Young and floppy-haired, William Holden and Glenn Ford give vigorous performances in this notable early Forties Western in which they play a couple of Civil War veterans who meet a fistful of trouble and a feisty gal (Claire Trevor) while wandering the Texan plains. The men clash as Ford takes a job with rancher Trevor, and sets off to drive her cattle, which Holden is now planning to steal. It's an admirably nimble, quick-moving cowboy outing, based securely on a script that manages a light touch and a perfectly pitched tone as it brings laughs and romance together with fully-fleshed characters and bursts of action. Director George Marshall makes effective use of the real-life rivalry between the two male stars as they compete for the hand of Ms Trevor. Edgar Buchanan adds a touch of acting class, much needed as the film tends to drift into Western routine towards the end.


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