It's One Of John Wayne's Best Westerns, But He Isn't The Movie's Real Star

Despite having a reputation as one of the greatest Westerns in John Wayne's entire filmography, it's actually not his performance that's the best one in Red River . Out of all the legions of movies John Wayne starred in over the years, more than a handful are counted among the best Westerns ever, including Stagecoach , The Searchers , She Wore a Yellow Ribbon , and, of course, Red River.

Released in 1948, Red River was one of six movies that John Wayne made with Howard Hawks, one of the most celebrated directors from the Golden Age of Hollywood. It was a Western, like so many others that the star had appeared in up until the point in John Wayne's career , yet, it was considered a particularly special movie for him.

After all, Red River achieved levels of critical accla