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The Shootist

Play trailer Poster for The Shootist PG 1976 1h 39m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
81% Tomatometer 26 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
J.B. Books (John Wayne, in his final film role) is an aging gunfighter diagnosed with cancer who comes to Nevada at the turn of the 20th century. Renting a room from widowed Bond Rogers (Lauren Bacall) and her son Gillom (Ron Howard), Books is confronted by several people of questionable motives, including a man seeking to avenge his brother's death and a few who are looking to profit from Books' notoriety. Not wanting to die a quiet, painful death, Books devises a plan to go out with a bang.
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The Shootist

The Shootist

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Critics Consensus

Simple in story while sophisticated in texture, The Shootist is a fittingly elegiac swan song for one of Hollywood's most iconic stars.

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Critics Reviews

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Clayton Dillard Slant Magazine 04/11/2024
Don Siegel’s 1976 western The Shootist stars John Wayne in his final film appearance, though it’s perhaps just as notable for the muted nature of its regard for the pathology of violence. Go to Full Review Variety Staff Variety 03/26/2009
Simply beautiful, and beautifully simple. Go to Full Review Derek Adams Time Out 02/09/2006
A subtle, touching valedictory tribute to both Wayne and the Western in general. Go to Full Review Emilie Black Cinema Crazed 04/30/2024
3.5/5
The Shootist is a solid Western with some deeper themes to its center, making the connection between the lead character and the lead actor strong given that the film is the last John Wayne ever did. Go to Full Review Richard Corliss New Times (magazine) 06/22/2022
Wayne is still both kinds of moving -- it’s the movie that’s sclerotic. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 05/30/2021
3.5/4
An elegiac Western for Wayne. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Garrett B @gmoney637 7h John Wayne gives a heartfelt send off in The Shootist. See more David L @RT98148026 Dec 28 The best movie John Wayne ever made. See more James B. @JamesBass Dec 28 Not only the finest John Wayne western, but one of the greatest westerns ever made. It is not a grand spectacle; it could just as easily be performed on a stage. Instead, it is an intimate character study of a man confronting profound loneliness, burdened by a past too violent and legendary to release him—no matter how desperately he wishes to leave it behind. The Shootist endures because it strips the western to its moral and emotional core, making Wayne’s final performance both restrained and devastating. See more John S. @RT59015782 Dec 17 That was that no other way to end a man and an era. See more M.T. F @RT70262545 Nov 1 No other actor had a better swan song. John Wayne went out with the perfect film and one of his best performances. And he had an outstanding cast working with him. Don Siegel's direction is flawless and Elmer Bernstein's score comes across as a valentine to Wayne, whom he'd worked with several times. Truly a magnificent film, and one to show a person who states Wayne wasn't much of an actor. See more Leaburn O @RT35452347 Aug 13 Awhile since I’ve seen a Western. This is a gunslinger going out on his own terms as the Wild West came to an end. Wayne is better than usual in this one and it’s a decent enough tale. Watched on DVD. See more Read all reviews
The Shootist

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Cast & Crew

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Don Siegel

Director

John Wayne

John Bernard Books

Lauren Bacall

Bond Rogers

James Stewart

Dr. E.W. Hostetler

Ron Howard

Gillom Rogers

Richard Boone

Mike Sweeney

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The Shootist

The Shootist (1976) The Shootist (1976) The Shootist (1976) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis J.B. Books (John Wayne, in his final film role) is an aging gunfighter diagnosed with cancer who comes to Nevada at the turn of the 20th century. Renting a room from widowed Bond Rogers (Lauren Bacall) and her son Gillom (Ron Howard), Books is confronted by several people of questionable motives, including a man seeking to avenge his brother's death and a few who are looking to profit from Books' notoriety. Not wanting to die a quiet, painful death, Books devises a plan to go out with a bang.
Director
Don Siegel
Producer
M.J. Frankovich, William Self
Screenwriter
Glendon Swarthout, Scott Hale, Miles Hood Swarthout
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Dino De Laurentiis Productions
Rating
PG
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 11, 1976, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2011
Runtime
1h 39m