Tod Lohman (Don Murray) is a peace-loving man, but he's in a whole heap of trouble and is being pursued across the New Mexico wastelands by Tom Boyd (Dennis Hopper), his brother Otis (Ken Scott), and a small posse who wish to believe Tod had murdered another brother when actually the brother had accidentally fallen on Tod's knife during a fight. Hunter Boyd (R. G. Armstrong), their father, a cattle baron who writes his own laws, seeks revenge. While fleeing for his life, Tod has the fortune to meet Amos Bradley (Chill Wills), a rancher, and his lovely daughter, Nita (Diane Varsi). Amos knows the Boyds are after Tod but he himself has no love for any of them and becomes his ally. Things get complicated when sparks fly between Tod and Nita, but he knows eventually the posse will catch up to him and cause problems for all concerned...

Directed by the very capable Henry Hathaway, the first thing that sticks out is just how interesting his characters are - this is not just a throwaway Western! It has depth of feeling and lays out a story that isn't purely relying on action to entertain the viewers. That said, Hathaway doesn't skimp on the action scenes, an excellent beef stampede and an Indian pursuit, resplendent with horse jumping heroics, deliver promptly for the discerning action viewer. Based around the novel from Charles O. Locke called The Hell Bent Kid, this adaptation is adroitly telling the story of an honest and naive young man on the lam, it's the naivety of Lohman that gives the picture its emotional heart, all framed excellently by Hathaway in the Alabama Hills vista. The cast are across the board solid, Don Murray, Chill Wills, Diane Varsi, R.G. Armstrong and a fresh faced Dennis Hopper all earn their respective pay cheques. It's understandably not up to the high standard of Hathaway's big hitters like True Grit and The Sons Of Katie Elder, it is however a picture that is definitely worth checking out for fans of the genre!