Posts from Gorch in thread „Two Rode Together (1961)“

Thanks for correcting an old man's memory. I, er, sit corrected.

We deal in lead, friend.

This is John Ford - Lite.
My own take is that after the deaths of Bond and Fred Graham, Ford's own intemperate lifestyle soured (or pickled) his enthusiasm. At this point he was looking to have film family reunions and was more interested in anything that wasn't in front of the camera.
He had always reused bits, characters and phrases from his past films, but this one seems to be a compilation of them, starting with Stewart balancing on the boardwalk chair.
Where's the conflict? The warrior elite leader Stone Calf, the most formidable savage on the planet, strolls into McCabe's camp firelight (after announcing his arrival by crunching on branches) raises his knife and loiters in plain view just waiting to be shot.
As others pointed out, Stewart and Widmark were too old for their parts but that didn't stop Ford from casting Stewart and Wayne in Liberty Valance.
Talent and ability decline as you age, believe me I know, so I try not to let that tarnish Ford's earlier efforts. Sometimes, though, it ain't that easy.

We deal in lead, friend.