do you think if wayne had'nt been knocked down from behind, it would've been a easy win for wayne? i think long hair would've got a few punches in, but wayne would've been too superior even though he was a lot older, and long hair did'nt have the same experience as him.
all in all though, i thought wayne put up a good fight, despite the circumstances...
Mr. Andersen did win the fight which is why Longhair had to resort to shooting him in the back. But yeah, the blow to the head sure didn't help.
Earlier in the movie we see two bulls going at it, one old and one young. Mr. Andersen explains to the boys how the old one has more experience and ends up winning the fight. This was a preview of the showdown to come between The Duke and Dern.
It actually got by me for a long time that this foreshadowing scene, where the old bull holds his own and chases off the younger one, occurs just before the scene where Longhair first shows up. That, coupled with Longhair's mockery of Andersen going on the drive with "those little bitty boys," makes you wonder why Andersen didn't suspect from then and there what he would be up against. He judged right that those guys who had lied about their experience in ranch work were no good; but since he was prudent like that, he should have viewed the circumstances further.
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True, if Andersen hadn't been clubbed from behind, he probably wouldn't have taken the beating that he did. He should have broken Watts' neck when he had the chance but then where would the rest of the story have gone?
I spend my money on dope, sex and cheap thrills.
The rest of it, I waste.
Those clowns who were with Long Hair were just as bad as he was. Imagine a bunch of grown men just standing there not only letting a man get shot to death but hitting him in the back of the head all because he punched that piece of crap. No doubt Long Hair promised them a good cut of the cattle money after they stole the herd and sold it. Lowlifes definitely got what was coming to them later.
shareLong Hair was beat and he knew it. If he limped away his crew would have laughed at his "leadership" and maybe rode away, but shooting someone in the back is simultaneously both reprehensible and cowardly. But it made everyone there realize that Long Hair was a ruthless and evil psychopath.
I think that this fight was foreshadowed by the earlier fight with the young bull and the old bull, which Wayne pointed out, with a wry grin, was won by the old bull!
One of my all time favorite movies; definitely in my top 10, and my favorite Western. Ironically, considering it's genre, it introduced me to one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard, Vivaldi's Guitar Concerto in D, 2nd movement (Largo)!