The Marshall (Kirk Douglas) and his deputies come upon a lynching about to occur so they naturally stop it. However, the powerful rancher about to the hanging vows that the man MUST die or else. Well, despite being there being overwhelming odds against them, they vow to take the accused killer and cattle rustler to town to be tried in a court of law. Along the way, the accused (Walter Brennan) convinces the group to stop by his home overnight--a major hole in the plot, as I can't see any sane lawman willing to take such an unnecessary risk. Naturally, the guy's daughter (Virginia Mayo) tries to help him escape! Despite all this, eventually Douglas is able to get the man to town for the trial--though they barely make it. However, something doesn't feel right about the case. Brennan readily admits to the theft but there's an obvious (way too obvious if you ask me) alternate suspect in the killing.
This is a decent western but there are a few plot points that didn't seem to work well. I already mentioned the stopping off at Brennan's house portion but there also was a back story about the death of Douglas' father that seemed forced and unnecessary--as did the budding romance between Douglas and Mayo which seemed more clichéd than anything else. Not a bad movie but not one that I'd heartily recommend--mostly because the real killer is way, way too obvious.
This is a decent western but there are a few plot points that didn't seem to work well. I already mentioned the stopping off at Brennan's house portion but there also was a back story about the death of Douglas' father that seemed forced and unnecessary--as did the budding romance between Douglas and Mayo which seemed more clichéd than anything else. Not a bad movie but not one that I'd heartily recommend--mostly because the real killer is way, way too obvious.