The sheriff of a small town in southwest Texas must keep custody of a murderer whose brother, a powerful rancher, is trying to help him escape. After a friend is killed trying to muster support for him, he and his deputies must find a way to hold out against the rancher's hired guns until the marshal arrives. In the meantime, matters are complicated by the presence of a young gunslinger - and a mysterious beauty who just came in on the last stagecoach.
The studious and arrogant lack of care attention that John Wayne pays to the delivery of his lines grates after a while, as does the fairly obvious 'introducing this new actor...' vibe of Colorado and Dude, not to mention the overacted vaudeville shtick of Stumpie and the casual racism/mysogony from all. Oh, and the High Noon metatextual backstory (the better film). Still, something to admire...
