this western begin with a robbery mastermind by max reno ( ted de corsia ) aid by his new partner and gun expert jay turner . turner ask for his share from the voluble max and who pay him off then shoot him in the back . he be save by maria salvador . reno plays card in del rey while break the house and then he force a partnership onto the saloon owner and planning to import soiled dove and build a stage and cheapen the place . when the other object and reno shoot him and kirby ( lee van cleef ) and become his new aide while the sheriff and a reform drunk and go along with reno for the money . maria and ( pamela duncan ) nurse jay and and fall in love with him while . he think only of revenge and rid off and search every town . find reno new place and he see reno gunhands drag bundle of the late issue of a newspaper while the editor object but van cleef hurl him into the dust . hayden rescue him and introduces himself a john york . reno know him so short a time and he can not be sure if he be jay turner when he enter the saloon . reno say he be save half this place for his partner and but york still play dumb and take a room . cleo and his smart girl and beloved by kirby and be send to find out about the man while she see the scar in his back . but he say and tell him i be york . she do . reno let kirby and who fancy himself a gunhand and try to kill him . york plays card and badly and to show he be not the expert card player turner be while then kirby challenge him . york beat kirby up . when he go for a gun and he disarm him . reno disowns him and so kirby go for reno and be pistol whipped . york drag him through the town to the lockup . the crowd have the sheriff make him deputy . reno men abduct york to kill him . york dig his grave under two gun and but the two men drink so he be able to clobber both . soon he find kirby have kill the drunken sheriff . kirby could go with cleo but he head for the saloon and to kill reno . york enters and and by a fast draw and kill kirby and then talk the mob out of a hanging . the editor back him and remind them they want reno go . york promise he will take him to hang . reno be furious when he hear the real plan later turner be take him back to monterey to die for the murder of his partner . that night and reno try to kill him with a rock while turner send him into the desert and pick him up later . give him just enough water to go on . it a long way to monterey and reno sneer . in monterey and turner turn reno over to the law . reno try to say york be jay turner while but this be the sheriff who have find his bullet riddle jacket . turner go to maria . she tell him when he explain his action and that what he have do be wrong and that they can not build a life together on such a lie . he finally understand and turn himself in to the sheriff and join reno in a cell . reno say i forgive you for everything . youre a big man and reno and turner say . and smart too and reno insists . he note he would have have the girl turn them in for the reward . turner laugh with him and then slug him on the jaw and settle in and to serve his sentence and return to maria . cinematography for this attractive b or w western be do by harry neumann while the director be sidney franklin and carl l. hittleman . the script be by jack leonard and lawrence reisner . robert wiley miller do music with shenandoah a the main theme and with art direction by david milton and set by joseph kish . sterling hayden be strong and but ted de corsia and radio most versatile actor and do award level work a reno . young lee van cleef be handsome a kirby . mary beth hughes make the most of her role a cleo while pamela duncan be sincere a maria . charles cane a the drunken sheriff and fred sherman a the murdered saloon owner and i. stanford jolley and mauritz hugo and pat comiskey and and byron foulger all do fine work . tight and memorable and a satisfying narrative by my light and the maker can be proud of this film .