Hoping to put his violent past behind him, a former gunslinger tries to settle into a small town, only to soon find himself compelled to fight again this iconic western starring Alan Ladd as the laconic title character. The plot is more complicated than just that as a young boy also comes to idolise Ladd and the film has some very good scenes as Brandon De Wilde slyly keeps looking at Ladd at the dinner table and silently sneaks out to watch him fight. De Wilde has such expressive eyes that it is almost no wonder that he was nominated for an Oscar back in the day; unfortunately, whenever he opens his mouth to speak, the magic is ruined. While his shrill, whiny voice is no help, he is not exactly saddled with the best dialogue either, and it is hard not to wonder whether the film may have come off better with more focus on Ladd's checkered history (and reluctance to fight once again) rather than De Wilde's idol worship of the man. Add in overbearing music and an underwritten character for Jean Arthur as De Wilde's mother, who may or may not have designs on Ladd herself, and 'Shane' is hardly a flawless masterpiece. The lush colour photography is a very nice touch though, the mysteriousness of Ladd's past is handled well, and topped off by one surefire memorable ambiguous ending, it is easy to see why some consider this to be a classic of the genre.