Ex-confederate officer Clay Fletcher jumps at the chance to reunite with his once lady-friend, Susan Jeffers, when his father, Judge Fletcher, sends him on an errand to El Paso, Texas to get the signature of Susan's father, Judge Jeffers, on a legal document. Once there he finds the judge has become a drunk and a laughing stock, doing the bidding of local magnate Bert Donner and his running dog, Sheriff La Farge. Just as Clay starts straightening out the town's problems, events occur which force him to abandon the legal system and instead adopt the murderous tactics of a vigilante.
Acting
John Payne's slow-burn from dandy to deadly feels genuinely earned.
Cinematography
Sterling Hayden's towering frame used like a threat in every doorway shot.
Writing
The legal-document MacGuffin that accidentally starts a war.
Director
Lewis R. Foster
John Payne
Clay Fletcher
Gail Russell
Susan Jeffers
Sterling Hayden
Bert Donner
George 'Gabby' Hayes
Pesky Tees
Dick Foran
Sheriff La Farge
Eduardo Noriega
Don Nacho Vázquez
Henry Hull
Henry Jeffers
Mary Beth Hughes
Stagecoach Nellie
H.B. Warner
Judge Fletcher
Robert Ellis
Jack Elkins
Catherine Craig
Mrs. Elkins
Arthur Space
John Elkins
Steven Geray
Mexican Joe
Irving Bacon
Stage Passenger (uncredited)
Argentina Brunetti
Don Nacho's Woman (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Gail Russell was reportedly struggling with alcoholism during production, making her scenes with the drunk judge accidentally meta.
Released when Westerns were shifting from black-hat/white-hat to psychologically murky territory—Clay's 'nice guy who kills' archetype influenced everything from Shane to Unforgiven.
US
