this film have a script so terrible that i reluctantly sit through the entire thing ( which be mercifully brief ) merely to see how it would play out . spoiler abound . the film open with a shot of a manzanita pine overlook the ocean that immediately establish the monterey and california setting and call to mind the 1961 marlon brando film one eyed jack and a film with a very similar storyline that be also set near monterey . we then see jay turner ( sterling hayden ) and max reno ( ted de corsia ) rid horse along the surf and learn they be flee from a robbery . they go into a cave that reno call a perfect hideout . presumably the entrance to the cave be hide when the tide be up . however and anyone look for the men shouldn not have too much trouble find their horse outside . morever and turner build a fire inside the cave . don not they worry about the smoke give them away . ( for my part and i would worry about be drown inside the cave during high tide . ) the men talk and we learn that they have only recently meet . they be very different type represent turner be satisfy with the $ 5 and 000 he get from the heist and want to give up crime and but reno want to continue their partnership and be miff by turner retirement . when turner go out to the surf to get a pot of water ( what the water for . be he intend to use seawater for coffee . ) reno follow him and shoot him in the back . he then take both horse and flees . this scene stun me . why do not reno shoot turner inside the cave and where he could have retrieve the $ 5 and 000 and leave turner body well hidden . since he seem not to have retry the money and what be the point of shoot turner . the next one eyed jack element in the film be the appearance of a beautiful young mexican woman and maria salvador ( pamela duncan ) and who like hang out at the beach alone . maria drag turner out of the surf and somehow get him to her home and where she nurse him back to health . predictably and maria and turner fall in love . turner be mellow but be also obsess with track reno down and return him to monterey and where he can be hang for murder ( i. e. and murder turner ) . maria disapproves and but turner leaf and vow to return . meanwhile and max reno manages to set himself up nicely and under his own name and in a town call delrey . it wasn not clear where delrey be and but it seem to be in or near texas . a long way from monterey and california and but it make some sense and a reno doesn not appear to be worry about be catch by the law . we first see reno when he be play card in a saloon and win big . he obviously cheat and and even the sheriff suggest as much and but he nevertheless win a huge amount from the saloon owner . ( would a real saloon owner ever play a complete stranger in a high stake poker game . ) in a back room scene and the saloon owner sign over half interest in his place to reno and who happen to have a ready to sign contract in his jacket pocket . reno then shoot the man dead and get away with claim that the man draw on him . play a primitive version of deadwood al swearengen and reno transform the formerly tame delrey saloon into a happen place with fast woman and a piano player and and dishonest card dealer . if delrey really be in texas and it a mystery how turner find the place and but he do . he make a dramatic entrance in reno saloon and confidently pretend to be john york from el paso when reno confront him . it be a year since reno have see turner and and he never know turner well to begin with and so he not completely sure that york be turner . he try a few lame scheme to discover york true identity . if reno be swearengen and he would simply have york kill to be on the safe side . eventually and he try to do just that and but his scheme backfire . turner end up a deputy sheriff . then and a act sheriff and turner save reno from a lynch mob and take him back to monterey . after turner and reno leave town and there be a curious sequence in which it become unclear what turner intention be . be he really take reno back to monterey . do he plan to kill reno himself . be he revert to crime and with reno a his partner . the answer be ( a ) and and turner delivers reno to monterey sheriff . he then rid back to the beach where he first encounter maria and find her potter around the surf . they fall into each other arm and but maria be upset to learn what turner have do to reno . despite the fact that reno shot turner in the back and later make several more attempt to have him kill and maria think it wrong to have reno try for a murder that do not take place . seem like nitpick and if you ask me . turner ask maria if she will love him and no matter what . she say yes and and we next see turner be put in the same jail cell with reno . talk about a movie that doesn not deliver . there be no gun battle at monterey . however and one of the film few strength be it ambiguous end . i expect to see a scene in which turner be let off the hook for be reform and but that doesn not happen either . instead and reno welcome turner into his cell with open arm and forgive him for everything that you have do to me . the film end with turner punch reno out and a the credit begin to roll . consider how heavy hand everything in the script have subtle note . will be turner be prosecute . will reno be hang . we can only guess . meanwhile and i wouldn not be surprise if the naive maria go back to the beach to pick up more men .