Wagon Master

An archetypical John Ford western. As you probably know by now, I'm not a western, nor a John Ford fan, but somehow these films keep popping up on leading recommendation lists. If you ever needed proof of a male/Western bias steering these lists, look no further than a film like Wagon Master.

The story is as basic as it gets. A convoy is traveling from point A to B. The road is perilous and all kinds of nefarious people and gangs are looking to mess up their travel plans. So the convoy hires some protection, two young drifters who are willing to safeguard them for a price.

The songs and music are horrendous, the black and white cinematography looks drab, performances are very bland, and I simply don't care much for the western setting. The film is little more than a stack of clichés, which is nice if you're able to appreciate the genre. Personally, I found it a terrible waste of time.