Complete credited cast: | |||
Randolph Scott | ... | Pat Brennan | |
Richard Boone | ... | Frank Usher | |
Maureen O'Sullivan | ... | Doretta Mims | |
Arthur Hunnicutt | ... | Ed Rintoon | |
Skip Homeier | ... | Billy Jack | |
Henry Silva | ... | Chink | |
John Hubbard | ... | Willard Mims | |
Robert Burton | ... | Tenvoorde |
Having lost his horse in a bet, Pat Brennan hitches a ride with a stagecoach carrying newlyweds, Willard and Doretta Mims. At the next station the coach and its passengers fall into the hands of a trio of outlaws headed by a man named Usher. When Usher learns that Doretta is the daughter of a rich copper-mine owner, he decides to hold her for ransom. Tension builds over the next 24 hours as Usher awaits a response to his demands and as a romantic attachment grows between Brennan and Doretta. Written by dinky-4 of Minneapolis
There's nothing epic about this well-crafted, workman-like western, and that works in its favor. Randolph Scott is wonderful as the world-weary small-time rancher who's pursuing a better life at an age when most men in those days were either retired or dead. He meets his evil double in the guise of Richard Boone, who finds himself out of place with the heartless thugs he finds himself running with. It's his fate but he yearns for the life that Scott has chosen. Wonderful location work. Dialogue and action are used to service the story and that's all, as it should be. As fulfilling and satisfying a movie as a good serving of stew and a mug of hot coffee.