While surveying a telegraph line in 1861, Western Union engineer Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is severely injured in an accident. He is discovered by Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott), an outlaw on the run from a posse. Forced to travel on foot after his horse was hurt, Shaw at first considers stealing Creighton's horse, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life.
Sometime later, following his recovery, Creighton returns to Omaha, Nebraska and plans the construction of a telegraph line from Omaha to Salt Lake City, Utah. Facing considerable opposition to the line from Confederate soldiers, Indians, and outlaws, Creighton elicits the help of his sister Sue (Virginia Gilmore), foreman Pat Grogan (Minor Watson), and assistant Homer Kettle (Chill Wills).
Looking to put his outlaw past behind him, Shaw arrives at Creighton's Western Union office looking for honest work and is hired as a scout by Grogan who is unaware of his past. Creighton recognizes him among the men and allows him to stay despite his suspicions. Creighton also hires tenderfoot Richard Blake (Robert Young), a Harvard-educated engineer as a favor to Blake's father. Shaw and Blake are both attracted to Sue and vie for her attention, but their romantic rivalry is cut short when construction of the telegraph line starts on July 4, 1861.
After work commences on the line, one of the men is killed apparently by a mysterious band of cattle-rustling Indians. Unconvinced that Indians are to blame, Shaw rides out to investigate and follows the rustlers' trail to the camp of Jack Slade, a former friend and cohort, whose gang committed the killing disguised as Indians—the gang Shaw left following his last bank robbery. Slade reveals that they are working for the Confederacy to disrupt Western Union because they believe the telegraph service will help the Union. Shaw rides away and returns to the line. Not wanting to turn in his former friends, Shaw tells Creighton that a large band of Dakota Indians stole the cattle, and recommends that they simply replace the herd and not risk a fight with the Indians.
Sometime later, a confrontation takes place between men working on the forward line and a band of drunken Indians. When one of the Indians tries to steal some equipment, a nervous Blake shoots him, ignoring Shaw's order to remain calm. After word arrives that the main camp is under attack by other Indians, the Western Union men rush back to help with the defense. At the main camp, Slade's men, who are again disguised as Indians, steal the Western Union horses. The company discover the ruse when one of the wounded Indians turns out to be a white man. Forced to buy back their stolen horses from Slade, Creighton becomes suspicious of Shaw's involvement, especially when he admits to knowing the gang.
Soon the U.S. Army arrives and announces the Indians have now refused to allow the telegraph lines to go through their territory in response to Blake's shooting of the drunken Indian. Creighton, Shaw, and Blake ride out to convince Chief Spotted Horse to allow them to build the line through Indian territory, even though the man Blake wounded was Spotted Horse's son. Creighton is finally able to persuade the Indians to allow them passage, and work continues until the company approaches Salt Lake City.
Sometime later, Shaw receives word that Jack Slade wants to meet with him. On the way to see Slade, Shaw is captured and bound by Slade's men. Slade says his group is going to burn down the Western Union camp and they don't want Shaw to interfere. After Slade and his men ride off, Shaw escapes from his ropes but arrives back too late to prevent the fire. He helps rescue some of the Western Union men from the flames and burns his hands in the process.
After the fire, Creighton confronts Shaw for an explanation, but Shaw does not reveal what he knows and is fired by Creighton. As Shaw leaves the camp, he tells Blake that Slade is actually Shaw's brother and that he, Shaw, will find Slade's gang and stop them from interfering with the telegraph project. Shaw rides off and finds Slade and his men in a nearby town. At the barber shop, Shaw confronts his brother, whose gun is concealed under the barber's sheet. Slade shoots Shaw through the sheet. Shaw fights back in spite of his wound, killing some of the gang members, and then dies. Blake arrives and continues the fight with Slade who dies from his wounds. Soon after, the Western Union line is completed and the workers celebrate. When Sue laments the absence of Shaw, Creighton tells her that Shaw can hear them.
人的救赎是从什么时候开始的？是定罪的那一刻还是被社会重新接受的那一刻？
788 1.5岁小女孩的武德也太充沛了，猎枪很重的。 2.美国人对cop Killer真就这么狠啊，还是说黑人除外。即使没有顶罪这个情节，是不是也过分了点。 3.说好的一个“人人长着张不被欺负的脸”的国度…… 三星半
桑德拉和维奥拉的演技是真的好，很容易就能让看的人把感情带进去
2021年12月25日观看。桑德拉演的很好，情绪拿捏到位。
6.5/10
基调隐忍沉重，结合季默大师配乐，亦姐亦母的救赎之路，桑德拉布洛克的表演很传神。
7分，多一星给桑婆的表演。She was only five years old！ 这一段真的把我看哭了。看到flash back的回忆就知道事情没有那么简单，桑婆真是牛逼的女人，演啥是啥。
是我喜欢的调调，比起相信掌握命运，我更相信面对命运的无力与无奈。只是如果没有提前看结局，我可能撑不到最后。主动看剧透后，还是有动力看下去的。所以纠结4星还是5星
So much drama but good rhythm and performance.
生活会好起来的，心中的罪孽有朝一日也会得到释放。
788 1.5岁小女孩的武德也太充沛了，猎枪很重的。 2.美国人对cop Killer真就这么狠啊，还是说黑人除外。即使没有顶罪这个情节，是不是也过分了点。 3.说好的一个“人人长着张不被欺负的脸”的国度…… 三星半
人物的設置都還挺好的，都有他的功能，但空間留得並不足，似乎所有的力氣都給了女主，但這就顯得結局特別的爛尾。
一部好电影的要素都有了，故事、冲突、观点、演技，令人震撼
5/10。除了桑德拉布洛克的演技是真的好，实在讨厌这部片子的方方面面。
社会对于这些受过法律惩罚的人，态度都不会好，并不管进去的理由是怎么样，只要进去过，就是坏人。其实呢，并不如此。
前面剪辑的相当零散 但节奏却刚刚好 直到最后拼接起来 感染力也相当的丰富 最后姐妹相认
意识到女主角全然是一个高贵的好人时，我觉得这部片的劲儿就全卸了。
演技把我征服了，叙事符合逻辑。一个无意的错误，两个家庭的破坏，谁错了？谁在苦？电影有很强的悲悯之情，余味在心。
理应可以处理得更好的故事，闪回，冲突与最终和解都处理得张力不够。对于生活如何重新开始如何继续向前，只是提出些非常浅层的表达。确实都为桑德拉的表演服务了，看似简单的丧其实表演层次感还是很强的，但还是被故事卸掉了不少劲儿，比起《美好的世界》后劲差很多。
旧的怨恨难以消解，新的仇恨因此衍生，失去亲人的他选择夺取她亲人的性命来报仇雪恨……谅解两个字看似简单，但要做到却时常并非易事
Copyright © 2015-2023 All Rights Reserved
