The Big Trail

directed by Raoul Walsh
Category: "Western"
Year of Release:1930
Date Added:05/14/2025
Date Watched:05/14/2025
Description:Breck Coleman (John Wayne) is hired as a scout for a wagon trail to Oregon. He decides to take the job because the three men who killed his trapper friend are in the group (and, in fact, one of them is the trail boss), and because he has eyes for Ruth (Marguerite Churchill), a young woman traveling with her brother and younger sister. Ruth wants nothing to do with Breck and, at one point, agrees to marry a crooked gambler until he gets himself killed. There are storms, Indians, difficult terrain — all the usual Western themes. The bad guys decide to ditch the train. Breck leads the wagons to their destination, then goes back and kills them. He returns to find Ruth waiting for him in Oregon.
My Rating:6

Reviews for The Big Trail

Review - Big Trail, The

Wayne's first big role. Since the movie was a box office flop, he didn't get another chance for several years. I had to keep reminding myself the movie was made in 1930. The acting was was crude — it seemed like the actors were reading off cue cards and that they didn't know what to do with themselves once they'd said their lines. The production was impressive, with dozen of wagons, hundreds of animals and people, actual outdoor conditions. Impressive as film history, but not a movie I'd probably watch a second time.

Reviewed by Roger on 2025-05-14 17:50:29

Back to the list