The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 13+. A Catholic review of this movie for parents.
Our review
An old senator comes back to a small Western town for a poor man's funeral. He tells a reporter the true story of how an outlaw named Liberty Valance was killed. The truth is not the story everyone believes. This is one of John Ford's finest films, about law, courage and a man who gives up what he loves for someone else. It is clean by modern standards, but its famous last line praises printing a legend over the truth, and that needs a parent's word. The one age is 13, set by Lumen's own call, since no other source could be checked. Expect a brutal beating, a farmer murdered, a man badly hurt, a drunken gunfight and a house set on fire.
For parents
Best for teens and up. The one age is 13, Lumen's own call; Common Sense Media and the Church's classifiers could not be checked. Talk about Tom. He loses Hallie and still does what protects her and the town. That is a quiet picture of sacrifice. Then talk about the ending. The editor chooses the legend over the truth. Is that ever right? Christians are bound to the truth (John 8:32), even when a lie looks useful. Ask: who is the real hero here? What does the law need to protect the weak, besides guns?