John Ford's landmark Western follows a group of mismatched strangers sharing a perilous stagecoach journey through hostile Apache territory. John Wayne became a star as the Ringo Kid, an escaped outlaw seeking revenge, in a cast of vivid archetypes. Shot in the majestic Monument Valley, it elevated the Western from B-movie fodder into serious American art. Endlessly influential, it remains one of the most important films of Hollywood's golden year.