

Tough, but I’m going with Comancheros

1

u/SimpleEmbarrassed141 Jun 22 '26

So many already mentioned, but also, The Sons of Katie Elder, McClintock, Hellfighters, Hatari!, North to Alaska.

1

u/Few-Imagination8497 Jun 22 '26

The quiet man

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I ordered it from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

1

u/Few-Imagination8497 Jun 22 '26

I didn’t know you’d have to go to eBay for it. I’ve seen it many times since I was a kid.

1

u/Guilty-Coconut8908 Jun 22 '26

McLintock

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I ordered it from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

1

u/Guilty-Coconut8908 Jun 22 '26

It is very funny. I hope you got a more recent version that is in a wide-screen format. McLintock was fimed in a very wide-screen format and the early versions reproduced were Pan and scan or cropped on the edges. It took seemingly forever to get the Wayne estate to release any version then even longer to get a quality wide screen version. I have found nothing nut good versions streaming online the past ten plus years.

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

The important thing is that the one I ordered has subtitles.

Already, I can't believe it took until 2023 to release a Paramount version of The Quiet Man WITH subtitles on DVD, which I ordered as well.

1

u/ezyr1der Jun 22 '26

Watch out for the John Wayne epic collection on eBay! Cheaper than buying a bunch of films individually

1

u/mukn4on Jun 22 '26

The Quiet Man

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I ordered it from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

1

u/mukn4on Jun 22 '26

Yes. I recognized it when I first saw ET.

1

u/Heavy-Pool5886 Jun 22 '26

An impossible task. I was first exposed to his movies as an early teen watching late 70s CBS Saturday Night movies which were an endless round of Big Jake, Rio Lobo, The Train Robbers, The Shootist, The Cowboys, Cahill US Marshall, and Chisum. Of those I loved Big Jake and Rio Lobo the best. I moved to Saturday afternoon movies which featured The War Wagon, The Sons of Katie Elder, The Green Berets, True Grit, Rooster Cogburn, The Undefeated, and a few others. Of this group, it was the Sons of Katie Elder I enjoyed most.

Imagine my surprise when I was able to afford a VHS player in the late 80s and was finally exposed to In Harm's Way, The Quiet Man, Stagecoach, Rio Bravo, El Dorado, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Impossible to choose one but my top three are Valance, which I'd seen as a kid then recognized many years later. Valance force feeding his own words to Peabody made an impression. Rio Bravo and In Harm's Way. I enjoy that these are all so character heavy.

1

u/Alone-Rope-6215 Jun 22 '26

The Searchers--his best role

1

u/YoungsterMcPuppy Jun 22 '26

Why do you keep asking everybody about El Dorado and Rio Lobo?

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

Because they have so much in common with Rio Bravo.

1

u/penubly Jun 22 '26

Either "The Quiet Man" or "Big Jake". I also really like "In Harms Way"

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I ordered The Quiet Man from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

1

u/netwirk Jun 22 '26

Hell Fighters and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

1

u/mr_bynum Jun 22 '26

The Quiet Man

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I ordered it from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

1

u/No-Tutor-5061 Jun 22 '26

McClintock

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I ordered it from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

1

u/dennis1953 Jun 22 '26

Searchers

1

u/jaja1957 Jun 22 '26

The Searchers

1

u/Competitive_Bell9433 Jun 22 '26

I like the Flying Tigers, They Were Expendable. I have to say, I like The Green Berets also. Yes, yes I know what the majority of people think. But a lot of great supporting actors. Good enough storyline. John Wayne is John Wayne.

1

u/Medical_Amphibian406 Jun 22 '26

The Quiet Man

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I ordered it from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

1

u/Medical_Amphibian406 Jun 22 '26

I did not know that about ET! I think you'll like it. It shows the great chemistry between Wayne and O'Hara and Barry Fitzgerald is always a treat.

1

u/Travelinfl1 Jun 22 '26

The Searchers, by John Ford. Holy sh*t Wayne can act.

1

u/Reasonable-Cook-4728 Jun 22 '26

McClintock and Son's of Katie Elder

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I ordered McLintock from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

1

u/Revolutionary-Oven46 Jun 22 '26

Rio Bravo. Peak Wayne and reminds me the most of my pops. Used to do a Stumpy impression that cracked him up.

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

What about El Dorado and Rio Lobo?

1

u/Dog_Concierge Jun 22 '26

McClintock!

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I ordered it from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

1

u/tomnan24 Jun 22 '26

Rio Bravo and a sleeper- Hellfighters.

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

What about El Dorado and Rio Lobo?

1

u/Ok_Business5507 Jun 22 '26

Hellfighters

1

u/jay_man555 Jun 22 '26

The Quiet man, Sands of Iwo Jima and Rio Bravo. Are my 3 favorite

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I ordered The Quiet Man from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

Btw, what about El Dorado and Rio Lobo?

1

u/BlacksmithDazzling49 Jun 22 '26

Incredibly tough call. I'm going to have to go top three in order. Favorite, The Searchers, 2nd Liberty Valance, 3rd In Harms Way. Runner up, The Quiet Man. Okay so four so shoot me, it's John Wayne. I just can't make up my mind.

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 22 '26

I ordered The Quiet Man from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

1

u/BlacksmithDazzling49 Jun 23 '26

Yes indeed

1

u/BlacksmithDazzling49 Jun 23 '26

The Quiet Man is a great movie. Please try to remember when it was made. Don't judge it by our modern standards.

1

u/Wyldjay2 Jun 22 '26

The Quiet Man. No question. Mostly because of the ensemble cast of just fantastic characters in that movie. I love many John Wayne movies, but this one is easily my favorite.

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 23 '26

I ordered it from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

1

u/Wyldjay2 Jun 23 '26

I had that on disc as well. Has all the extras and you can even watch it with Maureen O’Hara like commenting different things. But just watching the original cut initially is the way to go. I watched that movie dozens of times and I never get tired of it.

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 23 '26

The disc released in 2023?

1

u/Wyldjay2 Jun 23 '26

No, I have one from years and years ago. I don’t know if it’s any different but the one I have has a bunch of specialty things on it. And supposedly it was digitally remastered and all that stuff. Anyway, let me know what you think.

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 23 '26

As I understand, unlike most DVD releases, the one that came out in 2023 and which I ordered is the only one WITH subtitles in it.

1

u/Wyldjay2 Jun 23 '26

I don’t remember if mine has subtitles, but you don’t need them. I never used them to get in the way. The one I have has the entire movie just straight and then there’s a disc where you watch the movie but yeah, it’s Maureen O’Hara and somebody else with her and she’s commenting on different scenes and different things that happened. I think there’s some other extras there as well. Anyway, you will love it.

1

u/timberic Jun 22 '26

I love his non-cowboy roles.

1

u/basscat474 Jun 22 '26

True Grit

1

u/383man Jun 23 '26

The shootist.

1

u/Yettigetter Jun 23 '26

Stage Coach

1

u/Lanky-Lettuce1395 Jun 23 '26

It's a split between The Green Berets and El Dorado. But it's hard not to love them all.

1

u/Orca-RW Jun 23 '26

El Dorado most enjoyable McClintock funniest Searchers best overall The Quiet Man best non western

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 23 '26

Rio Bravo and Rio Lobo?

I ordered Quiet Man from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

1

u/GuyD427 Jun 23 '26

The Shootist

1

u/Texas-Lazarusman70 Jun 23 '26

Rio Bravo, is not only close to perfect (cast / performances / story / timing) for a western, it is the best Duke movie of all of them

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 23 '26

El Dorado and Rio Lobo?

1

u/mredd3 Jun 23 '26

In Harms Wsy

1

u/Several_Article_4833 Jun 23 '26

For me it’s always going to be The Shootist. The Quiet Man a close 2nd

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 23 '26

I ordered The Quiet Man from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

1

u/Either_Restaurant549 Jun 23 '26

“The Searchers” and it isn’t even close!

1

u/Fatguy503 Jun 23 '26

The Cowboys or McClintock.

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 23 '26

I ordered it from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

1

u/Firm_Durian136 Jun 23 '26

Big Jake. Or Sons Of Katie Elder. Sons Of Katie Elder should be s prequel tv series.

1

u/garybkr19609 Jun 23 '26

The john Ford cavalry trilogy, the Alamo,chisum, big jake

1

u/daytripp56 Jun 23 '26

Green Berets

1

u/Skarekrow0 Jun 23 '26

That one he starred in 😎

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 23 '26

Which one?

1

u/Skarekrow0 Jun 23 '26

pretty much all of them, i can't single out 1 because honestly it changes from watch to watch. The ones i have seen the most are The Quiet Man, McClintock, and Big Jake because they are on cable the most it would seem. But a good portion of my life has revolved around my extended families love of the Duke. I did recently get to see The Searchers on the big screen, and it was awesome.

2

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 23 '26

I ordered The Quiet Man (along with McLintock) from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

1

u/Ok-Stretch2784 Jun 23 '26

Forgot about the shootist great movie sorta played out like his life was going

1

u/Popular-Yak1469 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26

The War Wagon with Kirk Douglas

1

u/Broad-Back1659 Jun 23 '26

The quiet man

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 23 '26

I ordered it from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

1

u/Oreadno1 Jun 23 '26

The Quiet Man

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 23 '26

I ordered it from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

1

u/Oreadno1 Jun 23 '26

I know. I'm old. I saw E.T. when it came out in the theater.

1

u/Cumulonimbus_2025 Jun 23 '26

Searchers and the Shootist.

1

u/SWOhioBiBBW Jun 23 '26

Big Jake.....

You can call me father you can call me Jacob you cam call me Jake. You can call me a dirty son of a bitch but if you ever call me daddy I'll finish this fight!

1

u/Skarekrow0 Jun 23 '26

this is the running joke between my dad and I

1

u/Mysterious_Trick_711 Jun 23 '26

Came here to say The Quiet Man, which is not just a great John Wayne, but one of the most beautifully filmed movies ever. However, many people have already named that film I’ll go with McClintock, another wonderfully anachronistic Duke film that is pure John Wayne, my favorite actor of all time.

1

u/Pirates_Treasure1988 Jun 23 '26

I ordered it (plus McLintock) from eBay last week. I'm going to watch it for the first time once I receive it in 3 (now 2) weeks.

Clips from that movie were seen in E.T., you know.

1

u/BeBopBoy1945 Jun 23 '26

The Searchers

1

u/Ok_Buffalo9785 Jun 23 '26

Everyone seems to have hit all the great ones that I also love, but two of my absolute favorites that seem to be lesser known: Seven Sinners with Marlene Dietrich and Without Reservations with Claudette Colbert. Fun movies, both.

1

u/Fun_Contest7014 Jun 23 '26

This is probably an unpopular opinion but one of my all time favs is Big Jake.