John Wayne's final big screen role sees him playing a terminally-ill gunfighter determined to go out with his boots on - and to take as much local riff-raff with his as he goes. He settles down in a boarding house run by a slightly puritanical widow - Lauren Bacall, and her teenage son played by Ron Howard. Once his doctor, James Stewart, has confirmed the worst, he manipulates some of the local ne'er-do-wells into ensuring he gets the send off he desires. His relationship with Bacall thaws, somewhat, and we end with a gentle nod to both of their different sorts of humanity. Make no mistake, this isn't at all soporific, and Wayne and veteran sparring partner Richard Boone have the odd scene to remind us of both of their younger days (Boone only survived Wayne by 2 years). It is a great, fitting send off for a man who in 1976 was as enduring a legend as Hollywood had ever produced.
