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The Sons of Katie Elder

The Sons of Katie Elder

Western · 1965

The four sons of Katie Elder reunite in their hometown of Clearwater, Texas for her funeral and discover that the family ranch is now in the hands of Morgan Hastings, a corrupt businessman who wants to exploit the area around the town.

Movie details

The Sons of Katie Elder

“From the four winds they came, the four brothers, their eyes smoking and their fingers itching...”

1965 Western 2h 2m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

The four sons of Katie Elder reunite in their hometown of Clearwater, Texas for her funeral and discover that the family ranch is now in the hands of Morgan Hastings, a corrupt businessman who wants to exploit the area around the town.

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 Sons of Katie Elder?

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.

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Following the Civil War, headstrong rancher Thomas Dunson decides to lead a perilous cattle drive from Texas to Missouri. During the exhausting journey, his persistence becomes tyrannical in the eyes of Matthew Garth, his adopted son and protégé.

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A powerful rancher always protects his wild adult son by paying for damages and bribing witnesses, until his crimes become too serious to rectify.

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Nevada Smith

Nevada Smith

Western · 1966

Nevada Smith is the young son of an Indian American mother and European-American father. When his father is killed by three men over gold, Nevada sets out to find them and kill them. The boy is taken in by a gun merchant. The gun merchant shows him how to shoot, on time and correctly.

The Searchers

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

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

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Questions arise when Senator Stoddard attends the funeral of a local man named Tom Doniphon in a small Western town. Flashing back, we learn Doniphon saved Stoddard, then a lawyer, when he was roughed up by a crew of outlaws terrorizing the town, led by Liberty Valance. As the territory's safety hung in the balance, Doniphon and Stoddard, two of the only people standing up to him, proved to be very important, but different, foes to Valance.

Tall in the Saddle

Tall in the Saddle

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When Rocklin arrives in a western town he finds that the rancher who hired him as a foreman has been murdered. He is out to solve the murder and thwart the scheming to take the ranch from its rightful owner.

Ramrod

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Hud

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Drama · 1963

Hud Bannon is a ruthless young man who tarnishes everything and everyone he touches. Hud represents the perfect embodiment of alienated youth, out for kicks with no regard for the consequences. There is bitter conflict between the callous Hud and his stern and highly principled father, Homer. Hud's nephew Lon admires Hud's cheating ways, though he soon becomes too aware of Hud's reckless amorality to bear him anymore. In the world of the takers and the taken, Hud is a winner. He's a cheat, but, he explains, "I always say the law was meant to be interpreted in a lenient manner."

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Henry Hathaway

Written by

Harry Essex · Allan Weiss · William H. Wright · Talbot Jennings

John Wayne

John Wayne

John Elder

Dean Martin

Dean Martin

Tom Elder

Martha Hyer

Martha Hyer

Mary Gordon

Michael Anderson Jr.

Michael Anderson Jr.

Bud Elder

Earl Holliman

Earl Holliman

Matt Elder

Jeremy Slate

Jeremy Slate

Ben Latta

James Gregory

James Gregory

Morgan Hastings

Court is in session

Put The Sons of Katie Elder 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.