Ramrod (1947)

The headstrong daughter (Veronica Lake) of a ranch owner (Charles Ruggles) defies her father's attempts to coerce her to marry a powerful cattle baron (Preston Foster). When the man (Ian MacDonald) she loves is bullied out of town, she hooks up with a cowhand (Joel McCrea) to create her own empire. But the bloodshed begins and continues on both sides. Directed by Andre De Toth (HOUSE OF WAX), who happened to be married to Lake at the time, this is a first rate western for the most part even if it turns into a conventional oater in the film's last half hour. It's a harsh western where even good people do bad things. Lake must have been overjoyed to get a role that didn't rely on her glamour and required some strong acting on her part and she rises to the occasion. And it was nice to see actors normally associated with lighter material like Charles Ruggles and Don DeFore step out of their safety zone into darker roles. It joins the small group of "noir" westerns like Walsh's PURSUED. The effective underscore is by Adolph Deutsch (THE APARTMENT). With Lloyd Bridges, Donald Crisp, Arleen Whelan and Ray Teal.