Friday, June 21, 2013

The Iron Horse (1924)

Fox Film
Directed by John Ford
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Fox)

John Ford's western epic chronicles the building of the transcontinental railroad through the eyes of a boy, the son of an engineer who first thought it was possible. The two travel west to pursue his dream, but when the father is killed by an Indian it is up to the boy to carry on. As a young man, he escapes Indians while riding for the Pony Express and takes up with one of the teams building the railroad. He falls in love with his childhood sweetheart who just happens to be there, but she is already engaged to a corrupt engineer. The railroad must be built, despite their personal problems. The plot is dramatically obvious: our hero will fight the bad guys who stole his girl and murdered his father, the railroad will be completed and he will reunite with the girl. The enjoyment is getting to those points, with enough action for several movies, and amusing subplots, such as the combination saloon-court room, to keep it interesting.

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