Watching This '70s John Wayne Western Today Is A Totally Different Experience

John Wayne made lots of great movies during his legendary career, but "The Shootist" stands out among those classics. Don Siegel's 1976 Western holds the distinction of the final movie he ever shot, and it subverts the type of roles that turned him into one of Hollywood's ultimate macho actors. "The Shootist" marked the end of any era for Wayne in many ways — and that's why it stands out as one of his most memorable flicks after all these years.

"The Shootist" sees The Duke portray J.B. Books, a legendary, terminally ill gunfighter who just wants to die with his dignity intact. However, when word spreads that J.B. is in town, everyone wants a piece of him, and some of the local wrong 'uns crave the notoriety associated with killing the Old West's greatest gunman. Needless to say, a peaceful death isn't on the cards for our hero.

Wayne gives one of the best performances of his career as J.B. Books. For decades, viewers associated the actor with playing hard men in some of the greatest Westerns of all time. That's still a part of his persona in "The Shootist," but it's a story about a man grappling with his mortality, allowing Wayne to showcase vulnerability and nuance. That said, his performance is also considered powerful for reasons that go beyond cinema.

John Wayne made all types of movies, but let's face it — he's synonymous with Westerns. As such, it's fitting that his cinematic farewell is an elegiac horse opera that feels like a goodbye to the genre's halcyon days in many ways. Even though Westerns continue to get made, "The Shootist" marked the end of the Hollywood golden age Wayne was a major part of.

Some of the best Westerns of the '70s are revisionist tales that challenge our romanticized notions about the Old West. Nothing epitomizes this notion more than casting the genre's greatest icon as a dying man. For years, we thought Wayne was immortal, but "The Shootist" reminds us that even legends die. That might sound bleak, but there's a warmth and tenderness to "The Shootist" that counterbalances the more melancholic elements.

What's more, "The Shootist" almost feels like art imitating life. The movie was released in 1976 — three years before Wayne died of cancer, aged 72. He wasn't terminally ill when he filmed "The Shootist," but knowing what was to come adds more emotional weight to J.B. Books' situation. No one knows what was going through Wayne's mind when he made "The Shootist," but his reflective performance feels like that of a man who knows the end is near. Maybe he didn't, but it sure feels like he did.

Is "The Shootist" John Wayne's best performance? That's a debate we could have for days, and fans of films like "True Grit" and "The Searchers" might dispute such a claim. Be that as it may, most critics agree that he's excellent in Don Siegel's Western, so what did they have to say about it?

Roger Ebert gave "The Shootist" a glowing review, noting that Wayne's performance might surprise viewers. "[U]nless you have already discovered that John Wayne is an actor as well as a movie star, you will be surprised by the dimensions he provides for J.B. Books."

A similar view was shared by Time Out, who claimed "The Shootist" is a perfect tribute to Wayne and Westerns as a whole. "With none of the indulgence that permeated 'True Grit,' Wayne is perfect as the dying gunfighter attempting to live out his last days in peace and obscurity, but prevented from doing so by various younger gunmen out for revenge or to prove their worth against him."

With a 81% fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating, it's clear that critics view "The Shootist" as a sweet send-off for a great actor. The film is a bona fide classic, even if it is a sad reminder that it marked the end of a legendary performer's career. Still, all cowboys deserve to ride off into the sunset on a powerful note, and "The Shootist" is a last hurrah any actor would be proud of.