The Searchers

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The Searchers

1956

1h 59m

Western

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

102 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In this revered Western, Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) returns home to Texas after the Civil War. When members of his brother's family are killed or abducted by Comanches, he vows to track down his surviving relatives and bring them home. Eventually, Edwards gets word that his niece Debbie (Natalie Wood) is alive, and, along with her adopted brother, Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), he embarks on a dangerous mission to find her, journeying deep into Comanche territory.

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Critics Consensus

The Searchers is an epic John Wayne Western that introduces dark ambivalence to the genre that remains fashionable today.

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Jean Yothers

Orlando Sentinel

03/25/2024

The story is appealing, the action is exciting and the expanse of scenery in VistaVision and Technicolor is truly awe-inspiring.

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Helen Bower

Detroit Free Press

03/25/2024

Ford has achieved an extraordinary effect. There is the sense of time passing, yet the picture never drags. There is continued action, yet the picture conveys in almost leisurely fashion the life of isolated families in the remote early West.

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Jack Moffitt

The Hollywood Reporter

03/25/2024

[The Searchers] is undoubtedly one of the greatest Westerns ever made. For sheer scope, guts and beauty I can think of no picture... to compare with it. In it John Wayne delivers a performance that tops his great performance in The High and the Mighty.

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Aug 25

4.5/5

Even with its deeply uncomfortable racial politics, The Searchers remains one of cinema’s most important Westerns—a film whose artistry and legacy endure, even as its darker themes continue to spark debate.

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David Reddish

CBR

May 5

4/4

The Searchers isn’t just the greatest Western ever to hit screens. It’s one of the greatest movies ever made.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

01/18/2025

4.5/5

A visually majestic celebration of our nation’s splendor & a eulogy for the way all of our hope is flattened over time into common denominators of despair. The generations whom we believe will see the apex of our national potential never do & never will.

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Steve S

@SLS315 2d

Maybe this was a great movie in its time, but watching it in 2026, I thought it was ridiculous. In the blink of an eye, the John Wayne character changes from trying to shoot the girl to saving her. The Rangers ride into the Indians' camp, and all the rifle-shooting Indians miss. The high-strung kid does nothing but shout and chew the scenery. Wayne totally recovers from a poison arrow in record time. I could go on, but you get the picture. Why anyone would consider this the greatest western of all time is beyond my understanding. I'd say it's a mildly entertaining period piece.

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thiago S

@Thiagostone Mar 9

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Anthony J

@jenkinsdraws Feb 15

Overrated and dated. Better than most westerns, but still an mish- mash of action, romance, 'humour' and macho racist violence. The scenes where whooping, face painted Indians charge heroic cowboys only to get gunned down and 'bite the dust is ' pretty standard western corn and gets boring. Wayne plays Wayne, maybe a little better than normal, but predictable,

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Darren P

@RT32467907 Jan 5

Love this film I remember watching it with my uncle now I watch with my kids one of the best westerns ever made

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Allen S.

@HonestAl Dec 21

Tied with The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance at the top of my list of greatest westerns ever made.

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Jim K.

@J4Grant Nov 22

Wayne’s best film, 2nd is The Shootist

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John Ford

Director

John Wayne

Ethan Edwards

Jeffrey Hunter

Martin Pawley

Natalie Wood

Debbie Edwards (older)

Vera Miles

Laurie Jorgensen

Ward Bond

Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton

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Synopsis

In this revered Western, Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) returns home to Texas after the Civil War. When members of his brother's family are killed or abducted by Comanches, he vows to track down his surviving relatives and bring them home. Eventually, Edwards gets word that his niece Debbie (Natalie Wood) is alive, and, along with her adopted brother, Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), he embarks on a dangerous mission to find her, journeying deep into Comanche territory.

Director: John Ford
Producer: C.V. Whitney
Screenwriter: Alan Le May, Frank S. Nugent
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 16, 1956, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 24, 2008
Runtime: 1h 59m

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