One of the Users Comments included the line "Akins is a truly malevolent figure, a scalphunter who kills Indians and sells their scalps for bounty".
However, in the film it's apparent that this was merely a suspicion harboured by Randolph Scott, and that the actual scalp hunters were unconnected with Akins and his crew.
You're right. Boetticher wants us to half-like Akins, even though he is planning to kill both Scott and the woman.
Notice how, when the group is riding, he always rides with Scott. I think we're supposed to see a mutual, if grudging respect. And Akins saves Scott's life, for some odd reason only understandable in terms of a strange personal code of honour.
Only at the end, when he shoots Dobie(?) in the back, do we, the audience, give up on him.
It ain't like it used to be. But it'll do.
Yes, I found the Akins character quite genial. I'm being unduly sentimental, but I would have liked to have seen just a little more doubt about his intentions and a less cowardly way of his shooting Dobie.
But it was good to see Akins getting a good role; together with Leo Gordon he's always been one of my favourite heavies.
Yes, I found the Akins character quite genial. I'm being unduly sentimental, but I would have liked to have seen just a little more doubt about his intentions and a less cowardly way of his shooting Dobie.
You know, I feel like it would have added a little more complexity to the character if it had been the "fair fight" that he told Cody he'd had.
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Never heard this term before. Who paid the bounty for these scalps and was there a parallel commercial trade in them?
share I didn't get it either? The way I understood it Akins was stealing them from the Indians to market to collectors? of some kind? I mean who knew whose scalps they were dealing with? And why did the Indians seem to want the Akins gang so much?
Akins had a weird sense of humor in this. Kept on yelling "hello" (like Bill Cosby). Scott seemed to be sincere that he wanted him executed at his court marshal when both were in the service.
Kisskiss, Bangbang
During the 1840s, and continuing into the 1860s, some of the states in Mexico offered a bounty on Apache scalps. Several Americans participated in this grisly business, including James Kirker and John Gallantin (or Glanton). The book, Blood Meridian is a fictional treatment of Gallantin's band. There were also hair buyers active in the American Revolution. Buying hair is an old and dishonorable profession.
"It ain't dying I'm talking about, it's LIVING!"
Captain Augustus McCrae