77
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- The Shootist is a fitting memorial to a great star – and leaves his image indelibly fixed on our imagination.
- 90NewsweekNewsweekWayne's proud, quietly anguished performance, one of his very best and certainly his most moving, has a richness that seems born of self-knowledge; he lends the film a tremendous sense of intimacy and a surprisingly confessional mood. [16 Aug 1976, p.68]
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe cast is excellent because it understands the material, and sympathizes with it: James Stewart, as the doctor, and Lauren Bacall, as the widow, play scenes with Wayne that absolutely make us forget we're watching a movie.
- 88Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrA brilliantly crafted work and a remarkably moving experience.
- 80Time OutTime OutA subtle, touching valedictory tribute to both Wayne and the Western in general.
- 80TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineThe Shootist is an uneven, elegiac tribute to a great career. The script leaves a lot to be desired, but is compensated for by some fine performances (especially Wayne's), Bruce Surtees' poignant cinematography, and Don Siegel's carefully paced direction.
- 80EmpireWilliam ThomasEmpireWilliam ThomasThe Duke's last hurrah is one of the very best of a cycle of 70s movies that served as obituaries for the Western itself.
- 50The New YorkerPauline KaelThe New YorkerPauline KaelThe script, by Miles Hood Swarthout and Scott Hale, is a mechanical demonstration of how greedy and unfeeling the townspeople are, and Don Siegel's directing lacks rhythm--each scene dies a separate death.
- Mr. Siegel's lack of form and fidelity to his own story means that as the movie proceeds, even those things that are charming turn to lead.