Film Review: Reviewed By David Parkinson; 3 out of 5

Although he spent most of his career directing low-budget movies, Phil Karlson was one of the shrewdest of his breed. His ability to draw symbolic significance from the landscape is just one of the ways he hauls this pseudo-biblical western up a notch. Another is the subtle manner in which Karlson lets Tab Hunter exhibit his natural tendency to overact, making Hunter's role as the hothead son of former gunslinger Van Heflin one of his best. Kathryn Grant also does well as the mixed-race girl who captures the heart of Heflin's clean-living younger son, James Darren.

Plot Summary

An ageing hard-bitten rancher expects his two sons to follow in his footsteps and keep order in their lawless land with the force of the gun. One of his boys is a gentle soul with no appetite for violence, but his brother is trigger-happy and one day takes a step too far - leaving his father with an impossible decision. Western, starring Van Heflin, Tab Hunter and James Darren.