The Angel and the Bad Man

The Duke himself - that's the iconic American actor John Wayne, for those too young to remember - plays an injured gunman in "Angel and the Badman" (1947). He finds his way from villain to hero when a Quaker woman, played by Gail Russel, nurses him back to health and inspires him to change his violent ways.

Shot in part in Utah's Monument Valley, the film is John Wayne's first production credit. Some contemporary critics complimented "Angel" for exchanging the galloping pace of the standard shoot 'em up for a more thoughtful approach suitable for a story about a man who finds peace and gives up his gun.