3 Godfathers | Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      3 Godfathers

      Released Nov 25, 1948 1 hr. 46 min. Western List
      87% 15 Reviews Tomatometer 78% 1,000+ Ratings Audience Score Thieves and rustlers Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pete Fuerte (Pedro Armendáriz) and the Abilene Kid (Harry Carey Jr.) rob a bank in a small Arizona town. Pursued across the desert by the indefatigable Sheriff Buck Sweet (Ward Bond), the trio lose their horses, suffer injuries, and come across a stranded woman (Mildred Natwick) who is dying while giving birth. Promising to carry the woman's newborn to safety, the repentant criminals struggle to reach the village of New Jerusalem. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Apr 16 Buy Now

      Where to Watch

      3 Godfathers

      Fandango at Home Prime Video Apple TV

      Rent 3 Godfathers on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

      Audience Reviews

      View All (110) audience reviews
      Alec B Ford leans into the sentimentality a bit too much here but it is compelling for stretches, especially in those sequences where the characters desperately wander the desert. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/20/24 Full Review Audience Member Funny and original; LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Ford leans into the sentimentality a bit too much here but it is compelling for stretches, especially in those sequences where the characters desperately wander the desert. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member In an entertaining drama/melodrama, John Wayne plays the lead in a cinematographically beautiful film directed by John Ford. It's a Western retelling of the Christmas Story, where three run-away bank robbers take the place of the three wise men. Pretty soon hunted by a relentless band of lawmen, they are saddled with responsibility for saving the life of an infant boy, as they try to escape across the desert. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review deke p Never heard of until saw (most) on late nite TV, dec 2019. Very different. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Without a doubt this is the best John Ford movie I have seen. John Wayne, Harry Carey Jr, and Pedro Armendariz put on an excellent preformance as the likable, admirable bank robbers that take responsibility of a newborn. There are no fake backgrounds in this movie; the beautiful scenery supports the gradual increase of meaningful scenarios throughout the emotion filled plot line. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      100% 83% Fort Apache 100% 67% Wagon Master 71% 70% Rio Grande 100% 87% Red River 78% 67% I Shot Jesse James Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Photos

      View All 3 Godfathers photos

      3 Godfathers

      3 Godfathers (1948) 3 Godfathers (1948) 3 Godfathers (1948) 3 Godfathers (1948) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (15) Critics Reviews
      Tom Milne Time Out he last reel, with Wayne explicitly identified as the Prodigal Son and a general collapse into mawkishness, might almost have strayed in from another movie. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Bosley Crowther New York Times There are humor and honest tear-jerking in this visually beautiful film. Rated: 4/5 Mar 25, 2006 Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Ford and cinematographer Hoch beautifully capture 3 Godfather's Western scenery in Technicolor. Rated: 3.5/5 Apr 18, 2024 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Comic antics ensue -- think Three Men and a Baby with saddle sores instead of Tom Selleck -- but the film eventually turns grim. Rated: 3/4 Apr 10, 2024 Full Review Patrick McDonald HollywoodChicago.com Two Western film icons at their peak ... director John Ford and John Wayne ... deliver both a cowpoke picture and a metaphoric Christmas story in classic MGM studio fashion. Glorious on-location Technicolor and the Duke at his Duke-est. Pat&Ken Holiday! Rated: 4/4 Dec 13, 2023 Full Review Elsa Branden Photoplay The standout scene is a desert sandstorm so real you can almost feel the hot sand cutting your face. Rated: 1/3 Aug 20, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Thieves and rustlers Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pete Fuerte (Pedro Armendáriz) and the Abilene Kid (Harry Carey Jr.) rob a bank in a small Arizona town. Pursued across the desert by the indefatigable Sheriff Buck Sweet (Ward Bond), the trio lose their horses, suffer injuries, and come across a stranded woman (Mildred Natwick) who is dying while giving birth. Promising to carry the woman's newborn to safety, the repentant criminals struggle to reach the village of New Jerusalem.
      Director
      John Ford
      Screenwriter
      Laurence Stallings, Frank S. Nugent
      Production Co
      Argosy Productions Corporation
      Genre
      Western
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Nov 25, 1948, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 1, 2009
      Most Popular at Home Now