"I’ll have that brand on enough beef to feed the whole country. Good beef for hungry people. Beef to make them strong, to make them grow."

Despite its inherent flaw an easy case could be made for touting this as the greatest western of all time. Very easy. The mark of the 'western' genre is, for the most part, the history of pioneering the American old west. Strong, fearless men venturing to find a place of opportunity in which to settle. This epic tale focuses on failed leadership by Tom Dunson (John Wayne), on the first cattle drive down the Chisholm Trail. A man with single-minded desire for success and to make his make his mark in the expansive land in Texas. Filled with many subtle classic western-isms involving legendary gun handling, fighting Indians, forsaking women for future gains, growing beef for the good of the country and sticking to an honorable code. The flaw, as most know, is the ending - but being aware of it allows one to forget its existence and enjoy a true branding of Americana with some exquisite cinematography. This is beyond a gem folks, this is a grand piece of cinema history that rightfully deserves it place topping some for the best westerns of all time. A masterpiece of masterpieces. out of .

Gary W. Tooze