MovieChat Forums > Angel and the Badman (1947) Discussion > Fine Movie Except For...

Fine Movie Except For...

posted 16 years ago by joeparkson
19 replies | jump to latest

This is one of Wayne's best movies. It's a well written movie and all the actors get a chance to shine with some good lines.

Wayne himself shows a fine comic timing and never tries to upstage whatever actor he's doing a scene with.
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Spoiler:

The only scene that bothered me was the showdown at the end. Quirt is about to have a gunfight with Laredo and his men when Penny shows up, looks at Quirts gun disaprovingly, and Quirt meekly gives it to her, leaving him unarmed to face Laredo.

Quirt whirls toward Laredo with an empty hand, Laredo and his men draw and quickly get shot down by the wichester wielding marshall McLintock.

Would any woman, even a pacifist Quaker, ask her man to give up his gun when he's facing armed enemies? Did Penny know that the Marshall was watching the whole thing from a distance?

That ending was unrealistic and bothers me.

The last line (spoken by McLintock) also bothers me. "Only a man that carries a gun ever needs one."
There's a lot of dead people who didn't carry a gun who sure could have used one.

[–] piedex 16 years ago

Quirt whirls toward Laredo with an empty hand, Laredo and his men draw and quickly get shot down by the wichester wielding marshall McLintock.

Would any woman, even a pacifist Quaker, ask her man to give up his gun when he's facing armed enemies? Did Penny know that the Marshall was watching the whole thing from a distance?

I don't think she would have asked him to quickly whirl around empty handed but I do think she would have wanted him to try and talk them down.

The last line (spoken by McLintock) also bothers me. "Only a man that carries a gun ever needs one."
There's a lot of dead people who didn't carry a gun who sure could have used one.

I think it's more of a cute way of saying "Men who don't look for trouble don't need guns." Not exactly true but there is a lot of truth to it.

[–] DarcyBrandon 15 years ago

I love this movie but it isn't very realistic but I think that's what makes it so cute.

[–] kenneth-r-close-1 15 years ago

The other problem with that scene is how fast the marshall gunned down the two bad guys. The marshall had a S&W lever-action repeating rifle, yet he shot them both in less than a second. Only "The Rifleman" can fire that fast.

[–] ChefFlick 15 years ago

Your forgetting one important aspect of the film.. She said she would rather him die in a shootout than a bad guy. Because then the evil onus of murder would be on the bad guys head and not Quirts.. So it was in character for her to ask him to give up his gun,, better to die than murder was part of her way of thought.

http://www.myspace.com/mash1972

[–] Captain_Augustus_McCrae 15 years ago

"A S&W lever-action repeating rifle"??? What the HELL are you talking about? Harry Carey uses a WINCHESTER model 92 lever-action rifle in this film. S&W didn't make a rifle in the frontier period, unless you count a VERY few revolvers with detachable shoulder-stocks- certainly not what you are referring to here. Quit talking out of your butt.

[–] spookyrat1 9 years ago

The other problem with that scene is how fast the marshall gunned down the two bad guys.

I'm glad someone else noticed that. They dropped like flies inside a second. The marshall must have been a great shot with a very reliable weapon.🐭

[–] Bob_Zerunkel 12 years ago

You just don't know anything about Quakers or other peaceful sects. They do not fight their fellow man.

The movie is unrealistic to you, but the Quakers, if they watched movies, would not see anything out of the ordinary.

At the most, Quakers will avoid a fight, but they do not even defend themselves when attacked.

My example of something unrealistic as to this movie and the Quakers is that the father unloaded Quirt's revolver. It wasn't his to unload. It was, however, his place to insist that the gun be unloaded if Quirt wanted to stay. And no, it doesn't matter that Quirt was unconcious when the gun was unloaded.

[–] lm362 8 years ago

Penelope told Quirt that it was a concession that her father even allowed an empty gun. Her father did not want a loaded gun around, so he emptied the bullets. Quirt was not able to do it, which her father would have required, so Penny's father did. If someone brought a dangerous weapon around my home and then the person got injured to where they were unconscious, I certainly would disarm the weapon.

"Do All Things For God's Glory"-1 Corinthians 10:31
I try doing this with my posts

[–] liscarkat (16434) 5 years ago

The Quaker family served venison. How did they get it? Bow and arrow? Trap? Bought it from a hunter? Most likely, they had a rifle for hunting. I don't think this would be counter to their beliefs.

[–] kairingler 11 years ago

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this film when I got it,, but I was mildly surprised,, pretty good John Wayne picture that shows a different side of the Duke.
are you going to bark all day little doggie,, or are you going to bite

[–] rmcap965-982-388208 10 years ago

I couldn't agree more with you but this is Hollywood and they have their share of excrament in movies....

[–] spookyrat1 9 years ago

Wayne ... never tries to upstage whatever actor he's doing a scene with.

He had a reputation for never doing that in any of his movies.

The only scene that bothered me was the showdown at the end.

I thought it was pretty clever all things considered.🐭

[–] IronBallsM 9 years ago

She had no idea what was going on at the time. She thought he was trying to go in to the saloon and start trouble. I bought it completely.