Two Virginians are heading for a new life in Texas when they witness a stagecoach being held up. They decide to rob the robbers and make off with the loot. To escape a posse, they split up and don't see each other again for a long time. When they do meet up again, they find themselves on different sides of the law. This leads to the increasing estrangement of the two men, who once thought of themselves as brothers.
Acting
Holden and Ford's chemistry crackles before it curdles.
Cinematography
Golden-era Western landscapes that actually look like Texas.
Writing
Economy of storytelling—no scene overstays its welcome.
Director
George Marshall
William Holden
Dan Thomas
Glenn Ford
Tod Ramsey
Claire Trevor
Michael 'Mike' King
George Bancroft
Windy Miller
Edgar Buchanan
Buford 'Doc' Thorpe
Don Beddoe
Sheriff
Andrew Tombes
Tennessee
Addison Richards
Matt Lashan
Edmund MacDonald
Comstock
Joseph Crehan
Rancher Dusty King
Willard Robertson
Rancher Wilson
Edmund Cobb
Rancher Blaire
Clem Bevans
Abilene Fight Spectator (uncredited)
Bud Geary
Ringsider (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Glenn Ford's first major leading role—Holden was already established, and their real-life friendship helped sell the early camaraderie.
Released months before Pearl Harbor, this is one of the last pre-war Westerns before the genre shifted toward patriotic cavalry pictures and darker psychological territory.
US
