Review of Shane

This may be the most overrated Western of all time. I found it exceedingly predictable and slow paced. The little kid was so annoying, he almost drove me to suicide.

Overall, however, it's not a bad movie.

Here's what I liked:

• The central heavy, Rufus Riker, was very well characterized. He presented credible arguments justifying the removal of the farmers from his ranch land.

• Interesting supporting cast, with Van Heflin, Jack Palance, Ben Johnson, Edgar Buchanan and Elisha Cook.

• Nice Civil War references with Elisha Cook's character.

• I can see why Palance was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. He saves this movie from being virtually unwatchable. The scene where Cook gets blown away into the muddy street saved the movie for me. This was done very realistically for its time.

• Beautiful mountains, but I got tired of seeing the same shot over and over again.

Here's what I didn't like:

• The little boy just drove me absolutely nuts. I would rather go to the dentist without Novocaine than watch this movie again.

• Alan Ladd? Let's put it this way. John Wayne 6' 4", Clint Eastwood 6' 3", Jimmy Stewart 6' 3", Alan Ladd 5' 6". 'Nuff said. Sounds like I'm being too tough, but this was ranked the third best Western of all time by AFI. Sorry, not with that leading man.

• How did Jean Arthur get co-billing with Alan Ladd? She was terrible.

• Because of its predictability, there is little dramatic tension in the movie. In the opening scene, a group of heavies visit the ranch and Shane declares himself the protector of the Starret homestead. At that point a two year old could figure out that the farmers will prevail over the ranchers on the back of Shane's guns. The only question is which farmer will be murdered to provoke Shane's outrage, forcing him to abandon pacifism. And even this was telegraphed almost immediately by Elisha Cook's character. The only open question to ponder through this long, dreary, preachy affair is whether or not Starret will also be killed and whether or not Shane will take his place as the head of the family.

• It's hard to imagine Shane marrying Marian Starret, because he seems so much more interested in a relationship with the little boy. Sorry, but this was one of the creepiest homosexual/child molestation references I've ever seen in a movie. And Stevens lingers on it!!!! This is probably explains all the Oscar nominations. Stevens was sucking up to the gays in the Academy. That's the only explanation for how that boy got an Oscar nomination for one of the most annoying performances in the history of film.

• Where are the Indians? I guess in Steven's history book, they had been completely exterminated from Wyoming by the time the movie takes place. They aren't even given respect in the many long boring speeches about who the land really belongs to. This is probably because Stevens doesn't really understand Westerns. This was just about the only one he made, after all. I've read that he set out to make a self consciously "mythic" Western, the "last word". So, not even one Indian character in the "last word" in Westerns? Right. A real genius.

• As to the much commented upon "otherworldly" or "angelic" qualities of Shane, this is just over-philosophizing by effete critics. Yes, Shane looks out of place in the movie, but only because of Ladd's $1,000 dollar Hollywood hairdo. He looks more like a maitre d' at a gay piano bar than a grizzled saddle tramp.

• There is absolutely no comic relief.

• Since the the ending of the movie is obvious right at the beginning, the proceedings just drag on and on for two long hours, although it feels like four. It needed some interesting subplots to move it along and some humor to lighten it up.

• Overall, this movie was very well made in the sense that there were no plot holes and the characters were all plausible and consistent. However, there is a giant lapse at the end, when the little boy outruns Shane's horse all the way to town. If it was so easy to get to town by foot, then why didn't the father follow Shane too? He didn't look in that bad of shape to me after the knock on the head.