In some ways a comic version of THE SEARCHERS, TWO RODE TOGETHER is perhaps the closest Ford ever came to making a black comedy. It stars James Stewart as Guthrie McCabe, a cynical small-town marshal and part-time gigolo of saloon owner Annelle Hayes (Belle Aragon) in 1880s Texas. When his old... [More]

In some ways a comic version of THE SEARCHERS, TWO RODE TOGETHER is perhaps the closest Ford ever came to making a black comedy. It stars James Stewart as Guthrie McCabe, a cynical small-town marshal and part-time gigolo of saloon owner Annelle Hayes (Belle Aragon) in 1880s Texas. When his old friend Jim Gary (Richard Widmark), a cavalry officer, asks for help in negotiating with the Comanche for the return of some Caucasian captives from long-ago raids, McCabe is initially reluctant. But after being guaranteed a bounty for each returned captive, as well as escape from Annelle's desire for a more permanent union, he agrees. McCabe questions the families about their missing members, and although he realizes their expectations of success are far too optimistic, he's driven on by greed. On arrival at the Comanche camp, McCabe and Gary find a few of the captives, but they've completely assimilated to Comanche life and aren't eager to leave. The marshal coldly sizes up those he believes he can credibly return for profit and negotiates their release. An unusual blend of comedy and tragedy, especially for Ford, it's nevertheless consistent with the thread of pessimism that runs through such films of his late career as THE SEARCHERS, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, and CHEYENNE AUTUMN. TWO RODE TOGETHER features some unforgettable comedic byplay between Widmark and Stewart, and the latter provides the steely guts for this compelling study of frontier corruption, avarice, and moral dissolution with a complex performance that bravely counters his iconic status as a pure-hearted good guy. [Less]