The Searchers

Hollywood's America is no stranger to angry men in big violent worlds — solitary anti-heroes fighting fire with fire while life rolls on for us, mere mortals. Trace that theme back and you come to two giants of the Western — director John Ford and actor John Wayne.

In 1956, at the height of Cold War and race tensions, they brought out the raw, racially-charged Western classic "The Searchers." John Wayne played a rage-filled obsessive tracking down a kidnapped girl — the flawed, savage hero defending civilization against savagery. Many film critics put it among the top five films of all time. It resonates large today.

Hear a conversation with New York Times film critic A. O. Scott on John Wayne, John Ford and "The Searchers."

Guests:

A.O. Scott, film citic, The New York Times

Jack Beatty, "On Point" News Analyst and a senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly.