MovieChat Forums > The Big Country Discussion > Peck as Duddly Do-Right

Peck as Duddly Do-Right

posted 8 days ago by auntbee (230)
2 replies | jump to latest

I like Peck and I like this movie, in which he is obviously supposed to be the only good male character (except for Ramon). But I just found Peck kind of arrogant and off-putting throughout. He waltzes into town as an Easterner with no knowledge of the west or its customs. And then he makes no effort to assimilate at all. He's supposed to be there to get to know his future father in law, but he argues with him at every turn.

And when he just up and leaves for a couple of days without telling Pat or her dad, well that's just jerk behavior. Of course they are worried about him and they waste a bunch of manpower to try and find him. And what's he doing? Hanging out with Julie at her ranch. Shouldn't he want to be spending time with his fiancee? And then when he gets back and sees how worried everyone has been, he's not the LEAST BIT apologetic, he's just like, 'I knew where I was the whole time and you people shouldn't have worried." Well I'm sorry, that's not how a guest behaves.

They could have made Peck's character a little less self-righteous and he would have been more likable.

[–] liscarkat (17125) 8 days ago

"...he [Peck] is obviously supposed to be the only good male character (except for Ramon)."

Major Terrill isn't a bad guy, he's just stubborn--to the death, unfortunately. Rufus Hannassey isn't a bad guy, he's the same as Terrill, just on the opposite side. Steve Leech is clearly a good guy, but at first he's resentful of Jim McKays intrusion on the Major's and Patricia Terrill's attention, and disdainful of McKay's dude-ness and apparent passivism.

[McKay] "makes no effort to assimilate at all."

When he arrives, he's cheerful and friendly to everyone. He even lets it slide, cheerfully, when Buck and the other Hannassey boys haze him. He shows he's a good sport by attempting to ride the bronco, twice. He tries to get along with the Hannasseys. He enthusiastically joins in the square dancing. He exchanges his dude hat for a somewhat more appropriate hat. He gives in and joins Leach in a fisticuffs duel, and agrees to a pistol duel with Buck Hannassey.

"He argues with [Major Terrill] at every turn."

He only disagrees with Terrill after Terrill wants to raid the Hannasseys in retaliation for the hazing, and later when Terrill insists on going to war with Rufus Hannassey.

"...he just up and leaves for a couple of days without telling Pat or her dad, well that's just jerk behavior."

I can't disagree with that; however, he did tell Ramon he was going to be gone a few days. It's not his fault Ramon is a halfwit. But he should have told his hosts, the Terrills, about his plans.

"And then when he gets back and sees how worried everyone has been, he's not the LEAST BIT apologetic..."

True. He was probably a bit embarrassed and defensive. A bit of a character flaw. Nobody's perfect.

(continued...)

[–] liscarkat (17125) 8 days ago

"And what's he doing? Hanging out with Julie at her ranch."

He stopped by Big Muddy just to check out what he thought were unoccupied buildings. Julie lives in town, and he didn't know she was going to be out there doing maintenance. All they did was talk. That being said, that encounter did start them thinking about each other, which resulted in them becoming a couple after his falling-out with spoiled, immature Patricia.

"I like Peck and I like this movie..."

We're definitely on the same page with that! Cheers!