Following the Civil War, headstrong rancher Thomas Dunson decides to lead a perilous cattle drive from Texas to Missouri. During the exhausting journey, his persistence becomes tyrannical in the eyes of Matthew Garth, his adopted son and protégé.
Direction
Hawks invented the modern Western template here.
Acting
Wayne's most complex performance; Clift's brooding debut.
Cinematography
Monochrome landscapes that swallow men whole.
Director
Howard Hawks
John Wayne
Thomas Dunson
Montgomery Clift
Matthew Garth
Joanne Dru
Tess Millay
Walter Brennan
'Groot' Nadine
Coleen Gray
Fen
Harry Carey
Mr. Melville
John Ireland
Cherry Valance
Noah Beery Jr.
Buster McGee
Harry Carey, Jr.
Dan Latimer
Chief Yowlachie
Quo
Paul Fix
Teeler Yacey
Hank Worden
Simms Reeves
Mickey Kuhn
Matt, as a Boy
Ray Hyke
Walt Jergens
Hal Taliaferro
Old Leather
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Hawks famously told Wayne to play Dunson like a 'son of a bitch'—advice Wayne rarely received.
US
