Yet another western film with John Wayne as the hard-boiled cowboy searching for a lost person. John Farrow assembled a generic cast of western characters, with a basic plot line, that follows Wayne's character on a journey searching for a wife's missing husband.
Hondo Lane (John Wayne) with his dog stroll in from the vacant desert as the opening scene. They meet Angie Lowe (Geraldine Page) with her son, to find out that Angie's husband has been missing for some time. Hondo then sets out looking for the lost husband, only to find trouble with Apache Indians along the way.
Wayne brings his usual performance, which is some of the best when it comes to western films, as he's been tried and tested. The only problem is it seems that he will be stuck doing only westerns. Page's acting complimented Wayne's, only with a few parts that seemed off, as she didn't seem to click with him during the beginning.
Farrow didn't seem to take advantage of the beautiful scenery in the desert, such as the large rock formation. Instead he incorporated the vast, vacant, and dry landscape. Most shots seemed very opened, perhaps to show just how large the land is. The camera work was quite basic, but it got the point across.
Farrow directed a generic western, but it's story and setting does represent the atmosphere of the old west well, and will be appreciated by any western film fan.