Winchester ‘73

• Directed by Anthony Mann
• July 12, 1950

A man seeks vengeance upon his brother for the death of their father.

Sometimes a movie comes along and not only is it great, but it also changes a career. Winchester ’73 is credited with establishing a new screen persona for the talented and clearly versatile Stewart. He was much more violent and disillusioned as the central character of Lin McAdam yet still likeable. McAdam is cold and often determined yet with a moral compass which gives him a sense of right and wrong and also puts them in connection with Lola Manners (Shelley Winters).

Winchester ‘73 gets its name from the famous gun. Not only that but the gun itself is as much a focus of the story as our two main characters. Much of what occurs is connected directly to a character’s desire for that very gun as it passes through several hands in the story. It was quite a piece of fine equipment back in the day, so they say.

Director Anthony Mann spends much of the movie building up the hatred between Lin McAdam and his nemesis “Dutch” Henry Brown (Stephen McNally) but only reveals why these two are at odds in the last 30 minutes or so. And it’s certainly worth the pay off. If it had come sooner the whole story would have lost much of its punch. By the time we know why Lin McAdam hates “Dutch” Henry Brown and why he has apparently been focusing all his energies on tracking him down it is near epic in its stature.

Lola whom McAdam meets in the opening of the film is a dancehall that’s getting run out of town because they’re running a promotional contest for the titular gun. That’s what the shooting competition amounts to being that introduces the weapon into events. And that is where we see our two enemies first meet in the story. While simply a contest on the surface, it’s also about demonstrating that both characters are equal in not only skill but as characters.

As the titular gun passes through several hands during the course of the film several people get killed along the way. What would seem like too much coincidence pushing credibility doesn’t come off as such. Rather it serves as shorthand to demonstrate the corruptive power of greed and coveting your neighbor’s goods. Not only is this a story about vengeance, but it fits in a lesson about the seven deadly sins as well.

Amongst the bad guys there is a cowardly individual named Steve Miller (Charles Drake) who as coincidence would have it is the person Lola was waiting for before being kicked out of town to make a promotional contest respectable. He’s framed as a cowardly individual but he’s also a character that’s quite aware of his cowardice and hates it. He’s a wannabe tough guy that’s fighting against his nature. These are not just stock caricatures but rather well-rounded creations with some depth.

There’s a great deal of tense dialogue. As much is told as is shown. You learn where a character stands through acting and words. Characters are built. And while there is a lot of talking, it moves the story forward. It’s not just babbling to justify casting someone.

While there is action, the focus of Winchester ‘73 is not action and excitement. It’s all about the animosity between the two main characters and a focus on building to the finale. At around 90 minutes or so this does not waste a whole lot of time. Mann keeps it stripped down and focused. He doesn’t go into heavy exposition, but rather gives you just enough to get you through the story with anything else being able to be filled in by what you can come up with in your head.

Winchester ‘73 is a great classic Western packed with lots of story and great characters that will hook you from the start all the way to the very end. For cinema fans as well as Western fans this is a must see!