Liberty Valance | The Man Who Shot

(1962) is a landmark Western directed by John Ford , often cited as the most thoughtful and pensive film of his career. It serves as a melancholic meditation on the end of the Old West and the power of mythmaking in American history. Narrative and Themes

The film follows (James Stewart), an idealistic lawyer who becomes a hero after supposedly killing the outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) in a showdown. However, the central "truth" revealed via flashback is that the real shooter was the rugged rancher Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), who killed Valance from the shadows to save Stoddard. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance