What is the iRankMovies score for The Searchers?

Name: The Searchers
Director: John Ford
Genre: western
Released: 1956
Duration: 1 h 59 min
Rating: 7.8

The Searchers has an iRankMovies score of 83.5/100, based on a weighted combination of IMDb (×3.0), Rotten Tomatoes (×2.0), Metacritic (×1.5), and TMDb (×1.0).

The Searchers (1956)

He had to find her... he had to find her...

Release:1956

Runtime:1h 59m

Country:United States

Director:John Ford

Language:English

Genre

Western

See the best western movies →

Keywords

BrotherNew MexicoTexasNative AmericanUncleRacistPrejudiceRacism

iRank84

The Searchers rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb7.8/10· 101K votes

Rotten Tomatoes87%

Metacritic94%

TMDb7.694/10· 2K votes

With 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 7.8/10 on IMDb and 94/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About The Searchers

As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.

Cast of The Searchers

John Wayne
as Ethan Edwards
Jeffrey Hunter
as Martin Pawley
Vera Miles
as Laurie Jorgensen
Ward Bond
as Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton
Natalie Wood
as Debbie Edwards
John Qualen
as Lars Jorgensen
Olive Carey
as Mrs. Jorgensen
Henry Brandon
as Chief Cicatriz (Scar)
Ken Curtis
as Charlie McCorry
Harry Carey, Jr.
as Brad Jorgensen
Antonio Moreno
as Emilio Gabriel Fernandez y Figueroa
Hank Worden
as Mose Harper

The Searchers facts

Budget: $3.8M

Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026Methodology Data sources

Audience opinions

What the audience liked

•Ford's sprawling Western explores frontier mythology with surprising complexity
•Monument Valley cinematography establishes visual grandeur and emotional landscape
•Protagonist's moral ambiguity challenges traditional heroic Western conventions