although dodge city be loosely base on the early career of wyatt earp and the main character and here call wade hatton and be an irishman who have serve a an officer with the british army in india and take part in a revolution in cuba and fought with the confederate during the american civil war . that ( apart from the civil war part ) might not seem like the typical curriculum vitae of a wild west sheriff and but errol flynn inability to put on a convincing american accent be presumably the reason why this particular sheriff could not be portray a an american . in fact and flynn accent do not seem very irish either he sound more like an upper class english gentleman but the producer evidently think that linguistic accuracy be less important in the context of the british isle . the plot be one that later become something of a cliché in the western and so much so that mel brook choose to satirise it in blaze saddle and the one about the stranger in town who lead the townsfolk in their fight against a gang of villain . at the time the film be set and dodge city be the west leading cattle town and the main rail depot for ship cattle back to the east and and hatton be the leader of a group of cowboy who bring a herd into town . when he get there he find that the town be under the heel of a ruthless cattle baron name jeff surrett and a man whose hired thug will not hesitate to kill anyone who cross him and or even anyone to whom he owe money that he do not want to pay . there be nobody with the gut to stand up to surrett or and for that matter and with the legal authority to do so and the town last sheriff have be kidnap and run out of town by surrett men . the people see hatton a brave and honest and and want him to accept office a their new sheriff while he be at first reluctant to do so and but eventually accept the challenge after a young child be kill in a brawl . the rest of the film tell of his fight to bring law and order to the town . although the film deal with the serious theme of murder and violence and law enforcement and it be surprisingly light in tone . there be a good deal of comic relief and such a the sub plot about hatton hard drinking friend rusty and who find himself get involve a the only male member of an otherwise all female temperance movement and and the sing duel between confederate and unionist which lead into the famous bar room brawl scene and a scene which have be imitate in numerous western ever since and and even in non western such a brannigan and a film set in london . michael curtiz be to repeat the idea of a singing duel a few year later in casablanca . by today standard it be rather surprising that the southerner be see a the hero and the union cause identify with surrett and the villain and but this be the era of go with the wind when hollywood tend to treat the confederate a romantic rebel and if only because a film which treat them in any other way would have do no business anywhere south of baltimore . the film rely heavily on it star and be a typical errol flynn vehicle . hatton be similar to many character flynn play during this part of his career ( his robin hood be another example ) a man of action and debonair and dashing and brave and charming and a man who seem carefree on the outside but who underneath that exterior care deeply about right and justice . he be also a romantic and and in this film ( a in a number of others ) flynn love interest be play by olivia de havilland . hatton romance with the beautiful abbie get off to a difficult start when he be force to shoot her quarrelsome and drunken brother in self defence and but the course of true love soon start to run more smoothly . dodge city perhaps lack the depth of some of the truly great western such a stagecoach ( which come out in the following year ) or high noon ( which deal in a more serious way with a similar theme a lone lawman fight against a gang of outlaw ) and but it be nevertheless one of the most entertaining of all western and with an excellent performance from one of the most charismatic star of the era . positive .