As civilization makes its final encroachment on the Old West, a gunfighter (Dale Robertson) rides into a respectable town and proceeds to take it over. Because the gunfighter once saved his life, the town's marshal (Jock Mahoney) bends over backward to be fair to the gunfighter despite the citizens' outrage. But the town quickly starts unraveling as its townsfolk discover they aren't as civilized as they thought. The 1950s were the golden era of the movie western, just about every major male star of the era headlined a western or two. The westerns were so popular that a proliferation of minor (or "B") westerns filled the market and Universal studios was one of the studios that ground them out. The majority of them were routine oaters but every once in awhile, a programmer would offer up just a little bit more to stand above the crowd. This is one of those westerns. The film keeps us off balance, certainly as far as our sympathies go. The gunfighter is a thug but the townspeople are no prize either, even the town's judge and minister come off as bullies. When the "civilized" townspeople start falling apart, the gunfighter likens it to lifting a rock and seeing the rot underneath and he's not far wrong. Thankfully, the film's somewhat vague ending doesn't tie it up with a band-aid. Directed by Harmon Jones. It's not a film where the acting matters much but the cast includes Mara Corday, John Dehner, Carl Benton Reid, Jan Merlin and in a nice little turn as the town's schoolmarm, Dee Carroll.
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