Kirk Douglas turns in another fine performance as the old-fashioned cowboy out of step with and resistant to the modern world. He starts a brawl in a bar just to get jailed so he can see an old friend. He then breaks out of jail, pursued by sheriff Walter Matthau. Douglas is on horseback, Matthau drives a jeep. To say any more would be to hint at the film's ending (and no, he doesn't get shot), but Douglas himself captured the mood of the picture when talking about why he took the role: 'The difficulty of being an individual today is what attracted me to the story'. Douglas' personality dominates the picture, but Matthau is convincing as the lawman who feels empathy for Douglas' cowboy.

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