Drifter Cole Harden (Gary Cooper) finds himself caught in the middle of a dispute between self-appointed Judge Roy Bean (Walter Brennen) and a group of homesteaders led by Jane Ellen Matthews (Doris Davenport). Judge Bean is firmly on the side of the cattle ranchers and heavily opposes the homesteaders fencing their lands, imposing draconian penalties against them tantamount to murder.
Gary Cooper always chose such interesting roles. Cole could have been sly or sniveling but Cooper plays him so nobly. It might be his name on the poster but Brennen walks away with this show. Such a good character actor, even here when he's basically the villain. He's so likable it's hard to root against him.
I should probably have waited until closer to Thanksgiving because this would be perfect for a post-turkey family viewing, but I actually watched it a month ago and I was worried I would forget about it. It was streaming on Kanopy but that might have changed. If you can find it, give it a shot.
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