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Wagon Master

Wagon Master

Adventure · Western · 1950

Two young horse traders guide a Mormon wagon train to the San Juan Valley and encounter rugged terrain, the cutthroat Clegg gang, hospitable Navajo, and moral challenges on the journey.

Movie details

Wagon Master

“John Ford's lusty successor to "Fort Apache" and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon"”

1950 Adventure · Western 1h 26m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.7 / 10

Community rating

Two young horse traders guide a Mormon wagon train to the San Juan Valley and encounter rugged terrain, the cutthroat Clegg gang, hospitable Navajo, and moral challenges on the journey.

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 Wagon Master?

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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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Ford

Written by

Patrick Ford · Frank S. Nugent · John Ford

Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson

Travis Blue

Joanne Dru

Joanne Dru

Denver

Harry Carey, Jr.

Harry Carey, Jr.

Sandy

Ward Bond

Ward Bond

Elder Wiggs

Charles Kemper

Charles Kemper

Uncle Shiloh Clegg

Alan Mowbray

Alan Mowbray

Dr. A. Locksley Hall

Jane Darwell

Jane Darwell

Sister Ledyard

Court is in session

Put Wagon Master on trial.

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

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.