For this week?s movie, I am going back into the archives for one of my favorite John Wayne Movies: ?El Dorado?. This movie is set in the Old West and John Wayne plays a gunslinger-for-hire, named Cole Thornton. At the beginning of the movie Cole Thornton has arrived in the old west town of El Dorado to meet a man named Bart Jason (Ed Asner). Bart wants Cole?s help in pressuring another family, the McDonalds, out of their water rights. Cole, despite being a gunslinger, has a conscience though and when informed by the local sheriff, who is also an old friend, J.P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum) that Bart Jason is no good, he refuses the job.

Unfortunately after Thornton tells Bart Jason know he runs into the youngest McDonald boy who tries to shoot him. Thornton pulls his gun and shoots the kid dead before he realizes that it was just a kid shooting at him. In order to show the family he meant no harm he brings the boy back to his father?s ranch so they can bury him. As Cole is riding away, he is shot in the back by Josephine McDonald. While Cole is not dead he is severely wounded as the bullet has lodged itself up against his spine and from time to time it paralyzes him.

Several months later, Thornton runs into another famous gunslinger named Nelson McLeod. Nelson informs Cole that he is going to take Jason?s job and plans to move in while the sheriff is too drunk to do anything. It seems that Harrah had become a drunk after he had a falling out with a girl. Cole refuses to work with Nelson and decides to ride back to El Dorado in order to help his old friend out. Along with him for the ride is a young man who goes by the nickname ?Mississippi? (James Caan).
Thornton has to help sober his friend up, protect the McDonalds (whom he still feel guilty about shooting their boy) and prepare for Nelson McLeod who might be faster at the draw then him.
The first spiritual insight I see in this John Wayne story is what true friendship is. Cole Thornton upon hearing that his friend J. P. Harrah is a drunken mess makes every effort to go back and help his friend even if it means being out numbered.

The second spiritual insight is that it is important not to jump to conclusions. The little McDonald boy assumed Cole was an enemy and shot at him. Cole responds in self-defense and shoots the boy. The sad part was that Cole had turned down the job from Bart Jason. Josephine shoots Cole in the back because of her brother?s death and this endangers her and her family later when Cole suffers an attack of his paralysis because of the bullet she lodge in his spine.

The next spiritual insight is that turning to the bottle or drugs after someone has hurt you only hurts yourself. J. P. Harrah becomes the laughing stock of the town because of his problems with drinking not because he was duped by a young lady. The young lady was long gone and J.P. Harrah was still punishing himself.

I do not know if it was a spiritual insight but it was nice to watch a movie where the hero has morals. Even though he was a gunslinger, he only took fights that were what he thought was just causes. Secondly he seemed to have a respect for life. He tried to nurse the McDonald boy back to health after he shot him in self-defense and he refused to shoot Josephine after she shot him in the back. There was an even a sign of respect for life when he brought the dead body of the boy back to his parents so that they boy could have a proper burial.

Here are a couple of fun practical things I learned in the movie. First, never just follow someone out a back door. Second, always stand behind someone who is shooting a gun especially if he is a bad shot. Third, do not hide behind the piano; it is the first place they look. Fourth and most importantly never count the Duke out.