Western Films are the major defining genre of the American film industry, a look back to the early days of expansive, untamed American frontier (the borderline between civilization and the wilderness). This growing American art form focuses on the frontier West that existed in North America. It seems that the central plot of the western film is the classic, simple goal of maintaining law and order on the frontier in a fast-paced action story. It is normally rooted in your typical conflict-good vs. bad, virtue vs. evil, white hat vs. black hat, settlers vs. Indians, civilization vs. wilderness or in the case of The Man who shot Liberty Valance, lawman vs. gunslinger; a typical civilization vs. lawlessness theme. .
John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, could very well be seen as a milestone in the Western genre. For the typical elements that we had all come to expect in your every day western film were gone, or at least not so obvious to the viewers. Gone is the white hat black hat morality, gone is the idea that the good guy always wins. Sure there were guns and gunfights, horses, the good the bad and the not so ugly, ( Ms. Hallie), who was the beautiful woman that all Western films must have, who win the hearts of the audience and their Western Hero's. But Mr. Ford had some tricks up his sleeve that would make this film what it is today, a Milestone in the Western genre.
Every Western is only as good as the Western heroes, who save the day. The heroes are almost always local enforcement officers, ranchers, cowboys, territorial marshals, or army officers who all have one thing in common; they are a skilled fast-draw gunfighter, who has no fear of any man. They are always masculine persons of integrity and principle-courageous, moral, tough, solid and self sufficient, but never without a trusty sidekick. .
Early on we are introduced (as the story unfolds) to the bumbling eastern dude lawyer, Ransom A Stoddard, (played by Jimmy Stewart), who in no way fits the description of the typical western hero.
