It's spring 1875. Steve Miller (Don Dubbins) from Pennsylvania is riding through Jeremy Rodock's Valley. He comes upon horse rancher Jeremy Rodock (James Cagney) having a shootout with two horse thieves. He saves Rodock's life. There is no law in the remote valley except Jeremy Rodock's law. Jocasta Constantine (Irene Papas) is the only woman at the ranch. McNulty (Stephen McNally) is the scheming ranch hand. A ranch hand gets killed and Rodock gets the hanging fever. He and his men set off to hang the horse thieves presuming them to be the killers.
This western wants to be harsh, but it could be more brutal. It could show more violence and more guts. If it wants the morality to be murkier, it could leave the first killing unsolved. If the audience doesn't know who killed the man, it would make Rodock a more complicated character. The moral compass of this movie could be unbound. Steve's uncertainty could actually be interesting. I don't care about the romance and its accompanying complications. I love grumpy old James Cagney, but this western is not that good.
This western wants to be harsh, but it could be more brutal. It could show more violence and more guts. If it wants the morality to be murkier, it could leave the first killing unsolved. If the audience doesn't know who killed the man, it would make Rodock a more complicated character. The moral compass of this movie could be unbound. Steve's uncertainty could actually be interesting. I don't care about the romance and its accompanying complications. I love grumpy old James Cagney, but this western is not that good.