Often regarded as the film that marked the end of the classical Western, it features one of the most famous lines in movie history, “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend”—and remains among director John Ford’s most enduring achievements.

When idealistic young lawyer Ransom Stoddard arrives in the frontier town of Shinbone, he is brutally beaten by outlaw Liberty Valance. Saved by rugged rancher Tom Doniphon, Stoddard resolves to fight lawlessness through education and the rule of law rather than violence. As tensions mount between civilization and frontier justice, the truth behind the legend of Liberty Valance becomes one of the great revelations in American cinema.

“John Ford’s elegiac masterpiece.” — Roger Ebert

“One of the greatest American films ever made.” — Dave Kehr

“A profound meditation on myth, history and the American West.” — Richard Brody