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The Searchers

The Searchers

Western · 1956

As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.

Movie details

The Searchers

“He had to find her... he had to find her...”

1956 Western 1h 59m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.8 / 10

101.1K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

87 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

94 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

7.7 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Searchers?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Stagecoach

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My Darling Clementine

My Darling Clementine

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Three brothers stop off for a night in the town of Tombstone. The next morning they find one of their brothers dead and their cattle stolen. They decide to take revenge on the culprits.

Open Range

Open Range

Western · 2003

A former gunslinger is forced to take up arms again when he and his cattle crew are threatened by a corrupt lawman.

Rio Grande

Rio Grande

Western · 1950

Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke is posted on the Texas frontier to defend settlers against depredations of marauding Apaches. Col. Yorke is under considerable stress by a serious shortage of troops of his command. Tension is added when Yorke's son (whom he hasn't seen in fifteen years), Trooper Jeff Yorke, is one of 18 recruits sent to the regiment.

Comanche Station

Comanche Station

Western · 1960

A white man trades with the Comanche for the release of a female stranger and the pair cross paths with three outlaws who have their eyes on the handsome reward for bringing her home and Comanche on the warpath.

Cheyenne Autumn

Cheyenne Autumn

Western · 1964

A reluctant cavalry Captain must track a defiant tribe of migrating Cheyenne.

Ride Lonesome

Ride Lonesome

Western · 1959

On the way to pick up the bounty on a wanted murderer, a bounty hunter stops at a staging post where he is forced to continue his journey with two outlaws who want the murderer for their own reasons and a recently-widowed woman, with the murderer's brother and his men in hot pursuit.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

Drama · 1949

On the eve of retirement, Captain Nathan Brittles takes out a last patrol to stop an impending massive Indian attack. Encumbered by women who must be evacuated, Brittles finds his mission imperiled.

One-Eyed Jacks

One-Eyed Jacks

Western · 1961

Running from the law after a bank robbery in Mexico, Dad Longworth finds an opportunity to take the stolen gold and leave his partner Rio to be captured. Years later, Rio escapes from the prison where he has been since, and hunts down Dad for revenge. Dad is now a respectable sheriff in California, and has been living in fear of Rio's return.

Chato's Land

Chato's Land

Western · 1972

In 1870s New Mexico, a half-breed kills a bigoted sheriff in self-defense but the posse that eventually hunts him finds itself in dangerous territory.

Where it lives

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Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Ford

Written by

Frank S. Nugent

John Wayne

John Wayne

Ethan Edwards

Jeffrey Hunter

Jeffrey Hunter

Martin Pawley

Vera Miles

Vera Miles

Laurie Jorgensen

Ward Bond

Ward Bond

Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton

Natalie Wood

Natalie Wood

Debbie Edwards

John Qualen

John Qualen

Lars Jorgensen

Olive Carey

Olive Carey

Mrs. Jorgensen

Court is in session

Put The Searchers on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.