he still hasn't found what he's looking for

In most westerns, men kill each other with guns. The Searchers has a few scenes of gun-play, but the guts of the movie lie in the motivations of the main character, Ethan (John Wayne). What is he searching for and, more importantly why is he searching for it? This is a character movie if there ever was one, and one of the best movies at depicting the roots and consequences of American hatred.

Indians have raided a home, murdered a family, but spared the young daughter, taking her with them to raise her as an Indian. Ethan sets off on a quest for the girl, his niece, and on a quest for revenge. Accompanying him is Martin (Jeffrey Hunter), an adopted son of the massacred family who is part Cherokee. Martin goes, despite leaving behind a future bride, primarily to make sure Ethan does not kill his niece.

Ethan is a racist full of hatred; his bitter eyes tell it all. The traditional good and evil in westerns is gone, or at least blurred a little. When Ethan comes face to face with his nemesis, Scar, they realize that they are similar men. They do what they must do to survive. Ethan's racism brings an added tension to the search that spans several years. What will he do when he finds his niece, who will most likely be indistinguishable from an Indian? The notion that he could travel for so long and so far only to kill the very object -- and it is an object for him -- that he has been looking for is what drives the film. In his mind, what is the right thing to do?

John Ford often chose to shoot his westerns in Monument Valley, and for good reason. The visual effect achieved through magnificently framed shots of men and the vast surrounding nature is quite stunning. Of all the grand camera shots in the film, however, the simplest one proves to be the most memorable and powerful -- Ethan refuses to walk through the doorway and grabs his right arm with his left hand. A perfect subtle gesture from Wayne caps off an outstanding performance. A final shot has never said so much without using dialogue as the one in this movie. The isolated Ethan turns his back on his home.

The brawl scene between Martin and the other man in the (bizarre) love triangle seems unnecessary. Maybe its intention was to add a little comic relief before the finale, but I still do not why Ford would have it in the movie.

The DVD extra features leave something to be desired in terms of both quality and quantity. A theatrical trailer and some superficial production notes on Monument Valley add next to nothing. Moreover, the two six-minute documentary shorts are incredibly dated and cheesy - pathetic treatment for a movie of this caliber.