Set in 1876, a sharpshooter (James Stewart) wins a sought after prize rifle in a shooting contest. But when the rifle is stolen from him, it becomes a harbinger of death as it passes from one doomed hand to the next. Directed by Anthony Mann (FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE). Actor Stewart and director Mann made a series of excellent westerns from 1950 to 1955 together. Many would say this was their masterpiece. Perhaps a personal preference for another teaming aside, I won't give them any argument. This is one terrific western with Stewart giving one of his best performances. I've always thought Stewart did his best work with Mann and Hitchcock. His character is relentless in his pursuit of both the gun and the man who stole it and Stewart's barely contained rage is simmering under his obsession. One of a handful of westerns that could be described as western noir. With Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Rock Hudson, Stephen McNally, John McIntire, Charles Drake, Steve Brodie and Jay C. Flippen.
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