Winchester '73

James Stewart is looking for the man who killed his father. At the same time we follow a winchester prize rifle as it goes from one owner to the next. Also starring Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea and in a small part Tony Curtis, directed by Anthony Mann.

This is the first of the Stewart / Mann westerns, and probably the best one. The film looks great in black and white, much better than The Naked Spur did in colour. And it always helps to have Dan Duryea as the villain, even though he only turns up two thirds into the film. Why wasn't this guy a huge star? He was pretty much the Cary Grant of bad guys. The Indians in the film actually say Hooka-Hey! when they attack, just like in the Blueberry comics. I thought that was something Charlier and Giraud had made up. One can also admire the economy of the film, how there's no dragged out ending. When the story is over, the film is over. It doesn't have the "Okay, let's talk about our feelings for five minutes." often found in modern films.