While everyone loves James Stewart, we all know he made some stinky movies in his career. I wasn't partial to Winchester '73, even though the cast drew me to it. Who wouldn't want to see a slightly silver-haired Jimmy romancing the corset-wearing Shelley Winters in the 1800s, battling classic villain Dan Duryea, who romanced Shelley in the earlier noir Larceny? Unfortunately, Dan doesn't even show up until over an hour of screen time has passed, and if you're waiting for Rock Hudson, just keep an eye out for the really tall Indian warrior.
In essence, this is a story about a man who wins a rifle in a shooting contest, and then the sore loser steals it from him, and then he tries to get it back. That's about it, although there is a watery romance and a side plot about Stephen McNally's murderous posse. McNally is the main bad guy, even though he's not touted as highly as Duryea, who was a bigger star at the time-so why didn't he get the bigger part? It's really not a very interesting story, and if you're looking for James Stewart in a western, you've got so many others to choose from. Shelley fans can see her in the same saloon setting in Frenchie, which is much better, and Duryea fans can check out Too Late for Tears or Manhandled for him in his noir prime.
In essence, this is a story about a man who wins a rifle in a shooting contest, and then the sore loser steals it from him, and then he tries to get it back. That's about it, although there is a watery romance and a side plot about Stephen McNally's murderous posse. McNally is the main bad guy, even though he's not touted as highly as Duryea, who was a bigger star at the time-so why didn't he get the bigger part? It's really not a very interesting story, and if you're looking for James Stewart in a western, you've got so many others to choose from. Shelley fans can see her in the same saloon setting in Frenchie, which is much better, and Duryea fans can check out Too Late for Tears or Manhandled for him in his noir prime.