The film opens on the 4th of July and takes place all in one very long day.
John Payne stars as Dan Ballard, a much loved man of the town of Silver Lode who is about to marry Rose Evans (Lizabeth Scott). Before they can get married the trouble starts.
A federal marshal named Fred McCarty (Dan Duryea) rides into town with three deputies to arrest Ballard for theft and murder. McCarty is determined to make the arrest as soon as possible, however the locals are just as determined to stop it.
Ballard asks for 2 hours to prove himself innocent and McCarty grants this, but keeps his deputies cloes to Ballard. McCarty begins to undermine Ballards efforts and soon even the town and his best friends are turning on Ballard. He finds himself fighting his future father in law and even his own brother.
Only Rose and a sexy saloon singer named Dolly (Dolores Moran) end up helping Ballard as he literally finds himself fighting for his life. This is a film that really reminds me of a film noir.
This is a great commentary on how people, even those closest to you will turn at the drop of a hat. The performances are all top notch and there are a lot of familiar faces in here including Roy Gordon, Morris Ankrum, Alan Hale, Jr. and a very young Stuart Whitman. Allan Dwan directed this with power and it shows.
I had never heard of this western, which kind of shocks me, but I am very glad to have stumbled upon it. If you're a westerns fan, you really need to see this film shot in technicolor and produced by Republic Studios. Karen DeWolf wrote both the story and the screenplay. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
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