Firecreek

This film shows the power of the motion picture. It is entertaining and it sends a strong message about doing the right thing while avoiding stereotyped good and bad characters. It stars Jimmy Stewart as a farmer is also the honorary part time sheriff. A gang of outlaws lead by Henry Fonda rides into town and starts to cause trouble. Stewart and the rest of the town folk want to avoid rocking the boat and figure that the new visitors are none of their business. It is only after a terrible event that Stewart finally realizes the mistake of inaction and understands that it is everyone's responsibility to stand up for what is right. The true beauty of this film is that neither the hero or the villain are common Western stereotypes. They much more resemble real people. The hero is more concerned with his own life and doesn't want to risk bodily harm trying to stop troublemakers that will be gone by morning. The lead villain is a man that seems to be trapped by his own reputation. He doesn't agree with what his gang is doing, but feels that they expect certain things from their leader. He says, "I don't know what to do, I feel like I am on a greased pig trying to hold on." When asked why he doesn't just leave the gang he responds that he spent his whole life building a reputation and he can't go back to being a nobody. The greatness of this picture is that it has the noble purpose of bettering its viewers, but it does not sacrifice its entertainment value to achieve it.