MovieChat Forums > Winchester '73 (1950) Discussion > Highly entertaining western feature.

Highly entertaining western feature.

posted 11 years ago by Jacob_Dunstan_Autumn
3 replies | jump to latest

I was very impressed with this beautifully shot film, and it's fast joined the ranks of my favourite all-time westerns, and not just for its undoubtedly high entertainment value. I really enjoyed Stewart in this, ditching his wholesome, nice-guy demeanour to play a character that's still righteous but with a dark past and a penchant for killing (if necessary). The support players were great too, I particularly enjoyed John McIntyre's work as the sly arms dealer, and the whole interplay between his and McNally's character whilst playing poker remains one of my favourite scenes. Great film, which I'll continue to revisit long into the future.

[–] johndeckbose 11 years ago

Well said, Jacob. Winchester '73 is definitely one of my 5 favorite Westerns, along with The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Unforgiven, The Outlaw Josey Wales and Tombstone. There are about a dozen other Westerns that I adore, including The Searchers, The Magnificent Seven, The Westerner, High Plains Drifter, Open Range and The Wild Bunch, but the top five mentioned above are the ones that I can watch over and over, pretty much endlessly. I would probably include Lonesome Dove in that top group, but at 6.5 hours in length, it's more of a hobby than a film.

[–] DracTarashV 11 years ago

This is one intense and far more realistically acted western compare to others of its time. Very good film.

Hey there, Johnny Boy, I hope you fry!

[–] joekiddlouischama 10 years ago

Yeah, Winchester '73 is probably one of my top-ten Westerns.