MovieChat Forums > Winchester '73 (1950) Discussion > Best Bad Guys Dan Duryea vs Stephen McNa...

Best Bad Guys Dan Duryea vs Stephen McNally

posted 14 years ago by joeparkson
3 replies | jump to latest

One reason Duryea is so good as a bad guy, is that he genuinely seems to be enjoying himself.

Stephen McNally plays the bad guy like he's got an ulcer. Even when he gets the prize gun, his disposition is still sour. He's no fun to be around. Duryea is dangerous, but funny at the same time.

Duryea reminds me of Lee Marvin, who also played bad guys who seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Absurdity: A Statement or belief inconsistent with my opinion.

[–] JackBluegrass 13 years ago

Absolutely!

The minute and one-half to 2 minutes of film immediately preceding and during Duryea's death is a magical scene that directors and audiences treasure. I wonder if that took multiple rehearsals to get the perfect timing, or was just a "one magical take".

The woman's message whispered in Stewart's ear starts that scene.

Duryea does make the best of a really bad "ending".

[–] FANatic-10 11 years ago

I completely agree. McNally is adequate, a decent performance, but Duryea is inspired! He only shows up in the last half hour, but boy, does he make his presence felt.

[–] eddie-fendel 11 years ago

Duryea always plays the charming bad guy brilliantly but Steve McNally in my opinion is underated. He certainly has that villainous face but can play bad guys come good with great assurance.Check out Apache Drums.