Original subtitles

Oh, what do you know about this?

Somebody was sure busy last night, Dad.

They can't do this to us, Mr. Decker.

They've already done it, Jason.

So we'll undo it.

I just put this fence up.

You forgot to put a gate in.

You're looking at the new owner of the Pearson Ranch.

From now on, you go round.

There seems to be some misunderstanding.

I have a right of way across this land.

I said from now on, you go round.

At least have the decency to let us through today.

It's late.

And if I don't?

There are three of us, Mr. uh...

Duane.

Chet Duane.

We're coming through.

There are still three of us.

Not enough.

Well, that's a mighty big gun for such a little fellow.

You must get tired packing it around.

See you in court, shorty.

Oklahoma territory.

A new violent land.

A marshal and his deputies get well acquainted with violence.

And with every kind of outlaw there is.

Not every outlaw wears a mask.

Sometimes they look like a respectable rancher.

And their weapon is barbed wire.

Why don't you and Hector serve this out of man and Osage?

Why two of us?

Whoever Duane is, there's trouble.

And plenty of blood.

We took the governor to get him out of Wyoming.

And a company of rangers to talk him into leaving Texas.

Maybe you ought to come along, Frank.

No, there'll be three of you.

Sam's gonna show you where Duane decided to take root.

There were three of us the other day.

One false move and he would have shot all of us.

He's got more sense than a shoot at will or heck they're wearing badges.

You stay in Osage until you're certain Duane's gonna behave himself.

He's as bad as you say.

I doubt if that'll ever happen.

Why not run him out of territory, Marshal?

We will.

If he stays out of line.

Try it again.

The idea is to hit what you're aiming at.

Like this.

The end bottle.

Take it a little slower this time.

You're not aiming.

How can you draw fast and aim all at once?

By practicing.

Think I got as good as I am twiddling my thumbs?

I'll never be any good, Pop.

You gotta be good.

This makes the difference, Mike.

With it, you can stand up to any man.

They push around, you can spit in their eye no matter if you have to stand on tiptoe to do it.

The way I'm growing, I won't have to stand on tiptoe.

When you shoot, you'll stop growing all of a sudden.

Well, I guess you better do all the spitting then.

No son of mine's letting people walk over him.

Before I'm through, you'll be able to stand up to anybody.

Maybe even your own man.

Now, pay attention.

You aim while you're going for your gun.

All right.

Let's set up some more bottles.

You're even better than I heard, Wayne.

I'm good even when the target's shooting back.

What else you heard about me?

Oh, a lot.

People drop your name around the U.S. Marshal's office quite a bit.

I thought I told you and Rafe to keep an eye on those fences.

You're on no fence.

Keep an eye on them. We took them down.

And you did nothing to stop them?

What do you expect them to do? Shoot a couple of U.S. Marshals?

Judge Willis sent you this.

Subpoena?

Injunction.

Those fences are to stay down permanently, unless you want to pull up gates.

So the big man took his tail between his legs and ran for the law.

Good idea running to the law. Keeps the death rate down.

You're new in the Oklahoma Territory, Mr. Duane.

Out here we try to get along with our neighbors.

Sure. By taking down their fences.

Do you have any idea how far it is from my place to Osage if I can't cross your land?

Maybe 30 miles.

Near 40.

Look, we don't want any trouble.

We'll put the gates in and when we take our cattle across, we'll make sure they stay on the trail.

Forget the gates. All right. The fences will stay down.

But big man, you'd still better take the long way around.

That's a court order you just threw in that horse trough.

It's not the first one I've thrown in a horse trough.

Not the last.

Let's get with it, Mike.

Here we go.

Let's get with it, Mike.

Your badges didn't impress him much.

They will.

You'd better. Otherwise you'll have a lot of dead men for neighbors.

String out.

Well, I'd say you didn't impress him with a hoot.

He's a hard man to impress.

While I ride down and give it another try, you two keep the herd coming.

Two stars are much more impressive than one.

If I'm shot, I'd like a live witness.

You'd better get your men out of here, Dwayne.

Decker's bringing the herd through.

He's going to have a lot of dead steers on his hands.

You shoot one steer, and I'll jail anybody that's still alive.

A man has no right to protect his own land.

This isn't your land you're standing on.

It's a public right of way, so move off it.

If I don't?

Then we'll run that herd right over you.

Remember, any dead steers, there'll be some dead men.

You better win, Pop.

Hey!

All of you, out of the way!

Now, Pop, now.

Let him through.

Don't let him bluff you, Pop.

Get off the trail.

I'd better go home in case Dwayne decides to burn me out.

What's the big deal, then?

They're all alone.

You want one of us to go along?

No.

Big man, you won't always have ten stars to hide behind.

That's right, shorty.

You're my horse.

Get it yourself, shorty.

That's right, take it out on me.

You haven't got enough guts to fight anybody else.

You let him walk all over you.

All you are is a little bitty man with a great big mouth.

Either of you want to add anything to what the kid said?

Now, get this through your head.

I'd back down so he wouldn't get hurt.

I was for backing down, Jack.

There's two law men looking on.

What else could you do?

One day, there won't be anyone looking on.

Before, there were whites and blacks.

You better wait for your pa.

Did your son tell you what he called me?

He's been chopping wood for me.

Called me a little bitty man with a big mouth.

That's what he called me.

He didn't mean it.

Yes, I did.

Ma knows all about it, how you stood there and let him walk all over you.

After all you said about standing up to any man.

Suppose you keep feeding your face and let your ma and me talk.

Mike, your pa did right.

He was afraid you'd get shot.

He was afraid all right, but not of me getting shot.

He was afraid of getting shot himself.

Sit down Eve before I knock you down.

You did that once today.

You're not going to do it again.

I said sit down.

You told me to stand up to people.

There were three of us there today to help you and you still backed out.

I didn't want you hurt.

If I hadn't been there you still would have backed down.

The only time you'll fight is when you know for sure you'll come out whole.

That's why you spend hours every day drowning, shooting, drowning, shooting, making yourself

big with a gun.

But not big enough, you got to have a big horse to make you tall in the saddle.

You've said enough.

Jack, please no.

Jen, I'm going out to the barn.

How many?

One.

No trouble then.

I hope not.

Quiet Spike.

Now what?

What do you think big man?

I suppose you want to shoot it out.

That's right big man.

I long since gave up settling arguments that way Dwayne.

Then why are you wearing a gun?

When you're alone and a dog barks when he barks at strangers it's a wise idea.

Would have been wiser not to, now it's you and me.

I wouldn't have a chance with you and you know it.

That's right.

So I'm not committing suicide.

Decker, turn around.

Goes against the grain to shoot a man in the back?

I'll give you one more chance to draw then I'll kill you.

Around here they hang you for shooting an unarmed man.

Go home Mr. Dwayne.

Kill the dog and eat the body!

After I lock Duane up, I'll come back with the parson.

I'm going with you.

If I were in your shoes, I'd want to go along too.

I know exactly what I'd do.

So you're staying here.

If you let him get away with it...

Should I let him get away with fencing you off?

Help Clem take Sam inside.

Come on, champ.

You'd better be dead certain you're a dead Chinese.

If I let you get away with it, you'll be dead.

Let's go.

This man shot a Mr. Decker after he took his gun belt off.

Come on.

You taking a healer's word against mine?

John's a Christian.

I'd tell you, Decker drew on me.

He told me to get off his land, and when I wouldn't, he took a shot at me.

I went for my gun.

Then it's your word against his.

There you're wrong.

How about it, son?

You were with me, son, you saw what happened.

Tell him what happened.

Of course Mike saw what happened.

Yeah, just like Pop said.

Let's let a jury decide that, Mr. Duane.

You're a Christian.

In your church, did they tell you about heaven?

They told me so.

Chances are you'll be seeing it yourself real soon.

Just a minute.

This is for all of you.

If any one of you so much as look cross-eyed at my witness, I'll jail all of you.

And don't anybody go near Decker's Ranch.

Sam's boy is just looking for an excuse to kill somebody.

I'm sorry.

May I please have his gun?

Oh, sure.

You boys might as well eat the rest of this chicken.

Jack wasn't very hungry.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you for letting me see him.

Mike's still in with his father.

Will you tell him that I'll wait in the buggy?

Oh, yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

It was a fair fight, wasn't it, Pop?

Well, everybody in town is saying, Mike,

you think your Pop has to shoot a man in the back?

No.

No.

You could outdraw anybody.

Anybody in the world.

They're lying about you, Pop.

I'll stand up in court and tell them how it really was.

Wouldn't do any good.

They'll hang me for sure.

No, but not when both of us tell them how it was.

You said it yourself, Mike.

Everybody in town believes that Chinese cook.

What can I do?

You can be a man.

I want to be able to depend on you.

You can't.

You can, Pop.

Can I, Mike?

Can I trust you to do the most important thing in my life?

Can I trust you to do the most important thing you've ever done?

Just tell me.

Tell me what it is, Pop.

All right, boy.

There's a man in Gardner, an old friend.

He'll bust me out of here.

You gotta

take him a letter.

I'll get it to him, Pop.

One more thing.

You tell Garth to ride in to see me.

I'll get on with it, boy.

Your Pa wants you to have it.

He said you'd understand.

You won't get in any trouble, will you, Mike?

You're so young.

Seems like all this started because I'm so young.

You know, Ma, if Pa hadn't been worried about me getting in trouble,

he would have stopped him at the gate.

I wouldn't say what I did, and Pa wouldn't have killed Decker.

Yes, he would.

It wasn't your fault.

He was worried about me getting hurt.

Well, it's time I grew up so he doesn't have to worry about me anymore.

You are grown up, Mike.

And your Pa isn't worrying about you anymore.

And your Pa isn't worrying about you anymore.

You're a little too young to be drinking.

You must be looking for somebody.

Lonnie Logan.

Mr. Logan, I'm Jack Dwayne's kid.

Well, a little rooster's sired himself a beanpole.

They didn't come here to watch me cheat myself.

So spit it out.

Here, everybody minds their own business.

I got a letter for you.

Pa said you're the only one who can bust him out of jail.

I'll help you, Mr. Logan.

Bust him?

Didn't you read this?

Well, it told me what it said about you coming to break him out.

Well, thanks, kid.

But I won't need any help.

And I'll bust him out.

Don't you worry.

Thanks, Mr. Logan.

Pa.

Well, see you, Uncle Willie.

Okay.

Good morning.

Come in.

What do you want?

Mind your manners, Mike.

There's plenty of hot breakfast if you haven't had yours yet.

Well, thank you. I would like some coffee.

I said, what do you want?

Just wanted to make sure that everybody was present and accounted for.

You think we're going to kill that Chinese, huh?

Your father kind of hinted that somebody might try.

Thank you.

Dad says a lot of things when he's mad.

Doesn't mean he's going to do them.

Like what he said he'd do to Sam Decker?

Decker tried to kill Dad.

Dad had a right to defend himself.

Mike, if a man as fast with a gun as your father came after you,

even if he gave you a fair chance,

who would be defending himself?

Him or you?

I know what you're trying to do to Dad, and you ain't going to do it.

That's enough, Mike.

We'd better be going. We'll be late to the courthouse.

Wills is escorting a Duane tribe into town.

He wants them to get to the courthouse before us.

Court is in session.

Proceed with the selection of the jury.

Keep the steps clear, Mike.

Hec should be along with our one witness pretty soon.

I'm going to ride out and meet him.

The ones who could have given us trouble are already inside.

Okay, fellas, let's clear it up.

Open the door, will you?

I'm going to meet the jury.

I'm going to meet the jury.

I'm going to meet the jury.

I'm going to meet the jury.

I'm going to meet the jury.

Okay, fellas, let's clear it up.

Open the door, will you?

Does the defense wish to challenge any of these men?

No challenges.

We're in the jury.

Mr. Jackson, do we have the prosecution's opening comments?

Your Honor.

Gentlemen of the jury,

the case you are going to hear today brings to light

one of the most cold-blooded crimes this county has ever seen.

Never before have I seen such flagrant abuse of the law,

such obvious contempt for the lives of his fellow man

as shown by the defendant, Jack Duane.

Gentlemen, we will show you today

that unless Mr. Duane is punished to the full extent of the law,

we shall all expect more terrorism,

more crime, more murder.

Only if Mr. Duane is punished

will this county be safe for decent men and women.

Mr. Prescott, will you present the opening statements for the defense?

Your Honor, Mr. Duane has asked me to limit my remarks to this.

The prosecution has based this entire case on one witness.

Where is this witness?

Where is this witness?

You can lie your head off now. There's no one to dispute you.

But if the jury believes you and lets you go,

I'm going to kill you.

Judge, send the jury out. They mustn't hear this.

It'll do you no good to run and hide.

It's wherever you are. I'll find you.

Your Honor, the prosecution asks that this trial be recessed.

For what reason?

The witness to the crime this man is charged with is dead.

We want time to find the murderer.

I declare this court recessed for an indefinite period.

Anything?

I found where he was shot from.

Roof of the saloon.

Long guy.

You got a crown?

Kid, it's Ben Garth.

Just drop the money. Be on your way.

Ain't no call getting jumpy.

Men like me, who work for men like Jack Duane, trust no one.

Not even themselves.

You've done so many jobs for the boss, you're just about one of the family.

You've already talked too long, Garth.

Toss the money down. And go.

All right.

I just wanted to give you a bonus.

Ain't no sense in burning good money, is there, Logan?

Hold it right there.

I was too far behind you to save this man.

Least I can see he gets a grave with a mark around it.

You're taking me back?

What do you think?

I think you'll do your best to keep me alive.

You need what I know about Duane.

Me?

I don't have to worry a speck about keeping you alive.

I guess I'd figured wrong.

I tried, brother, but it's awful tricky shooting from a spooked horse.

Garth.

All right, clear out.

We want to fumigate this place.

I'm free?

I'd live with your conscience if you've got one.

You're sending me out to be lynched?

Lynching's against the law.

Those were our times. I wish it weren't.

Your attorney wants his money. He's over at the Sloan.

Go on, your son's over there in one of your gun slicks too.

I take it you don't like me very much.

You take it right.

But you ain't gonna do anything about it.

Don't count on that.

It's a free country. You feel you've got something personal against me, you're welcome to settle it.

Or try to.

You make it awfully tempting.

Ever that temptation gets too strong, you take off that tin badge and come looking. I'll accommodate you.

Get out of here or I'll throw you out.

No you won't.

Nobody throws me out.

Nobody pushes Jack Dwayne around.

Sam Decker found that out.

No Clem.

He has no gun.

Get one.

Hang around and I'll turn the other way while he's beating you to death.

Sit down right there while I keep an eye on you Clem.

You're wasting my time and yours.

If you face up to Dwayne, you won't have any more time to waste.

You suggest I bushwhack him?

You know every now and then this badge gets in my way.

Right now I'd like to take it off and say sure, shoot him in the back, he's got it coming.

So what is it?

There's too many guys around with a bullet coming.

Only one concerns me, Dwayne.

Somebody's gotta kill him.

If they don't I'll run roughshod over anybody that gets in his way.

Clem, sometimes it takes a law a while to punish a man.

But you can be sure there's a rope around with Dwayne's name on it.

By the time you get around his neck it'll be so old and rotten it'll break.

I can't wait that long.

You're gonna have to wait.

I'm not gonna let you go out and get yourself killed or get hanged for back shooting.

Come on.

Oh well, don't lock me up.

Just until Dwayne and his bunch are out of town.

Unless you want a promise you'll stay right here until they're gone.

All right, I promise.

What if he's around too long?

The promise is off.

He won't be.

Who are they?

Garth and the man who killed Chen.

Garth murdered the hired gun.

Then I came stomping along and let him spook me into a shooting.

Either one of them could have put a rope around Dwayne's neck if they'd lived to talk.

Little witnesses he doesn't murder.

Go out and get yourselves killed for him.

Hector, I'm almost to the end of my spring with this man.

You're not alone, Uncle Willie.

Well, take these bodies up to the undertaker.

A day like today I got a right to crow.

I got you all buffaloed, ain't I?

The whole town tried.

You know what?

I'm just getting started.

Now let's drink to that.

Boy, you're a man now.

Let's share a man's drink together.

First one for you and me.

Here's to you, son.

To you, Pop.

You're right.

I am a man now.

Just like you taught me.

Man enough to stand up to bullies and to murders, Pop.

You want me to stand up to murderers too, don't you?

I'm a man, all right, but not like you.

I'd rather be dead than be like you.

You gonna let that punk kid talk to you like that?

I'll handle him.

Johnny!

You got a gun now.

Put it on.

Slim, no!

Johnny!

I had to try, Will.

Had to.

Yeah.

Uncle Willie, look after Clem before he bleeds to death.

You gonna jail me again, Marshal?

A man's got a right to defend himself.

No, I'm not gonna jail you.

I'm gonna run you out.

Clear out of Oklahoma territory.

You got no right to do that.

I got the right of a man who's fed to the teeth with you, shorty.

You stay away from me.

You wouldn't kill a Marshal with the whole town looking on, would you, shorty?

They'd hang you for sure.

Now get out of here before somebody steps on you like a bug.

Now get him out of here.

I don't want to see him or the rest of you again.

Kill him, Reed.

Kill him!

Kill him yourself, shorty.

Will!

You like to fight, big man?

You think you can push Jack Blaine around because you're bigger?

There's only one way to show who's biggest with this.

Come on, big man.

Brawl.

I'll show how good you are.

No, Will. No.

He'll kill you.

Stay out of this, Hector.

How bad, Will?

Ah, he was too wild to shoot straight.

I'll be all right.

I'll be all right.