Scott, you should watch Big Jake again. The opening attack on the ranch is pretty violent. Definitely more blood than Searchers has. And the villians are pretty ruthless. It has a sense of danger. I do agree with you that Ethan is a darker character than Jake though.

I've seen Big Jake dozens of times. They tell you how ruthless the bad guys are, but you never actually see them do anything all that ruthless. Despite some extra blood, Big Jake is rated G as in suitable for the whole family, where this movie is definitely more mature.

The bad guys in Big Jake are ruthless, but the subject matter in Searchers is extraordinarily mature.