Jack Swift

“	Never mess with a Sandhurst boy!	„
	—Jack Swift, upon being selected in Showdown mode

Jack Swift is a playable major character featured in Red Dead Revolver.

Jack Swift is immediately available as a playable character in Showdown Mode and does not need to be unlocked. His special ability grants him the chance to quickly unload his bullets on his target, almost always killing them.

With the addition of the Legends and Killers DLC pack, Jack Swift is a multiplayer character model in Red Dead Redemption.

History[]

Background[]

Sheriff Bartlett's Journal contains an article from the newspaper "The Londoner" which tells some of Jack's story before the events of the game. He was born in Sandhurst, England (as he also says in his multiplayer selection quote) and was raised as a gentleman. He mentions that he played rugby as a young man. Swift was forced to leave England after having some sort of tryst with a member of the royal family, catching a boat to America before he could be hanged.

As a sharpshooter, he gained fame in the United States and was contacted by ringmaster Preston O'Leary, who asked Jack to join his circus as a tricks sharpshooter, where he would have the honour of performing before the heads of states and the Illuminati themselves. Jack accepted, but before joining, O'Leary was killed in an "accidental" fire outside of Tarnation, and Professor Perry took control. Jack and Perry never got along and Perry had Jack put in a cage at the Fairgrounds.

Events of Red Dead Revolver[]

Red Harlow first meets Jack Swift at the Fairgrounds, where Jack is hanging in a cage during the mission "Carnival Life". After Red releases Jack, the two team up to defeat the enemies in the area, although Jack mostly covers and doesn't really do anything significant.

While Red heads back to Brimstone to collect his bounty for Pig Josh, Jack heads off to Widow's Patch to confront Perry and have his revenge. During the mission "Freak Show" the player gets to play as Jack as he confronts Perry and his henchmen. This is the only time Jack is a playable character during the story. Jack manages to gun down Perry and most of his remaining crew, including Lightning Larouche and Atlas Jones and save Katie O'Grady.

Red meets Jack again in the Battle Royale, where both men are participants and he can also be talked to on the streets or in the saloon before the Battle Finales. Following the conclusion of the event, Jack helps Red to assault Governor Griffon's Mansion during the missions "Siege" and "House of Cards" along with Annie Stoakes. Jack's skill at picking locks is an asset during the assault.

Jack's fate at the end of the battle is unknown; when Red asked Annie and Buffalo Soldier about Jack, the two looked down with sad expressions, which strongly hints that he died. However, it is also possible that Jack managed to survive the situation and made a quick and silent exit for the retirement he desired. However, future urban legends surrounding Revolver will imply that Jack indeed died during the assault at the hands of the Cornet Brothers.

In addition to appearing in the following missions, Jack can also be found walking the streets of Brimstone before the mission "Ghost Town" and talking to various random citizens and can also be talked to by the player.

Redemption Saga[]

Note: The events of Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 are not considered part of the same canon as Red Dead Revolver. The following description is therefore not contiguous with the preceding section on Red Dead Revolver.

Jack Swift appears to be a folk legend in the Redemption universe. He is most well known for having storming Governor Griffon's mansion alongside Red Harlow and dying at the hands of the Cornets.^[1] However, another story-teller believes that Jack is still alive.^[2]

Missions appearances[]

Red Dead Revolver

"Carnival Life"
"Freak Show" (playable)
"Battle Royale"
"Battle Finale"
"Siege"
"House of Cards" (presumably killed)

Sheriff Bartlett's Journal[]

Jack Swift is listed in Sheriff Bartlett's Journal on pages 8 - 13 under the Heroes section. The pages are available from the start of the game and do not need to be unlocked. Jack Swift is the character with the most journal pages in the Sheriff's Journal.

Redemption Multiplayer[]

In the Legends and Killers DLC for Red Dead Redemption, Jack is one of the eight Revolver characters elected to be playable multiplayer skins. Similar to his fellow DLC skins, he has his own unique quotes, gruffer manners and taunts.

Quotes[]

“	That contraption should make short work of them. I'll cover you.	„
	—Jack Swift, before fighting Josh's clowns with Red

“	Hello old chap, I really must thank you for getting me out of that spot of bother the other day.	„
	—Jack Swift, if talked to on the streets of Brimstone

“	I found the snake oil scoundrel and give him a lesson in manners that he won't forget for a while.	„
	—Jack Swift, explaining to Red that he killed Perry

“	Evening Red, me old china (hics). I'm afraid I'd had too much to drink. The fine gentleman behind the bar keeps serving a delicious elixir he calls Red Eye.	„
	—Jack Swift, talking to Red at the saloon

“	Can barely keep my hand steady these days, so I think it's about time I hung up my bloody holster for good. Take things easier for a while.	„
	—Jack Swift, explaining to Red of his retirement plans

“	Heavens!	„
	—Jack Swift, if thrown around by a large opponent in Showdown mode

“	That should leave a bruise!	„
	—Jack Swift, taunting an opponent

“	(Coughs) The pain... (Coughs) It hurts...	„
	—Jack Swift, when dying

Redemption multiplayer mode[]

"You disgusting, bloody, plebeians!"
"You shall feel my displeasure."
"You're lower than the dirt on my brogue, riff-raff!"
"I say, this is all a bit bloody much, what?"
"I'll give you a lesson in manners you won't forget!"
"I know the Marquess of Queensbury Rules."
"Eugh! The vile stench of the uncultivated masses chokes me!"
"Bow, you feckless halfwits!"
"Charge!"
"We are not amused."
"Ruffians!"
"More ghastly bloody colonials, eh?"
"I sneer at your indolent witterings!"
"You shall all die soon, colonial scum!"
"You have earned my absolute disapprobation!"
"I'll have you roundly beaten from this place."
"You really are a complete arse."
"A damned good thrashing is what you need!"
"One English gentleman is worth ten of your colonial peasantry."
"I used to play rugby, you know?"
"I'll keep these devils at bay..."
"Degenerates! Low lives! Pond slime!"
"You ineffectual oaf, get out of my way!"
"Tally ho, you bloody peasants!"
"For King and country!"
"Do none of you speak the king's English correctly?"
"I'll have you know, I bored your mother in her back passage!"
"Throw down your weaponry, peasant!"
"I'm taking this whole bloody mess of a country back, single-handedly."
"Where are the King's Royal Lancers when one needs them, eh?"

Trivia[]

Jack wears his holsters in a fashion causing the grips of his revolvers to point forward. Usually if someone wears their guns like this, then they will cross-draw their revolvers which was a technique used by many individuals in the Old West mainly because it is more comfortable for one to set down when wearing their gun at cross-draw and the gun can be drawn easier, although some in the Old West did wear their guns with the handle pointing backwards so the hand that will draw the gun is hanging right over it. However, Jack Swift uses a technique known as cavalry draw which is well known by U.S. Marshal James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickock's use of the technique. The steps of performing cavalry draw are simple. The shooter must first rotate their wrist, placing the top of their hand towards their body. Secondly the shooter must place their hand between the grips of the pistol and their body. After that the shooter should grasp the butt of the pistol in normal shooting grip. Then, the shooter must draw the pistol, rotating the wrist to normal orientation as the arm is brought up to shooting position. With a bit of practice, the cavalry draw can be as fast and possibly even faster than drawing the gun from a holster holding the gun with the handle pointing rearward. This practice was used by American Army Officers in the Old West along with Confederate Officers in the American Civil War. This practice was also used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation when they were equipped with their .38 Special revolvers.
In the conversation with Red at the Brimstone saloon, Jack stated that he was planning to retire after the Battle Royale, assuming he'd win it.
- He goes on to say that he can barely hold his gun straight or steady due to his old age and alcoholism.
The referral in his Showdown selection quote and taunts includes the name "Sandhurst", which is the name of the Military College in England that trains officers for service in the British Armed Forces, suggesting he has been in the British Army at some point as an officer. He also tells Red, before the finals of the Battle Royale, that he served in the army. Maybe he learned to play rugby there.
Jack Swift may have been inspired by the character English Bob from the 1992 western movie Unforgiven.
Swift may also have been inspired by the real-life lawman, gambler, and gunslinger Bat Masterson. Like Swift, Masterson generally wore three-piece suits and a bowler hat. Both characters are also immigrants to the United States, Masterson was born in Canada, whilst Swift was born in Sandhurst, England. He also uses a technique known as cavalry draw when drawing his pistols which is a technique that Bat Masterson was known to use.
He mentions knowing the Marquess of Queensberry Rules, a set of rules pertaining to the sport of boxing, implying that he may have been a boxer at some point in his life.
His loading screen in Red Dead Revolver shows him quickly spinning his Showstoppers theatrically, eventually cocking them, and bowing.
Jack is possibly an alcoholic. This is shown several points throughout Red Dead Revolver. He claims to have a thirst for a "swift half" which is a measurement equaling half a pint of any alcoholic beverage and a pun on his last name. The player can buy a Hip Flask from Jack after speaking to him in Brimstone which increases the dead eye meter. He can be found drunk in the saloon after the first day of the Battle Royale, saying he's had "a little too much to drink." He also states he is very fond of "the sauce", which is a slang term for alcohol.
The second image on his journal page has him standing before a "Bank" somewhere, although it is clearly just the Brimstone theater with the words "BANK" pasted on it.
The "Illuminati" mentioned in Sheriff Bartlett's Journal is actually a small reference to the conspiracy theory of late Adam Weishaupt's group, the Illuminati, who was rumoured to be the puppet masters behind the American economy and politics.