Tom Horn (1980)

A famed but notorious scout and gunfighter (Steve McQueen) is hired by a cattleman's association to investigate and deter cattle rustling. But when he becomes too good at the job he was hired to do, the association decides to cut ties with him. Based on the writings of the real Tom Horn and directed by William Wiard (mostly known for his TV episodic work), this underrated western is a sparse but straightforward film. Beautifully shot in earth tones (not a splash of red, yellow or green) by John Alonzo (CHINATOWN) in Arizona locations. The character of Tom Horn is a perfect fit for Steve McQueen in one of his last film roles. But as written, the character is problematic. He seems so complicit in his own destruction that it's hard to be sympathetic. Historically, whether he was guilty of the murder for which he was hung is still debated. The film itself is only slightly ambiguous but seems to favor the "not guilty" charge. That the film works is surprising considering its troubled history. It went through 3 directors (including Don Siegel) before Wiard was brought in to finish the film. With a deglamorized Linda Evans in her best performance as a frontier schoolmarm, Richard Farnsworth, Billy Green Bush, Slim Pickens and Elisha Cook.