It 's not war that 's unnatural to us , it 's virtue . Gene Seymour : James Garner had a devoted audience playing the coolly principled coward . He was noted for ` ` Rockford , '' and ` ` ' , '' in which he played reluctant do - gooder . Seymour : His movies uneven , but ` ` The Story of Emily '' was a perfect fit . Seymour : Garner 's persona was not Oscar bait , but audiences loved him .
Gene Seymour : James Garner had a devoted audience playing the coolly principled coward . He was noted for ` ` Rockford , '' and ` ` ' , '' in which he played reluctant do - gooder . Seymour : His movies uneven , but ` ` The Story of Emily '' was a perfect fit . Seymour : Garner 's persona was not Oscar bait , but audiences loved him .