Coming from a dramatic phase in Glen Ford's career in the genre, like many of the best westerns it's actually a drama in a western setting. Atmospherically set in the snowy wastes and played for drama rather than action, noirishly photographed in black & white by Leo Tover, the combination of studio exteriors with actual locations simply heightens the hermetic feel of the thing.
The seriousness of tone befits a film directed by a future blacklistee (as was the composer Sol Kaplan). Cyril Cusack makes a rare Hollywood appearance alongside familiar bad men like Zachary Scott and Jack Lambert; while a strong female contingent (who finish off a thwarted rapist in an eye-watering scene with pitchforks) includes Ethel Barrymore and Anne Dvorak making her big screen swansong.
The seriousness of tone befits a film directed by a future blacklistee (as was the composer Sol Kaplan). Cyril Cusack makes a rare Hollywood appearance alongside familiar bad men like Zachary Scott and Jack Lambert; while a strong female contingent (who finish off a thwarted rapist in an eye-watering scene with pitchforks) includes Ethel Barrymore and Anne Dvorak making her big screen swansong.