Fugitive bank robbers Robert Hightower, William Kearney and Pedro Roca Fuerte stand at a desert grave. Caring for the newborn infant of the woman they just buried will ruin any chance of escape. But they won't go back on their promise to her. They won't abandon little Robert William Pedro but can they deliver him to safety? Director John Ford's Western retelling of the Biblical Three Wise Men tale remains a scenic and thematic masterpiece. This is certainly one of the more unusual western movies made that tells a story quite different to anything done before in the genre. Little would you know but this is technically a Christmas movie. Set during the festive season, there are plenty of references to Christmas, from the mentions of a Christmas tree to people talking of Feliz Navidad. Also as previously mentioned, the movie takes a Biblical approach in its story and imagery with our trio mirroring the Three Wise Men. There are plenty of moments where our characters refer to the Bible and read from it frequently, as they take the infant child to New Jerusalem. When our story begins, we follow our trio on a bank heist in a town, which had greeted them so kindly. Having made their escape, with the youngest, William, being shot in the arm and injured, they are quickly pursued by the marshal. He makes it his personal vendetta to hunt them down, making it impossible for them to escape. As the blockades around water sources grow, the three move onto one last location where they come across a dying woman and her infant. They promise to take care of the child as their Godfathers and so begins their quest. Ford asserts to us through the story that even men of dissolute character can follow that inner star of Bethlehem to their own redemption. It is here we are shown the hard natures of the wild west. From the harsh, dusty winds to the scorching sun, the cinematography is used superbly in making us feel like we, the audience, are on that journey too in those conditions. Despite their past actions, we now see this group in a new light as they do everything in their being to protect this infant. But with the marshal hot on their trails we start to see him, a man completely in his right to take vengeance on these men, as a villain in some sense. If you haven't seen the film skip past the red to avoid me ruining the end. *Spoilers* As they keep travelling, they are overcome by the treacherous conditions of the desert and become weaker, unlikely to make it. It is here that William, whose gunshot wound had not been treated, sadly dies of exhaustion, doing everything in his might to carry the child as far as possible. The two remaining read him the Bible as he dies then move on, so as not to be caught by the marshal. Later Pedro breaks his leg after falling and can't go on. He asks for Robert's pistol to warn off any coyotes but as Robert moves on we hear a single gunshot. After climbing the last mountain, Robert feels he can't go any further. He starts to hallucinate, imagining his two friends walking alongside him, encouraging him not to give up, which was a very emotional moment. Finally making it to the town, he is confronted by the marshal who then realises what has transpired. In the end, the baby is delivered safely and Robert is only sent to 1 year and 1 day of prison time instead of the 20 years, remaining as the child's Godfather. Overall, this is an emotional drama set in the western genre that features some amazing acting and cinematography as well as an interesting story. I love that it holds many similarities to Biblical stories and makes for some unique Christmas viewing. This is definitely worthy viewing and should be experienced at least once by everyone, especially western and John Wayne fans.
