The Man From Laramie (1955)

A man (James Stewart) delivers a wagon load of supplies to the proprietor (Cathy O'Donnell) of a general store in an isolated town. But he has an ulterior motive ... to find the man who's been selling repeating rifles to the Apaches. Based on a serial by Thomas T. Flynn that was published in the Saturday Evening Post and directed by Anthony Mann. As an actor, Stewart almost always did his finest work in the five westerns he did with Mann and this was their final western collaboration. Stewart is excellent here but the film's strongest point of interest is the relationship between a land baron (Donald Crisp) with a mean spirited weakling son (Alex Nicol) and his foreman (Arthur Kennedy) who loves the old man and views him as a father figure and the near operatic tragedy that unfolds. Beautifully shot in CinemaScope by Charles Lang (CHARADE) who takes full advantage of the New Mexico landscapes. Even if you're not into westerns, this remains a riveting drama. With Aline MacMahon, Wallace Ford, Jack Elam and Frank DeKova.