The Shootist Details

The Shootist

John Wayne, in his last film appearance, stars as famed gunfighter J.J. Brooks. After learning from Dr. Hostetler (James Stewart) that he's dying of stomach cancer and has no more than two months to live, he moves into a boarding house in Carson City run by Bond Rogers (Lauren Bacall) and her son, Gillom (Ron Howard), to die quietly. But when word gets around that the old gunslinger is in town, curiosity seekers come out of the woodwork to get a look, and the ridiculous local marshal (Henry Morgan) contemplates a showdown with the legend. Annoyed by the attention and realizing that if he waits long enough, he'll die in great pain, Brooks decides to seek out his enemies and go down with guns blazing. Yet he works to persuade the hero-worshiping Gillom to foreswear the life of violence he's led. Director Don Siegel fashions a poignant, gracious farewell to the great star, who, like his character, was dying of cancer as the film was being shot. A stellar cast, which includes Western stalwarts such as Richard Boone, Hugh O'Brian, John Carradine, and Johnny Crawford, adds much to the film's resonance. As much a meditation on the burden of celebrity as an elegy for the Old West, it's most revealing in its star's final renunciation of violence.

Starring	John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, Bill McKinney, James Stewart, Richard Boone, John Carradine, Scatman Crothers, Harry Morgan, Sheree North, Hugh O'Brian
Director	Don Siegel
Studio	PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 35 mins Watch now: 1 hr 40 mins
Certificate	DVD: , Watch Online:
Collections	100 Wild Westerns
Genres	Action/Adventure
Language	DVD: English Watch Online: English
Released	DVD: 04 Aug 2003 Watch now: 31 Mar 2009 Production year: 1976
Watch now	£2.49