One BIG flaw in the plot, though a necessary one....

You're right, of course. Marston's whole plan was for long-range "hunting" of the aborigines, and there's no way he wouldn't PERSONALLY keep the finest long-range weapon available -- probably for his own "sport." In those times it was a lot harder to get your hands on a fine tool like that custom Sharps than it was to find or train someone to use it -- maybe not to Quigley's level, but certainly miles ahead of anything they had tried earlier.

Howver, I can't think of a clever way to keep that rifle in Quigley's hands at the critical moment, so apparently the writers didn't have better luck.

The biggest problem I have with the film (which I love anyway) is the sun coming up over the bay in the morning, when they're supposed to be in Western Australia. As I recall, John Wayne had the same problem in The Green Berets, since it was filmed in California, where the sun goes down over the ocean, rather than Vietnam, where it comes up over the ocean.

I noticed it but also thought it was in the hands of the "lead" henchmen therefore he was the one to get the gun he would not leave it behins for fear of another dude getting it.

A much bigger plot hole or mistake was how quickly the Aboriginal men were able to gather and show up en mass at the end. As I understand the groups were usually fairly small and spread out plus they did not share a common language. Not sure how they would have been able to be summond in such a large group.

Oneother note I don't think that any port town is a "days ride" from where Quigly left the girl. Maybe so.

Cool flick though. I love the fact they filmed in Apollo Bay and Warnamabool and I have been lucky enough to visit both places.

I like it gamehens! After the heats off his possesion of the rifle wouldn't be an issue because he could have 'found' it in the desert, on an Aboringie.

Excellent analysis gamehens! You've just shot a Quigley size hole through the premise of this thread (and all the conjecture.)
Your scenario makes perfect sense, after the dingos and vulures get through with them, should someone come across the remains, the rifle would be the key to confirming that they had wandered off in the desert and got lost. Even if someone came across the remains and didn't tell anyone, they could never resist taking Quigley's rifle, it was so well known by then as soon as it showed up in a town or village people would interogate whoever had it and hear the sorry fate of the yank who wandered off in the desert.

Whether gamehens astute answer is indeed what the writers and producers were thinking is another story altogether!

I think that's right. Marston was somewhat legalistic. Remember when he had the deserter in hand? He untied the guy while he was next to his gun, setting up a situation so that Marston could shoot him and tell himself that it wasn't just cold blooded murder.

He didn't want Lt. Colombo showing up later.

"Now, you say that Mr. Quigley and his female companion, what was her name? Cora, that's right, Crazy Cora, decided to leave your generous employment and head off to seek their fortune in the wilds of Australia. It's not completely understandable why someone would want to leave such a benevolent situation, but I can maybe understand why someone would do that. But I just have one more question, Mr. Marston. If Mr. Quigley, a world class marksman, was heading out on his own, why didn't he take his rifle with him? The primary tool of his trade, and he leaves it behind. I just don't understand why would he do that? Do you know why he would do that, Mr. Marston?"

Marston also later set up Quigley for a similar demise, giving a pistol to make it look like self-defense.

Completely in character. No plot hole.

Sorry to reply to such an old thread, but I am watching it on Netflix now...

> Marston might have to pass off their deaths as "accidental." Something like,
> "Silly Yanks, didn't like it here, packed up and walked off.

This in fact does happen. When the English soldiers show up with the bodies of the two guys who were sent to dump Quigly & Cora their leader says something vague like "We found two bodies in the outback, maybe you can help us identify them?"

Marsten responds with something like "Oh yes, we had a pair of deserters recently; the bodies are of a man and a woman?"

When the soldier says "No, two men, one stabbed and one shot" Marsten realizes Quigly killed his men

Marston and the local redcoats seemed to have a rather congenial relationship anyhow (hardly unusual in any frontier area), so I doubt that possession of the Sharps would cause him any worry. He could always keep it in a closet for a while anyhow, to make sure the visiting Major wouldn't see it hanging on the wall. To the British Major, probably any Sharps would look like another anyhow.

No evidence that anyone except Marston & his men knew anything about the custom Sharps, or Quigley's skills, anyhow. To everyone else, until the very last part of the movie, he was just another American that came on a ship. Toward the end of the movie perhaps the redcoats MIGHT have picked up some gossip about Quigley and the Sharps, but not at the point that Marston dumped them in the desert.

Marston could say he had gotten the Sharps anywhere, or even bought it from Quigley. Who would there be to dispute it?

If you took the time to actually read a thread before responding to it you might actually post a useful or pertinent comment.

Except: Quigley had been seen with Marston and (obviously) with his rifle. If Quigley had been found dead without his rifle, and Marston had it, even the Major would not have been THAT stupid...

You don't bother to read threads before responding, do you?

"if it was any good they'd have made an American version by now." Hank Hill