The film begins in the last days of the Civil War. Glenn Ford is a colonel in charge of Union troops and they've backed a company of Confederate soldiers in a canyon. The Confederates have no choice to surrender but even though Ford sees them waving the white flag through his binoculars, he pretends not to have seen it and orders an attack and the group is massacred! Then, the end of the war is announced--just after this killing.
In the next scene, Ford is asked to become a federal judge in this territory. While he says he's reluctant to take it, upon assuming the post he seems to enjoy being the same sort of martinet he was in the military--and his decisions are sometimes cruel and harsh. You also can slowly see that he's insane--a sadist and very paranoid. Ford also makes his friend (William Holden) the Marshall, but soon they are butting heads as Holden can't accept Ford's heavy-handed ways. In particular, when land is virtually stolen from soldiers who are returning from fighting for their country, Ford sides with the dishonest miners. Holden cannot understand this and this and other decisions by Ford trouble him. You know that a major showdown is going to eventually occur between the two friends.
The film is filmed in very nice 1940s Technicolor--and the DVD print was lovely. In addition, the outdoor scenes were all shot on location and the film looks nice. As for the acting, it's good--and not surprising considering Holden and Ford are in the leads. And as for the plot, it's original--and that is a rare thing with westerns! As a result it's worth seeing.
By the way, early in the film you can catch a quick glimpse of Denver Pyle in a tiny role as a Union soldier before he gained fame. In this same scene, I thought I saw Sterling Hayden playing one of the Confederate soldiers. Also, shortly after this scene, you hear everyone shouting that the war is over because Lee surrendered. However, this is inaccurate. After Lee's surrender, some Confederate forces and many of the Confederate states continued fighting for another two months. And, given that the film takes place in Colorado, the men certainly would NOT have just been sent home right away, as Texas and the western region continued seeing some minor skirmishes.
In the next scene, Ford is asked to become a federal judge in this territory. While he says he's reluctant to take it, upon assuming the post he seems to enjoy being the same sort of martinet he was in the military--and his decisions are sometimes cruel and harsh. You also can slowly see that he's insane--a sadist and very paranoid. Ford also makes his friend (William Holden) the Marshall, but soon they are butting heads as Holden can't accept Ford's heavy-handed ways. In particular, when land is virtually stolen from soldiers who are returning from fighting for their country, Ford sides with the dishonest miners. Holden cannot understand this and this and other decisions by Ford trouble him. You know that a major showdown is going to eventually occur between the two friends.
The film is filmed in very nice 1940s Technicolor--and the DVD print was lovely. In addition, the outdoor scenes were all shot on location and the film looks nice. As for the acting, it's good--and not surprising considering Holden and Ford are in the leads. And as for the plot, it's original--and that is a rare thing with westerns! As a result it's worth seeing.
By the way, early in the film you can catch a quick glimpse of Denver Pyle in a tiny role as a Union soldier before he gained fame. In this same scene, I thought I saw Sterling Hayden playing one of the Confederate soldiers. Also, shortly after this scene, you hear everyone shouting that the war is over because Lee surrendered. However, this is inaccurate. After Lee's surrender, some Confederate forces and many of the Confederate states continued fighting for another two months. And, given that the film takes place in Colorado, the men certainly would NOT have just been sent home right away, as Texas and the western region continued seeing some minor skirmishes.