Ah, the American western- as unique and mythological as the American cowboy himself. Westerns have given us decades of film watching enjoyment as we watch young American struggles against lawlessness and the wide open spaces in an attempt to tame that Wild West. Who doesn't love a good, old fashioned good vs evil tale of young Americans trying to tame the American Wilderness (unless you're a 1960s dope-smoking, commie, Pinko, right)?
A joke. That was just a joke.
Jimmy Stewart was as good as there was when it came to telling the story of a bounty hunter, or a lawman, or a roughneck, or an old salt trying to get through the difficulties of taming the Western frontier. Winchester '73 is nearly his best western, and may be in the Top 10 list of his all-time films. It's just a spectacular piece of work. The plot isn't complicated, and it doesn't have to be. Not every Western is Johnny Guitar.
Stewart plays a frontiersman, Lin McAdam, who travels with a friend to Dodge City for their 4th of July celebration and a shooting contest that promises a special Winchester repeater to the victor. He runs into Wyatt Earp (yes that Dodge City) who makes him turn in his guns for the length of his stay in town. Earp is asking that of all the visitors, in an effort to make sure there will be no monkey business for the duration of the celebration. But bad guys don't follow rules, however, and no sooner does Stewart win the rifle but then he is bushwhacked bu a fella that shoots almost exactly like Stewart did, lost, and then supposed that he wanted Stewart's rifle more.
The bad guy was none other than Dutch Henry Brown, a rascal with which Stewart had a score to settle, but now the stakes have doubled. He sets off in pursuit of Dutch Henry and his stolen firearm, leading to a series of adventures where the rifle (the title character) keeps changing hands.
There is some great character acting along the way, chiefly by Dan Duryea as Waco Johnnie Dean, a gunslinger who's a few french fries short of a kids burger meal. Of course the Native American Indians get in on the action too, with Young Bull wanting the rifle for himself as soon as he sees it. There's something about that Young Bull that looks oddly familiar... hmmm.
Winchester '73 is fast paced, gritty at times, humorous at others, and always entertaining. Stewart is marvelous as he finally corners Dutch Henry and... well, you'll just have to see for yourself. It's one of the 5 best Westerns ever made, and as I said, certainly one of Jimmy Stewart's best offering to the genre, barely losing out to his work in the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. I honestly go back and forth to which is Stewart's better work. They are really, really close.
IMDB says 7.6/10. Come on people. It's at least an 8.