My Darling Clementine

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My Darling Clementine

1946

1h 37m

Western

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Popcornmeter

100%

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33 Reviews

85%

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5,000+ Ratings

In the middle of a long cattle drive, Wyatt Earp and his brothers stop off for a night in the town of Tombstone. The next morning they find their cattle stolen, and one of the brothers is dead. Earp suspects the Clanton family, owners of the O.K. Corral, but wants his revenge to be legal. He becomes sheriff of Tombstone and forges a rough peace with an alcoholic gambler, Doc Holliday. Earp also takes a liking to Holiday's former girlfriend, Clementine.

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Critics Consensus

Canny and coolly confident, My Darling Clementine is a definitive dramatization of the Wyatt Earp legend that shoots from the hip and hits its target in breezy style.

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Scott Tobias

The Dissolve

Oct 13, 2014

4.5/5

Ford the mythmaker was at the height of his powers in 1946's My Darling Clementine, but it's a remarkably relaxed and assured piece of work.

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Joshua Rothkopf

Time Out

Jan 21, 2014

5/5

If ever there was a gateway drug to the happy addiction of Hollywood oaters, this is it.

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Matthew Connolly

Slant Magazine

Jan 21, 2014

4/4

The film subtly complicates viewer expectations early on, eschewing clear-cut character rivalries in favor of more complex emotional and social configurations.

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Michael J. Casey

Michael J. Cinema

Jan 14, 2026

5/5

A magnificent movie, filled with poetry and conflicting ideals about the need for law and order, and the ease with which it corrupts.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 11, 2025

4/4

The best Western John Ford ever made without John Wayne on board.

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Daniel Barnes

Dare Daniel

Oct 28, 2025

5/5

Arguably the least factual yet most definitive take on the Wyatt Earp/OK Corral legend, Ford's masterful western about men becoming legend gets an additional, almost supernatural layer of mystery and mythos from its Monument Valley setting.

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bruce F

@bruce999 Aug 15, 2026

just a great western. slow paced. see again and again. well done.

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Ernie K

@ErnieK Apr 25, 2026

Masterwork of film making; at once sharply written, achingly pensive, wonderfully acted, and beautifully filmed. Henry Fonda is perfect as Earp, and is deftly supported by Victor Mature as Holliday and Walter Brennan as Clanton. It manages to be simultaneously wistful, action-packed, romantic, and heartbreaking within it's compelling characterizations. Deserves to be on everyone's short list of the best westerns ever made.

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Chris B

@Papa13070 Apr 16, 2026

John Fords subtle re-telling of the most famous gunfight of the old west,holds the viewers attention from start to finish. Fondas Wyatt Earp,Matures Doc Holliday and Walter Brennan's murderous old man Clanton,form three distinct outlines of the old west. Tim Holt and Ward Bond are great. When Wyatt(Fonda) walks "Clementine" to church it is simply one of the finest sequences ever put on film. Although the movie is not historically accurate,it is still a movie to put it simply,enjoyed time after time. Fords other westerns up to this point were all pretty good. But "MY DARLING CLEMENTINE" is quite simply poetry!!!

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Per S

@RT83737705 Nov 17, 2025

An overrated western drama based on historical events, but so totally fictionalized it's annoyingly non factual.

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Daniel D

@RT16938577 Nov 15, 2025

Up there amongst the greatest of all movies. Ford’s westerns are always enjoyable but this along with The Searchers are tue movie masterpieces in any genre. A true gem for any movie lover.

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RICHARD S

@RT70538590 May 12, 2025

All Fonda fans, don't miss this classic! He is excellent, as ever, and the overall production values of the film darn good. Linda Darnell has never been more lovely in a slightly awkward role. The teaming of Fonda and Mature is a rare, but inspired one. Enjoy!

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John Ford

Director

Henry Fonda

Wyatt Earp

Linda Darnell

Chihuahua

Victor Mature

Dr. John 'Doc' Holliday

Cathy Downs

Clementine Carter

Walter Brennan

Old Man Clanton

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Synopsis

In the middle of a long cattle drive, Wyatt Earp and his brothers stop off for a night in the town of Tombstone. The next morning they find their cattle stolen, and one of the brothers is dead. Earp suspects the Clanton family, owners of the O.K. Corral, but wants his revenge to be legal. He becomes sheriff of Tombstone and forges a rough peace with an alcoholic gambler, Doc Holliday. Earp also takes a liking to Holiday's former girlfriend, Clementine.

Director: John Ford
Producer: Samuel G. Engel
Screenwriter: Sam Hellman, Stuart N. Lake, Winston Miller
Distributor: Key Video, 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 3, 1946, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2015
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Mono

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