Ethan Edwards in The Searchers. He returns to his brother’s ranch after fighting in the Civil War and Mexican revolution against Maximillan thinking he’ll be able to make a tradcon life for himself. He thinks about joining the Texas Rangers but can’t bring himself to take the loyalty oath. He joins a posse chasing Comanches who had rustled cattle only to realize the cattle thefts were a ruse which drew away most of the local men to allow the Comanches to raid the ranches.
He returns to his brother’s ranch to find it burned, his brother, sister-in-law, and nephew dead, and his two nieces abducted.
Ethan trails the Comanche raiding party with several men including his oldest niece’s fiance. They eventually find that niece’s corpse and it’s apparent she’d been gang raped. The fiance goes mad, rides into the Comanche camp alone, and is killed.
Over the next five years, Ethan wanders along the frontier, taking jobs as needed, and searching for news of his younger niece, Debbie, and her abductors. He and another nephew, Martin, locate Debbie but, due to her “Stockholm Syndrome” and other factors, she tells them she considers herself a Comanche and is happily “married” to one of her abductors, Scar. From the first, Ethan had known there was a good chance Debbie had “gone native” and was prepared to kill her if necessary. Before Ethan can kill her, however, Martin shields her body with his. The rest of the Comanches then arrive and the outnumbered men are forced to retreat.
Soon after, Ethan and Martin join a combined US cavalry and Ranger patrol which has located Scar’s band. Before the patrol attacks, both men scout ahead, kill Scar and scalp him, and find Debbie. Debbie, fearful that Ethan will kill her also, run from Ethan who chases her down on horseback. Ethan has decided not to kill her realizing that her “choices” are not his problem. He then returns with her to the home of his dead niece’s dead fiance as that family has promised to take her in.
In the last scene, Ethan watches the joyful yet bittersweet reunion taking place, purposely remains outside of the house, and, as the door closes, turns to go his own way.
I’ll also recommend Jack Carter in 1971’s Get Carter with Michael Caine and Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon. The latter is especially good as Spade cons Mary Astor’s character throughout the entire movie allowing her to think her “damsel in distress” act is working on him right up until the instant he turns her over to the police for murder.
The Maltese Falcon is also noteworthy for the “Flitcraft parable”. It’s in both the book and the movie. I’ll let those who are interested google/bing it for themselves.
Do not date. Do not impregnate. Do not co-habitate. Above all, do not marry. Reclaim and never again surrender your personal sovereignty.
Jim01 2 years, 6 months ago.
