226. Winchester '73 (1950)

Directed By Anthony Mann

Synopsis

There's this pretty nifty Winchester 1873 to be won at a contest in Dodge. Jimmy Stewart wins it against a guy he has a beef against. The guy steals Jimmy's gun and gets out of Dodge. Jimmy follows hunting the man and the rifle. The guy loses the rifle to this gun-runner who then gets it taken from him by Indian Chief Rock Hudson, who then gets shot by the cavalry passing the gun on to this guy who is with a woman Jimmy has some interest in, although it was actually Jimmy who had shot the Chief, but he was gone by then. Well this guy goes to this house where he meets another guy called Waco who shoots him for the gun. Waco meets the first guy who Jimmy had a beef against and in order to get in on the job gives him the gun. Jimmy comes along kills the guy who had killed his father and happens to be his brother and takes the gun, and gets the girl.

Review

As you can see this is one of those films where it is actually easier to watch it than to explain it to someone else. It doesn't feel as complicated while you are watching it I swear. The problem with explaining it is one of the good things of the film, as the film is basically about the gun as much as it is about any of the characters.

The gun serves as a way to introduce you to a bunch of interesting Wild West characters, serving as a conducting thread throughout the film. Interestingly the guy who lost the rifle probably doesn't even know half of what happened to it by the time he recovers it, as he recovers it from the same guy who stole it in the first place.

All that said, the film isn't particularly impressive in any other way, the acting is all great, but that is only to be expected, and the directing is unobtrusive with some good use of scenery, just not as good as John Ford. So a good western all in all, but then I just love Westerns, probably because I grew up with them, as my father is also a fan.

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

One of the most successful, and certainly one of the most famous Winchester rifles was the Winchester Model 1873, originally chambered for the 44-40 cartridge, although it was later produced in .38-40 and .32-20, all of which also became popular handgun cartridges of the day. Having a common centerfire cartridge in both revolvers and rifles allowed the owner to carry two firearms, but only one type of ammunition. Interestingly, the original Model 1873 was never offered in the military standard .45 Colt cartridge; although a number of modern reproductions of the rifle are chambered for the round. There was a limited number (approximately 19,000) of 1873 Winchesters manufactured in .22 rimfire caliber, which lacked the loading gate on the right side of the receiver. The Winchester Model 1873 was produced in such quantities that they became a common sight in the American West, leading to the rifle being nicknamed "The Gun that Won the West" on account of its prevalence and versatility.

They sure like their coffee: