John Books an aging gunfighter goes to see a doctor he knows for a second opinion after another doctor told him he has a cancer which is terminal. 

The doctor confirms what the other said. 

He says Books has a month maybe two left. 

He takes a room in the boarding house and the son of the woman who runs it recognizes him and tells his mother who he is. 

She doesn't like his kind but when he tells her of his condition, she empathizes. 

Her son wants him to teach him how to use a gun.

 Books tries to tell him that killing is not something he wants to live with. 

Books, not wanting to go through the agony of dying from cancer, tries to find a quicker way to go.

All of the credit in the world goes to John Wayne for making this film. 

Here you have the biggest star in Hollywood history, making a film that symbolizes his life. 

You have an aging actor, whose best days were past him, portraying an aging gunfighter, whose best days were behind him. 

You have a character trying to fit into a world that had changed too much. 

Much like Wayne was trying to fit into a changing America. 

Lastly, you had a character, dying of cancer, trying to accomplish one last thing. Wayne, who was also dying of cancer, like the character, was trying to accomplish one last thing, a great film. 

To me, this film is special, because you are seeing in real life, a dying icon make his farewell. 

Like the character JB Books, Wayne was trying to put a brave face on his final days. 

He was vulnerable and uncertain about what awaited him, but he sought to accomplish one last goal. 

I don't care if you like Wayne or not, but how someone could not be emotionally effected by seeing this legend on screen for his last time, well, I feel sorry for you. This film is very special to me.