'The Spoilers' may be the most often-filmed western, ever, yet it has been largely forgotten by today's moviegoers, which is a shame! This is a riproaring adventure yarn with claimjumpers, a sexy romantic triangle, loads of humor, and, to cap things off, the most spectacular fistfight in screen history!<br /><br />The second of three Marlene Dietrich/John Wayne teamings (and Duke is third-billed, behind Dietrich and Randolph Scott!), the plot is simple; evil government 'agents' arrive in Alaska, steal goldminers' claims, until the miners finally take matters into their own hands! In the midst of all this is Wayne, who owns a mine with partner Harry Carey (who is wonderful, as always!) and has had a long-time 'relationship' with saloon-owner Dietrich. When a 'judge' arrives with a pretty daughter (Margaret Lindsay), Wayne's eye begins to wander, and Dietrich sees red! She flirts with handsome Scott, a gold commissioner who is new in town, and obviously smitten!<br /><br />What isn't known is that Scott and the 'judge' (Samuel S. Hinds, who would one day play Jimmy Stewart's dad in 'It's a Wonderful Life'!) are in cahoots to steal gold claims. After a series of tragedies, however, Wayne figures things out (Dietrich had, long before!), and confronts Scott in the middle of Dietrich's saloon...and the 'fight to end all fights' begins!<br /><br />You can hold up 'The Quiet Man', or 'Hard Times', or 'Any Which Way But Loose' as having epic brawls, but this one tops them all! We're talking shirts ripped to shreds, broken furniture and windows, rolling under horses and through the mud mayhem, here! If this were pro football, both Scott and Wayne would make the All-Madden Team, for sure! Wayne is the one still standing (barely) at fight's end, and Dietrich is his proud (and willing) prize!<br /><br />This film may never make a 'Classic Westerns' list (other than mine!), but it is a VERY enjoyable tale that shouldn't be forgotten! If you love a good Western, particularly if you're a John Wayne fan, 'The Spoilers' is a MUST!<br /><br />