While surveying a telegraph line in 1861, Western Union engineer Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is severely injured in an accident. He is discovered by Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott), an outlaw on the run from a posse. Forced to travel on foot after his horse was hurt, Shaw at first considers stealing Creighton's horse, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life.
Sometime later, following his recovery, Creighton returns to Omaha, Nebraska and plans the construction of a telegraph line from Omaha to Salt Lake City, Utah. Facing considerable opposition to the line from Confederate soldiers, Indians, and outlaws, Creighton elicits the help of his sister Sue (Virginia Gilmore), foreman Pat Grogan (Minor Watson), and assistant Homer Kettle (Chill Wills).
Looking to put his outlaw past behind him, Shaw arrives at Creighton's Western Union office looking for honest work and is hired as a scout by Grogan who is unaware of his past. Creighton recognizes him among the men and allows him to stay despite his suspicions. Creighton also hires tenderfoot Richard Blake (Robert Young), a Harvard-educated engineer as a favor to Blake's father. Shaw and Blake are both attracted to Sue and vie for her attention, but their romantic rivalry is cut short when construction of the telegraph line starts on July 4, 1861.
After work commences on the line, one of the men is killed apparently by a mysterious band of cattle-rustling Indians. Unconvinced that Indians are to blame, Shaw rides out to investigate and follows the rustlers' trail to the camp of Jack Slade, a former friend and cohort, whose gang committed the killing disguised as Indians—the gang Shaw left following his last bank robbery. Slade reveals that they are working for the Confederacy to disrupt Western Union because they believe the telegraph service will help the Union. Shaw rides away and returns to the line. Not wanting to turn in his former friends, Shaw tells Creighton that a large band of Dakota Indians stole the cattle, and recommends that they simply replace the herd and not risk a fight with the Indians.
Sometime later, a confrontation takes place between men working on the forward line and a band of drunken Indians. When one of the Indians tries to steal some equipment, a nervous Blake shoots him, ignoring Shaw's order to remain calm. After word arrives that the main camp is under attack by other Indians, the Western Union men rush back to help with the defense. At the main camp, Slade's men, who are again disguised as Indians, steal the Western Union horses. The company discover the ruse when one of the wounded Indians turns out to be a white man. Forced to buy back their stolen horses from Slade, Creighton becomes suspicious of Shaw's involvement, especially when he admits to knowing the gang.
Soon the U.S. Army arrives and announces the Indians have now refused to allow the telegraph lines to go through their territory in response to Blake's shooting of the drunken Indian. Creighton, Shaw, and Blake ride out to convince Chief Spotted Horse to allow them to build the line through Indian territory, even though the man Blake wounded was Spotted Horse's son. Creighton is finally able to persuade the Indians to allow them passage, and work continues until the company approaches Salt Lake City.
Sometime later, Shaw receives word that Jack Slade wants to meet with him. On the way to see Slade, Shaw is captured and bound by Slade's men. Slade says his group is going to burn down the Western Union camp and they don't want Shaw to interfere. After Slade and his men ride off, Shaw escapes from his ropes but arrives back too late to prevent the fire. He helps rescue some of the Western Union men from the flames and burns his hands in the process.
After the fire, Creighton confronts Shaw for an explanation, but Shaw does not reveal what he knows and is fired by Creighton. As Shaw leaves the camp, he tells Blake that Slade is actually Shaw's brother and that he, Shaw, will find Slade's gang and stop them from interfering with the telegraph project. Shaw rides off and finds Slade and his men in a nearby town. At the barber shop, Shaw confronts his brother, whose gun is concealed under the barber's sheet. Slade shoots Shaw through the sheet. Shaw fights back in spite of his wound, killing some of the gang members, and then dies. Blake arrives and continues the fight with Slade who dies from his wounds. Soon after, the Western Union line is completed and the workers celebrate. When Sue laments the absence of Shaw, Creighton tells her that Shaw can hear them.
普法啊！“为了民主，我们必须是极权主义者”，印度很布尔什维克啊。
电影是强大的武器，但重要的是我们通过使用它来保护谁......
好人和坏人泾渭分明……不过四星还是给比姆拉奥律师
印度真是一个恐怖的国家啊，但勇敢的是可以把恐怖的一面展现出来。0110-午
让大多数人聪明并有有尊严，且有发言权，乃皿煮
刑讯逼供，屈打成招甚至被死亡，黑警勾结，官官相卫，而执政党为了维护自己的管治也是默许纵容。
真相大概从警察说出犯人越狱的时候就知道了，但是丝毫不影响观看。
我想多数人的高分不是打给电影本身，而是羡慕他国的电影不必戴着镣铐舞蹈。
从神秘巨星，起跑线，摔跤吧爸爸，印度的电影还是很敢拍的，反映社会现实妇女问题，教育问题，种姓制度问题，也许敢于直面现实，改变现状的电影才是真的好电影吧
监狱里打人那段看着好揪心，就是律师好多镜头用慢动作➕配乐，就有一种英雄主义的感觉，很不喜欢
我总觉得imdb对印度电影的评分偏高，这个不算
160分钟真是把节奏和情绪都拿捏住了 除去主角太光环伟光正 主线案件剧情复杂得还挺严谨 这么多人物也能随着主角抽丝拨茧让人记住 看完再看原片名可真贴切啊 斗争万岁 （真是东亚文化一体 同样的故事换个背景放在韩国也毫不违和 代入了一下如果韩国来拍 必然会交代主角背景 也必然是个小人物 事件发展会更合理
将近三个小时，有些冗长了。电影本身拍的也就那样吧，分数有些虚高，印度底层贱民遭受种姓制度的荼毒之苦。只是敢于把家底里那些糟粕的社会顽疾一股脑的呈现给世人，就这一点勇气来讲，还是很值得肯定的。
不明白为何这种题材还要唱歌跳舞，每次男主出现的时候，后面的配乐总觉得在哪个好莱坞大片里出现过。
尽管印度目前为止人权还没得到完全的保护 但是至少人权律师还是有人权的。这片子imdb评分超过肖申克的救赎确实有点夸张 政治意义大于电影本身 确实因为阶级差距过大 所以看起来会比辩护人更残忍。
看了这部片子觉得印度是有希望的，更加尊敬印度。
应该是参考了不少韩国电影，但是这串场的歌曲实在是太烦人了。
半夜本打算分两天看完的，但剧情还是吸引了我看到结束。虽然还是避免不了一些印度电影的通病，无法融入剧情的歌舞之类的，可整部电影带给人的只有震撼。受害者妻子的塑造我非常喜欢，坚强的女人虽然贫穷但坚守信念。
有一种作品，看完之后让人久久不能平静，只是呆呆的愣在那里；一种伟大的力量注入灵魂。从各种方面来讲，观者被作品全面带领，进入一个更高的世界。这是一部伟大的作品，电影无比精彩，我看过的所有电影中最好的那样一种。不止电影，它所包含的内容太多了，没有一处是无用的。阶级；暴力；社会平等；马克思列宁；法律；良心；执法；种族……太多了。
极其纯粹的感动。种姓制度，想改变了这么多年，尚未成功。未来更遥遥无期。但是这不代表是泯灭人心的借口。每个为他人的人，都值得被尊重。我们人的基因里刻着“利他”。希望时刻提醒自己，保持善良保持谦卑。爱人悯物。
Copyright © 2015-2023 All Rights Reserved
