The Quiet Man may the best of the many collaborations between John Wayne and John Ford. It's a simple and idealistic depiction of Ireland of the 1920s, all green fields and memorable characters, rather than the actual grittiness and poverty of the country during those hard years. But that's its charm - a simple movie with a simple premise: an American returns to Ireland, buys the cottage he was born in, and marries the fiery redhead lass who pines for him. Wayne plays Sean Thornton, a retired boxer (which he keeps a secret) who killed a man in the ring. That tragic event haunts Sean and is what spurred his return to Ireland, to try to forget that fateful fight. His nemesis is "Red" Will Danaher (an Oscar-nominated performance by Victor McLaglen). Danaher is a bully who fancies himself a gentleman landowner who refers to himself as "Squire" Danaher. He is also the older brother of Mary Kate Danaher, who Sean fell in love with at first sight. Thornton and the Squire have an epic fight that leaves both men admiring the other. It's predictable, but beautiful. It ends as all faerie tales - the hero gets the girl and everyone lives happily ever after.
Review of The Quiet Man
