This was John Wayne's last movie and it turned out to be a fitting tribute to a great talent. Dirty Harry director Don Siegel was not a man to dwell on the maudlin, and this fine western plays like a Shane for the 1970s. The Duke stars as a retired gunfighter dying of cancer, with Ron Howard as the wide-eyed innocent to Wayne's Alan Ladd. There's also superb support from the likes of James Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Richard Boone and, especially, the under-used Hugh O'Brian as one of the Duke's adversaries. The opening titles form a touching montage to an outstanding career; how often does a star of Wayne's magnitude leave the screen with such dignity?

Afflicted with a terminal illness John Bernard Books, the last of the legendary gunfighters, quietly returns to Carson City for medical attention from his old friend Dr. Hostetler. Aware that his days are numbered, the troubled man seeks solace and peace in a boarding house run by a widow and her son. However, it is not Books' fate to die in peace, as he becomes embroiled in one last valiant battle.