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the three fights

posted 12 years ago by sul-4
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the fist fight between McKay/Leech and the final gunfight between the major and Rufus were filmed a good portion of the duration from a bird's eye distance.

I've always thought this was an interesting way of showing the real significance of these kinds of violent rivalries - the choice of shot re-inforcing the theme that McKay's character has been pushing.

The distance helps demonstrate the insignificance. For McKay/Leech, take away the audience and nobody cares. For Terrell/Hannassay, the real feud between the two old men is shown to be unimportant, it isn't about the water or survival, it isn't about anything but hatred.

The third fight was McKay/Buck. No distance shots. Also, it's interesting that
McKay doesn't hesitate to fight this time. One can argue that "ha, he'll fight for Julie but he won't fight for Pat". I don't buy it. I see this as McKay recognizing that Buck is a real threat this time, to him, to Julie, and to furthering the larger war. From the characters' expressions, I don't think either Julie or Jim have admitted to themselves they love one another until Rufus points it out.

That fight is significant in that we have one of the major protagonists(Rufus) find redemption. Here he shoots and kills his own son, and goes to fight the Major solo, demonstrating the true strength of character he had. This scene tells me that the rivalry between Rufus/Henry was caused by Terrill alone. Yes, McKay chastizes Rufus when he comes to Blanco('you had me fooled'), but I can't see where Rufus has been causing the friction, just responding to it.
McKay wasn't fooled, he saw Rufus for who he really was, but was calling him out for the current bad behavior.

It was all there, the major has "grand plans" as Pat says to Jim, and Rufus makes a point to him that he 'Sticks in his craw' at the party.

It is interesting, an aside, that while McKay is "afraid to be a showoff" by not riding ol Thunder or battling Leech in public, he shows no hesitation at all to stand up to the Major in front of everyone early on, and call him on his bull. Of the two patriarchs, Rufus has seen a great deal less of McKay than the major has, yet understands and knows him better.

[–] turtletommy 12 years ago

McKay has been called a chicken/pacifist by some posters who clearly don't understand the character. He wasn't afraid to take some guff about his personal convictions because he wasn't going to change them based on what some others thought of him. But I can pretty confidently say he would have clocked Buck & the others if they had put a hand on Pat, and would have done the same to Steve Leech if he had witnessed him forcing himself on Pat. We know that he punched Buck for slapping Julie. For a cowardly guy he tamed a feared bucking bronco, had a monumental fistfight for the ages, fought & tangled with Buck and engaged in a pistol duel! What a wimp!

I agree that Rufus is the far more sympathetic one of the two patriarchs. We aren't privy to what started the feud but Rufus says near the end that Terrill started the "blood spilling" part of it. From what we see Terrill is the aggressor when he is chasing Hannassey cattle away from water or raiding his ranch, a complete over-reaction to mischief caused by Rufus' wayward delinquent son Buck.

[–] mlynsbtt 12 years ago

I don't understand where in the world people get McKay being a coward. Isn't that the whole point of the movie, that being brave doesn't equal jumping headfirst into every offered fight, and you don't need others approval of you? Did the movie not spell it out clear enough? :/

[–] sul-4 12 years ago

well, we understand that.

I wondered in another thread if while Julie and Steve were seeing McKay as a possible coward, the men saw him standing up to the Major in front of them, something not even their bully boss Steve would ever do.

Did that cause them to use their consciences and at least speak up before driving off the cattle?

[–] turtletommy 12 years ago

Where in the world people get McKay being a coward? Maybe when McKay is constantly being judged as one throughout the movie! By his fiance, the Major, Steve, Buck etc. No not everyone but it's certainly plainly alluded to by some of the major characters. Of course WE know he isn't but that's the situation he's facing in the story. What some of us find hard to understand is how after seeing the movie some posters still contend he's a weakling and coward.