Winchester '73

A bog-standard western, and to make things worse, it has James Stewart in the lead. It's a pretty lethal combination already, made even worse by Anthony Mann's tepid direction. I'm clueless as to why this film became a bona fide classic, but that's not exactly a new feeling for me.

Lin is looking for the killer of his father when he arrives in a small town and enters a shooting competition. At stake is a formidable gun. Lin wins the competition, but his closest competitor steals his prize and runs off with it in the desert. Lin doesn't want to give up so easily, and he begins his pursuit.

Stewart is a wooden actor, completely unfit to play a tough cowboy. The plot is pretty boring, the setting is dreary and I really didn't care much for Lyn's quest. The cinematography and soundtrack are worthless too. I think must rank as one of the worst Westerns I've seen so far.