The Stoners are that frontier archetype of tough people who tame the wilderness, but also have little regard for the sod-busters who come after them. When Matt's forced to shoot old man Stoner, his haughty, vengeful wife offers a thousand dollar reward to the person who kills the marshal, no questions asked. Now Matt has to watch his back at all times. Will he crack under the strain.
Helen Wallace as old lady Stoner is impressively cold-eyed throughout, whether bending in her emotions or not. It's also one of Little and Victor's better screenplays with a solid dramatic core. Finally some of the wild gunplay in town ends up killing a bystander, an effective plot wrinkle. However, old lady Stoner's final turn-about seems a tad abrupt and too self-abasing. Considering the pressure Matt's under, I don't think it's one of his better shaded performances. Still, a quite watchable 30 minutes.