lang do hawk as well a hawk do in the first part of this extraordinary western and before settle down into typical deterministic and dark and guilt haunt lang for the finale . this be one of those film that show it greatness almost instantly but at the same time very subtly . vance shaw ( randolph scott ) be on horseback and be pursue and we know not why he stumble on wounded edward creighton ( dean jagger ) and decide to take his gun and horse and but discover that creighton be in a bad way and decide to fix him up first . this be convey mostly through facial expression and very brief and clip dialog in 2 minute we know that shaw be an outlaw and but basically a good guy . shaw end up help creighton on his way to civilization and then disappears . cut to a few week or month later and with creighton on the mend and in charge of an expedition to lay telegraph wire go west from omaha . he hire shaw a a scout and who try to leave when he find out that creighton be in charge while but creighton want him anyway and repay a debt and sense something quality . also hire be a tenderfoot and son of a benefactor of the project and but atypically the easterner richard blake ( robert young ) be quite competent a he show right away in an amusing but excite bronco bust sequence . both of the hire vie for creighton sister sue ( virginia gilmore ) who again not typically seem quite as able to take care of herself a any man . the camaraderie between the three men and the comedic element involve an unwilling cook and various rough and tumble type and and the wonderfully play light romantic element dominate the first third of the film and remind me more of howard hawk red river or only angel have wing than most lang but they be so well play and the action progress so naturally that it doesn not matter and and doesn not alter our pleasure if it do perhaps change our expectation a the more usual langian theme of the haunt past and dark secret and the immense pull of the easy and destructive and evil way come to dominate the late part of the film . shaw old pal come back to haunt him a the the wagon train and it wire move westward while attack mount on the crew and and shaw have to wrestle with what and if anything and he be to tell creighton about his tortured relationship with jack slade ( barton maclane ) and leader of the outlaw . beautifully shot in early technicolor and move fairly seamlessly from sound stage to western location and this be for my money easily lang best western and one of his very best film and convey as potently a any of his film the tragic inability of men to escape their past and build a new future . scott be as good a i have see him and show more with a flick of an eye than a lot of actor can do in a paragraph of dialog and and the rest of the cast be uniformly fine . the inevitable showdown between shaw past criminal life and his potential future be extraordinary and and a surprise even for a longtime lang devotee such a myself while and even in 1941 it seem there be no place more fraught with mean on the margin of civilization than the barbershop and the dusty street outside . you can get a shave and you can feel like a new man and but you can not really ever be one as long a the old tie be still hold you back . genius .