Musings on a Showdown …
In most any Action Movie – particularly Westerns – the story concludes with a Climactic Showdown between the Hero and the Badguy.
Thus does end Quigley Down Under (1990)
(one of My Favorite Westerns)
starring Tom Selleck and Alan Rickman.
In this scene I can certainly see why Steven Spielberg wanted
Selleck for the role of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. (1981)
No knock on Harrison Ford, I just think that
would have been pretty good Casting.
IMDB Trivia: says
“Ford had been offered the role of Quigley, but turned it down
because he considered it too visibly similar to Indiana Jones”.
The irony does not escape me.
More IMDB Trivia:
“Both Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood were considered for the lead role of Matthew Quigley which in the end was cast with Tom Selleck”.
Personally I think Selleck suited the role better.
But Eastwood could have pulled it off.
In the showdown scene we see Alan Rickman (1946 – 2016) at his best.
And I still wonder if some of his dialogue isn’t adlibbed?
Adlibbing dialogue is something Rickman became famous for.
Very few Actors would take – or be permitted – such liberties,
but Rickman was so brilliant at it they usually let it go.
In Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves (1991), we see Rickman
as the Sheriff of Nottingham make these famous quips:
Yet I never want to make light of killing – even in a Duster
or Medieval farce.
So Clint, in Unforgiven (1992) says it all:
Clint as Will Munny:
“It’s a hell of a thing, killing a man.
Take away all he’s got and all he’s ever gonna have.”
The Schofield Kid:
“Yeah, well, I guess they had it coming.”
Will Munny :
“We all got it coming, kid.”
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I’m pretty sure Hickok got his final bullet in Deadwood. Pretty sure.
That would make sense. Let me check …
Yep. Shot dead by a back shooting idiot who was then hung for it.
I had the dead man’s hand – Aces and Eights – a couple of times – and I’m still walking around …