Iron Horse Reviews

Juror #3 says:

The more time I take to think about this film, the more I like it. It's an epic telling of an epic story. John Ford was known to be a director that could capture a moment's complete human experience. And it is just that skill that makes The Iron Horse a special film. There were scenes that seemed to be input for comic relief or a quick side-message and it annoyed me as I knew the film was 2 1/2 hours long, and I just wanted to move forward with the story line. However it became apparent to me after viewing several of these "types" of scenes that what Ford was actually doing was conveying the culture of the time. The movie tells the story of the creation of the transcontinental railroad - it is action-packed with battles between indians and railway workers, it has a love interest, and revenge story line. Intertwined through the action are these glimpses into the culture of the time which greatly adds to the story. The structure of the movie is consistent with epics today. I guess I'll agree with the historians, John Ford had a gift. 4/5 stars.

girl by locker says:

I actually liked Iron Horse. Between a damaged DVD and life throwing a lot at me (sorry for posting so late!), I had to watch the movie in bits and pieces. In the end, however, I was very happy I made it through. (There is a minor plot spoiler below - nothing, however, that you don’t see in the first 15 minutes of a 3 hour movie).


Iron Horse is a romantic and nostalgic view of the American West and the building of the first transcontinental railroad. It is a true epic starting with Davy Brandon as a boy setting off on the trail with his father and growing to a young man determined to see his father’s vision of the “road” completed. We have love, revenge, humor and, of course, action sequences with those blasted Indians trying to save their way of life. Early movies were definitely not PC.

There are a couple aspects that struck me: 1) In modern times, I think most of us would agree that Abraham Lincoln is one of our beloved presidents. What I have noticed in this movie as well as others we have watched, is that he was also very dear to the public back in the day. Iron Horse is actually dedicated to Lincoln and there is an obvious love and respect for him. I assumed the love came later in history. 2) Davy’s father is killed by a 2-fingered man and Davy spends the rest of his life looking for him. Can we say Princess Bride? When they finally meet I could almost hear, “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” 3) My only other knowledge of railroad construction comes from Blazing Saddles, and comparing the two movies (if they are historically accurate which I am assuming they are – more or less), I still can’t get over how back-breaking and labor intensive the work is. Not to mention, a large portion of the railroad tracks were built by Chinese. We don’t give them enough credit.

Overall, I give this movie 3 stars (out of 5). Admittedly, I had a lot going on but I deduct a star for being 3 hours and having to watch it in bits and pieces.