Whoo-ha!
Hey, Choctaw!
Let her burn, boys!
I donīt like storekeepers. And I hate storekeepersī windows.
- Have īem mount up, Harv. - Oh, my God.
Get īem outta here.
Give me that.
Sober up, Choctaw! Mount up.
Weīre riding back to Sabbath now.
Whoa.
Aw, stand still.
Here.
- Itīs my brother-in-law, Marc Corman. - Who?
Iīm Jered Maddox.
Cotton Ryan.
You the marshal?
What can I do for you, Maddox?
Vincent Bronson, Choctaw Lee, Jack Dekker,
Vern Adams, Hurd Price, Harvey Stenbaugh.
- Marc Corman. Know any of īem? - All of them.
- That makes it easy. - Does it?
I want these men brought in under arrest by noon tomorrow.
I want īem fed and ready for travel.
- You got papers sworn out? - Iīll get īem if you need īem.
Not from anybody in this territory, you wonīt.
- Youīve got Jurisdiction. - Iīve got Jurisdiction.
But you couldnīt have reason enough to get papers from me. Nobody could.
Three months ago Bronson took 8,000 head of cattle across the Kiowa.
On the way back they hit a town called Bannock.
They drank their fill, had their women, shot up the town.
All Just cowboy fun. They killed an old man.
- Kin? - No.
Iīm Just the lawman in Bannock.
Look at this town.
Nice, quiet town. Nice town to live in.
They got no railhead, no digging up in the hills, no reason to grow fat.
This town eats because Vincent Bronson puts their bread on the table.
He owns the town. He owns the county.
People around here owe him.
Those men on your list stand in Bronsonīs shadow. I canīt move against those men.
You carry the law.
I carry nothing.
I sit there cos Bronson says īīSit.īī
Iīve been paid for, Maddox.
You carry messages, donīt you?
Iīm gonna take these men back with me or kill them where they stand.
They got till noon tomorrow. Tell īem.
- That one of them out there? - Corman.
You can take his name off the list.
What happened?
He called me out.
Whatīs the trouble?
What happened, Marshal?
Better come inside, Sam. One of you take Corman to the undertakerīs.
The rest of you, go on about your business.
- As a member of the citizensī council... - Get it second-hand from the mayor.
- How far to the Bronson spread? - I wouldnīt know.
Whoīs he? Some bounty hunter or something?
Donīt make an enemy of him, storekeeper. Step wide of him.
Thatīs about it, Mr Bronson.
He said by noon tomorrow.
- And Marc Cormanīs dead? - Heīs dead.
Howīd it happen?
He came up against the wrong man. I donīt know the details.
Marc was a good man with a gun.
He was a bigmouth who thought he was a good man with a gun.
Thereīs a cold hole in the ground between the two.
His family know?
I sent word.
Iīll ride out there in the morning.
How do you measure this thing, Cotton?
I think you got trouble, Mr Bronson.
Unless you say heīs all mistaken.
I wish he was. Thereīs no mistake.
We got a little drunk, broke a bit of glass. I didnīt know anyone was killed.
Tell Maddox līm sorry, really sorry.
Iīll make it good. Iīll pay the damages, līll fix it up with the old manīs family.
Tell him līll make it all right with him, too.
Better still, arrange a meeting tomorrow. Iīll deal straight with him.
- And if he doesnīt wanna talk? - Why shouldnīt he?
Some men Just go at a thing in a straight line.
They donīt bend and they donīt trade.
- You telling me Maddox is like that? - Heīs got the mark.
Thatīs too bad. Then heīs going to buy himself a lot of pain.
Try him, Cotton. Talk to him.
He got you spooked, Ryan.
No, Harv. Iīm not on his list.
- Is that all, Mr Bronson? - Yeah.
All right, Harv. Chew it out.
I donīt like asking favours.
No oneīs asking you to bend your knee, Harv. Just a talk.
Some worn-out tin star who wouldnīt rate cutting your cigars.
- Ryan doesnīt rate him that low. - Ryanīs a kicked dog.
Maybe thatīs what makes him a better Judge of men like Maddox.
- There was a time, Vince... - Itīs passed, Harv.
What do you wanna do, ride into Sabbath and gun him down?
Those days have passed. Times have changed.
There are other ways. You buy him.
And if he doesnīt sell, you buy the man above him.
Those killing days were for younger men.
Iīm on that list, Vince. Iīm not riding his dust back to Bannock.
Neither am l.
The othersīll be here soon. I sent Jason and Crowe.
Weīll talk then.
- We donīt need the others. - Weīll talk.
Itīs your land. Itīs your grass.
Youīve never been on wages, Harv. Whatīs out thereīs as much yours as mine.
(knock at doo))
- Ten years too long, Jered. - Hello, Laura.
- Can I come in? - Sure.
- It donīt seem ten years. - To me it does.
Wonīt you sit down?
You look good, Laura.
Youīre a soft-tongued liar.
- You live in Sabbath? - Near.
What are you doing here?
Thatīs not an honest question. I know what youīre doing here.
I was in town getting some supplies and I heard about it.
Do you think you owe me anything, Jered?
Say it out plain, Laura.
My man, Hurd Price, heīs one of the men you want.
I guess it had to be something like that.
He work for Bronson?
No. We have a small farm between here and the high country,
and he takes work from Bronson when he can get it.
Let him go, Jered. He never shot anybody.
He stands with the rest.
- Sorry, Laura. - The hell you are!
Nobody has to die. Just tell him to come into town and give himself up.
- What will happen to him then? - Heīll go back to Bannock and stand trial.
Will they hang him?
The circuit Judge is no hanging Judge. A man like Bronson could buy him cheap.
I donīt mean Just the Judge. I mean the town, the good people with the rope.
My town, Laura. Nobody gets a mob rope in my town. You know that.
I give you my word. If he comes in peaceful, thereīll be no hurt come to him.
You never did give much away.
Would you have come, Laura, if your man hadnīt been on the list?
No. Thereīs nothing left over from before, Jered. Goodbye.
He has until tomorrow.
I called you in cos weīve got trouble.
You remember last spring we took a herd over the Kiowa?
We hit a town called Bannock on the way back.
Seven of us went into town. Do you recall?
None too clearly.
We shot up the town.
Seems an old man took a bullet.
We thought it was nothing but a lot of broken glass, but...
seems now itīs a bit more.
The hard point of the matter is thereīs a lawman, name of Maddox, in Sabbath.
Figures to take us back and stand trial for murder.
(laughte))
One lawman?
Ryan thinks heīs enough.
Cotton Ryan.
Choctaw, you may not think much of Ryan as he stands now, but...
in his day, you couldnīt walk in the same sun as him.
- Whereīs Marc Corman? - Marc Cormanīs dead.
Cormanīs dead cos he called short on this Maddox.
Marc Cormanīs dead?
I called you here to hear what you have to say.
Well, Vern?
I donīt know, Mr Bronson. I donīt want trouble.
I appreciate you asking for our opinion,
but it seems to me that you got some choice and I donīt.
I canīt go back to Bannock. If I do, my land dries up and blows away.
My beef gets scattered into the high country.
I donīt have the hands to keep my spread tied down.
You know līd see you right.
Iīd send some of the boys and give my mark to cover your losses.
Thanks, and I know you mean it, but I have to work my own.
Well, what do you suggest, Vern?
I donīt suggest anything and I donīt aim to do anything.
- Just stay close and mind whatīs mine. - And if he comes after you?
- Iīll stop him if I can. - Stop him first and make sure.
I didnīt kill anybody that night in Bannock. Iīve got no quarrel with the law.
- You, Choctaw? - You give the orders, Mr Bronson.
- I asked for an opinion. - It was an accident.
If that lawman wants to lean hard, then I say we set him running.
I go along with Choctaw.
But, as he says, Mr Bronson, you give the orders.
Hurd?
Well, līd like to hear what you have to say, Vince.
Want your say, Harv?
I say we tell the lawman to peddle his law in Bannock.
You got all the guns you need, Mr Bronson.
Maddox needs a lesson taught.
Can I say something, Pa?
I was never in Bannock, but it seems to me if Pa is willing to pay for the damages,
give the old manīs family something, then this Maddox has no cause to push.
If he does, I think Harvīs right.
There are two men dead already. Thatīs a bit heavy.
I donīt think this Maddox runs easy.
And killing a lawman is a certain way for trouble.
Iīll talk with him. Maybe he has a price. Maybe heīs a reasonable man.
If not, all weīve lost is a few hours.
If we decide to go back, līll cover any of your losses.
Most weīd face is a fine, anyway, if that.
Weīll try it my way.
(SpeakS Comanche)
Our foodīs been laid out. Vern, Hurd, will you gentlemen be my guests?
Choctaw, show īem where to get washed up.
When it comes down to bedrock, my word donīt call much, does it, Vince?
Iīm Just hired help.
No man means more to me, Harv.
All līve got is you and Jason.
But youīre like some yellow dun ladino - all longhorn and no brains.
Weīve 10,000 head of good cows, a valley of sweet grass and money in the bank.
That didnīt come easy.
Weīve both of us put 30 years of sweat into it.
I donīt want to drop it on some dumb gunplay.
I donīt like to see you backing off, Vince.
Youīre making a mistake.
I donīt see it that way.
Ride into Sabbath in the morning and see Ryan, hear how he made out.
I wanna step around this.
If Maddox is open, tell Ryan to set up a meeting.
- Send Jason. - Iīm asking you.
Keep clear of Maddox. Take Crowe with you.
Itīs a great life.
If you were some cheap gunsel with a big name,
theyīd all be buying you drinks,
rubbing up against you,
fixing up what theyīre gonna tell the kids and the ones who werenīt there.
But if youīre a lawman, youīre a disease. They need you, but they hate you.
Comes with the Job.
I saw Bronson.
- He wants to talk. - Talk?
He wants to trade.
He says heīs sorry. He means it. I know him.
He didnīt know anybody was killed. He wants to make it all good.
- Something for my pockets, too. - Why not?
- You could hear what heīs got to say. - I Just heard.
- The old man was Just an accident. - They can say their piece in Bannock.
- Be reasonable, Maddox. - īNight, Ryan.
Thereīll be some dying.
Itīll be their doing.
Mr Bronson?
What are you doing out here, Crowe?
We Just brought a couple of hundred head up from Bornite Creek.
I saw a rider and...
Who else is with you?
Hitchins and Jason, sir.
You and my son are about the same age, arenīt you, Crowe?
Jasonīs a bit younger. Five, six months.
- Ever been up here before? - No, sir. I figured it was private.
From this high ground you can see the whole valley on a clear day.
From the sierras to White Wolf Pass.
Down there was the old Comanche camp.
We broke īem there, Harvey and me and my brothers.
Brother Jacob died there.
They were fine people, the Comanches.
Donīt ever listen to any talk that runs down an lndian.
We buried brother Jacob here and later brother Aaron beside him.
Theyīd had enough of guns and killing.
The dead donīt have much.
Crowe, did you ever feel the world turn beneath your feet?
No, sir.
You best be getting back down, son.
Choctaw, the kid had the edge.
- Youīre sand-blind, Jack. - You take him on, Jack.
- Five dollars, Choctaw? - Like stealing from a blind manīs cup.
Thatīs fair. I figure Croweīs Just emptied your cup, Lee.
- What do you say, Crowe? - I guess about even.
Even? Sonny, you were way behind.
Again. The top man takes Dekkerīs money from him.
One, two, three.
Move out! I want those cows moved down into Wolf Pass by tomorrow tonight.
Crowe, you come with me. We gotta go into Sabbath.
- Gonna bite on that lawman, Harv? - Move your ass outta here, Lee!
Leave a bit, Mr Stenbaugh. I fancy a bit of tin star.
Iīll leave enough for you to cut your first teeth on, Choctaw.
- Youīre a gentleman. - Choctaw.
- What do you think heīs gonna do? - Chew the hell out of that law dog.
Maddox.
Mr Maddox.
Mr Maddox, your room.
What I mean is, we are getting a regular.
A drummer. Womenīs goods and Jewellery.
I wasnīt expecting you to be staying over.
To put a fine edge on things, I need your room.
He always expects to get the same room and...
Is there something you wanted?
Canīt say there is, Minister.
A man comes to the house of God, he comes to seek.
- Iīm not a believing man, Minister. - Then why have you come?
A man doesnīt see many churches like this... in a town like Sabbath.
The shape of the house of God is unimportant.
Thatīs not so, Minister.
The kind of church a man builds to pray in tells you a lot about the man.
Further south there are some fine old adobe churches, Mexican.
Theyīre cool and dark inside. They give a man peace.
Theyīre made for kneeling. This oneīs made for standing upright.
There is no easy comfort from God.
Tell me, Minister, you must know all the people in this town.
Those who come to my church.
I donīt see a land office. If I wanted to see a map of the territory,
a map with the deed boundaries marked on it, who might be able to oblige?
Why do you ask me?
I figured youīd be the one man in this town whoīd find it difficult to lie to me.
Mr Dusaine is the legal expert. He takes care of all such matters.
Thank you, Minister. Good morning.
Itīs beautiful.
(woman) Thatīs him.
Mr Dusaine.
You have the deed maps for this territory. Iīd like to see them.
- And who, pray tell, told you... - The minister.
I need written permission before I could allow you to examine such documents.
Sir, I shall call the marshal.
You do that.
Thank you, Mr Dusaine.
Donīt try to soften me up, Cotton.
Doesnīt your lawman wanna talk?
- Take it easy, Harv. - Yes or no?
Why do you wanna push things until they break? Let Bronson handle it.
You gonna mealy-mouth around or you gonna tell me?
He wonīt trade. You can have your say in Bannock.
Did you crawl, Ryan?
I wasnīt asked to.
I told Vince you werenīt the man to carry this. Where is Maddox?
Climb down, Harvey. You canīt ride this man.
Run to hell, Ryan.
Maddox.
Iīm Harv Stenbaugh.
Well, lawman?
- Whatīs your name, son? - Crowe Wheelwright.
- Iīve no business with you. - Youīve got business with me.
Drop that gun belt. Iīm taking you in.
No, youīre not. You got two ways to move, lawman.
Run or take me.
Donīt make me kill you, son.
Now, Just a minute. What you gonna do? He shot him down in the street.
You all know why youīre here.
What I wanna know is what are we going to do?
He wants to know what weīre going to do.
Marc Corman and Harvey Stenbaugh were our friends.
Do we care about our friends?
Cormanīs widow - my sister - and the little ones, do we care about them?
Are we Just gonna stand around here and talk?
Talk never moved a thing or pulled a stump.
Are we gonna stand around and wait while this killer shoots whoever he wants?
- Heīs a lawman. - What? What?
How do we know that? Anyway, he ainīt the lawman here.
What happened in Bannock months ago is of no concern to us,
but we must respect the law.
As your mayor, I say we gotta protect our own.
- This man has got to be stopped. - What have you got in mind, Harris?
We all go over to the hotel, all of us, and we go meaning business.
And that means going armed.
We can tell Maddox to get out of town.
Now, now, wait a minute, Luther. That sounds like vigilante talk.
- Shouldnīt we stay within the limits of... - Sam, Sam.
It seems to me that you as mayor should be giving lead,
not trying to keep your hat on straight.
This town owes Vince Bronson a lot.
Legally speaking, there is a precedence for forming a citizensī committee.
Only if thereīs been a breakdown in the formal law services.
Well, Ryan is broken down enough to satisfy any precedence.
Moss is right, you know.
Weīre all beholden to Bronson, and a Bronson man was murdered.
We can talk till sundown and accomplish nothing, or we can act.
I say that we call off this meeting and do what we know is right.
Now, Luther, letīs...
Anybody here who calls himself a man and wants out better speak right now.
Anybody? Well, then, I think weīve got our work cut out for us.
Oh, dear.
You know what that man meant to me.
I held him above all other men,
closer even than my brothers.
I want him, Ryan. I want him broken.
I want his face in the dirt.
And līll hang whatīs left of him, hang him for the murderer he is.
I donīt care how, I donīt care who, so long as līm there to see it.
- It wasnīt murder, Mr Bronson. - I call it murder.
- Harv was on the prod. - I call it murder.
And I want something done about it.
The great Cotton Ryan.
You were good with a gun once. You were beautiful.
But Fort Bliss was a long time ago, wasnīt it, Ryan?
I donīt like men sweating fear in my house.
You pay me, Mr Bronson, and I eat your dirt.
But that donīt make what you say right.
- Get out. - When līm finished, Mr Bronson.
Leave him!
Harvey was on the prod. He went after Maddox.
He put the horn in and then he made his move first. Donīt make the same mistake.
Donīt go at a man like Maddox with a hammer.
You want him. I understand that. I figured that was your play.
But finish that thing in Bannock first. Go back there.
You can buy the whole town, and the Judge that goes with it.
Ryan.
Iīm sorry.
- Weīll get Maddox. - Yes.
Weīll get Maddox.
My heart isnīt in it. Godīs my witness, Jase, I wanted no more killing.
I could have bought that town with a whisper. Ryanīs right.
But not now.
Harveyīs death finished any chance of doing it without guns.
Damn you, Harvey.
- Heīs in the saloon. - Who is?
Which one has the words?
Youīre the storekeeper. Luther Harris, ainīt it?
Let me say them for you. You want me out of your town.
What happened some other time, some other place, ainīt your trouble.
Iīve seen men like you in every town in the West.
You want the law to walk quiet. You donīt want it to put a hole in your pocket.
You take courage from each other and you come armed.
Well, there are enough of you.
All you need is one man with enough stomach to die first.
Iīm not leaving till what I came for is done.
So if you plan to do anything about it, do it now or go home.
How much?
- For the meal? - Two bits.
Jesus, I thought for sure that...
* līm thinking of sweet Lena Clare
* With deep-blue eyes and cornflower hair...
Good evening, Cotton.
Lucas.
Cards.
- A dollar a point? - You know I canīt run that high, Lucas.
You got my note for more than I can ever pay, and still you wanna play.
Iīm not calling in your note.
Iīm not a great believer in the milk of human kindness.
You got a rope on the man who owes you.
Hit me.
Yours.
You got a weight on your back, Cotton.
- That the gossip? - Iīve heard.
Besides, youīve been here last night and tonight.
- Youīre not an indulgent man, so... - So?
- A manīs pleasure talks a lot. - Now, ainīt that pretty?
Hit me.
May I be of service, Cotton?
I got me a mess, Lucas, and I havenīt got enough long boot to step out of it.
- Letīs play cards. - Well, Cottontail Ryan.
Cottontail Ryan.
- You wanted something, Dekker? - Yeah, I want something.
I want some more of your cheap whisky. The service in your place stinks.
Then youīre a damn fool to come here.
He smells of trouble.
Iīm all right.
Maddox!
Iīm calling you out, Maddox.
- Weīve no quarrel, Crowe. - Iīm gonna kill you, Maddox.
- Iīm not gonna fight you, boy. - Stand.
I donīt plan on dying for no reason.
Ease up.
(gunShot)
You cheap little gunslinger. You set me up.
- So help me God. - Go for your gun.
- You want a chance? Go ahead. - I donīt know nothing about those shots.
It came from over there.
My town, Maddox.
* Some folks like to sigh, some folks do, some folks do
* Some folks like to die, but thatīs not me or you
* Long live the merry, merry heart that laughs by night and day
* Like the queen of mirth, no matter what some folks say
(gunShotS)
(woman Sc)eamS)
Drop it. Get up.
Come on.
Oh dear, oh dear.
Next time I see you, līll kill you.
God knows I got reason enough to wanna see you dead, Maddox,
but I hate back-shooters.
If you got nowhere important to go, I got a bottle in that desk.
- Dekkerīs on your list. - He a Bronson hand?
Yeah.
Stays close to Choctaw Lee.
Choctawīs a gun hand. Fast and likes his work.
Dekkerīs a shadow walker. Walks big with Choctaw, but a back-shooter inside.
I knew itīd be him. I saw him in town earlier.
Thanks, Ryan.
I owe you something, too. I feel good.
I remember you at Fort Bliss.
Thatīs my trouble. Everybody remembers me at Fort Bliss.
Thatīs all I got, Maddox. A bunch of yesterdays.
Itīs a long ride down from the high country, with stops all the way down.
In Abilene I ran. In Acadia City I hid in a cellar.
In Monmouth the Loring brothers made me eat dirt.
What keeps pushing you?
Iīve been a lawman for 20 years.
What stops you running sand inside?
I guess the question doesnīt arise.
After killing Stenbaugh, Bronsonīll come for you.
Itīs always the same.
You post a man, he has to come into town to prove heīs a man.
Or you kill a man and heīs got a friend or a kin Just has to come against you.
And for no reason. No reason that makes any sense.
And it donīt matter a damn to the man already in the ground.
Nobody wins.
You can stop it. Ride out tomorrow.
Itīs not a private matter with me.
The law. The honest ones carry it hard and clean all their lives.
Behind their backs, the others buy it, sell it, dirty it, tie it into knots.
Who lives longer, Maddox?
I was bringing in a killer when the shoot-up happened.
I could have chased a few tracks and let the matter drop.
But līm the law in Bannock. Anybody who goes against the law goes against me.
I donīt know any other way.
How many more for one old man?
I donīt call the numbers.
I never drew first on a man in my life. Thatīs the only way to stay clean.
You play it by the rules. Without the rules, youīre nothing.
- Bronson wonīt come alone. - I didnīt figure he would.
- You think he sent Dekker. He didnīt. - I donīt know that. Do you?
I know Bronson.
Either way, it donīt matter. Good night, Ryan.
Let me go, Cotton. Let me go.
Whatīs the matter with you, Ryan? Let me outta here!
Youīre through, Ryan. Bronsonīs gonna walk you into the ground.
Youīre all through, Cottontail.
Calculate you got about ten minutes, back-shooter.
Itīll take me five to get to Maddox and Maddox five to get saddled.
Heīd appreciate a little hunting.
Or I could gun you down, trying to escape. In the back.
- You wonīt be... - Back-shooter.
Any time you want out... you Just call.
Hold on, Crowe. You look like you got your teeth set on edge, boy. Now, move.
- I didnīt know nothing about Dekker. - You donīt even interest me.
- Whereīs your horse? - Tied up behind the stables.
Listen to me, Ryan. I didnīt know about Dekker. You ask him.
Maddox called my name down in front of everybody. I ainīt afraid of him.
You would be if you had brains enough to spit.
- I figure līm faster than him. - Keep walking.
Every town Maddox has worked, the ground is full of men who were faster.
- Well, I really am. I aim to prove it, too. - It makes a great epitaph.
You may be faster or better with a gun, but Maddox would kill you. Thatīs a fact.
Youīd be staring up at nothing before your gun even got clear.
I know what līm talking about, Crowe.
You might not rate me very high, but I know men like Maddox.
Youīd ride a man to hell, wouldnīt you, Jered?
Hello, Lucas.
Whose day for choosing is it, Price or Adams?
- You know this Adams? - I know him.
What kind is he?
I wouldnīt know. But I know what youīre doing is wrong, Maddox.
You were wrong in San Acoma. Youīre wrong here.
- Not from where I stand. - You canīt see from where you stand.
- I didnīt wanna wake you. - Where were you?
Over at Vernīs place. Sorry.
- Where are you going? - Go back to bed, Laura.
Where are you going, Hurd? I wanna know.
- Go back to bed, will you, please? - Youīre running, arenīt you, Hurd?
- Do you have to, Laura? - No, I donīt have to.
Damn you. Always gotta push my face in it, you and this God-cursed land.
Iīm running. Does that make you happier?
You said youīd give yourself up.
- That was before Harv was killed. - Iīm talking about you, Hurd.
I donīt care about Harvey Stenbaugh. He doesnīt make any difference.
- Harv Stenbaugh was my friend. - You hated him.
He never cared about anything unless it had the Bronson name to it.
Lying bitch.
Youīre a nobody, Just a little nobody to them.
- I owe Vince everything līve got. - You owe him what?
This piece of dirt that wouldnīt grow weeds?
And Harvey kept you on your knees saying thank you.
Hurd, they Just donīt care.
But you do?
Yes.
Thatīs not what I see every time I look at you.
You know what I see? I see īīYouīre not much, Hurd Price.īī
Not a man like all the men youīve known.
I didnīt mean that.
Yes, you did.
And maybe youīre right.
Maybe that is whatīs in my face.
I donīt think so. Iīve tried, Hurd.
And I donīt wanna see you dead.
I canīt go in alone, Laura.
The others wonīt go in now, not to surrender.
Hereīs Vern.
But Maddox promised nothing would happen to you.
What did you promise him?
Iīll be back.
When you turn around, keep your arms straight out from the body.
I told you the next time I saw you, līd kill you.
I knew nothing about Dekker.
- So you said. - Itīs true.
I Just wanted you to know.
- You ride for Bronson? - Yeah, I ride for him.
Does he send you out to do his killing?
No. And he didnīt send me out here this morning, neither.
You Just took it upon yourself. What for, a pat on the head?
- You killed Harvey Stenbaugh. - Youīve got a bad memory, son.
- Stenbaugh had it in mind to kill me. - He didnīt have a chance.
You donīt even care, do you, Maddox?
No. No, I donīt care.
You say he didnīt have a chance.
He went for his gun first. When he does that, he uses up all his chances.
- Do I have to keep my arms up here? - Till I say different.
You liked Stenbaugh?
Iīm sorry, Crowe, but he had a lot of chances.
He didnīt have to come into town.
He didnīt have to cross the street. He could have given himself up.
- You wouldnīt have done no different. - Youīre wrong.
I wouldnīt put living down on cheap pride.
You can drop your arms.
Still plan on trying to kill me?
I donīt know. But I ainīt afraid of you.
I never said you were.
- Any fish in that stream? - Some natives and some bullheads.
- Hungry? - I didnīt come out here...
Having breakfast ainīt gonna make us friends.
- You got another line? - In the saddlebag.
Ryan thinks youīre pretty good. Says you could kill me any time you wanted to.
I say different. I think līm faster.
Are you asking me whoīs faster or whether I could kill you if I chose to?
Because if itīs the second, the answer is yes.
Youīre pretty damn sure.
Iīm pretty damn sure.
You think itīs a game, donīt you? A contest between gentlemen.
You ever kill a man, Crowe?
Youīre a cowman. You carry a side gun for protection. Snakes.
You learn to use it sometimes fairly well.
Sometimes you become really good.
But youīre still a cowman.
Iīm a lawman. You know what a lawman is, Crowe?
Heīs a killer of men. Thatīs what the Job calls for.
There are nicer ways to put it, but it reads the same.
Thatīs the difference between us, and itīs all the difference I need.
Maddox!
Being fast donīt count for much. Itīs what you learn in the trade.
You read a man.
You believe me, about last night?
I donīt think youīd trail a man so hard so early in the morning Just to tell a lie.
If youīre heading for Vern Adamsī place, expect trouble.
Heīll be waiting.
- Morning, Mayor. - Morning, Marshal.
- Nice morning. - Just a minute, Marshal.
- Heīs left town. - Who?
- He rode out this morning, I heard. - We wanna be sure he donīt come back.
I Just come from the minister and the churchgoing women.
It seems youīve all got the same complaint.
But none of you have any reason for me to post Maddox out of town.
I told you we were wasting our time. Heīs running scared of Maddox.
What we need is some real vigilante talk.
I heard you tried that once, then went scuttling back to your wives.
Maybe if you keep trying, youīll find some brave man to shoot Maddox in the back.
Now I suggest you fine, upright gentlemen go about your business.
If you canīt keep the dirt off the street, Ryan, we can. And we will.
Youīre all mouth, Luther, mouth and gut wind.
You wonīt do much more than scratch yourself.
Look, down there.
What is it, Vern?
Maddox.
- What are you gonna do? - End it here.
- You sure itīs Maddox? - Iīm sure.
- We could get through the pass. - I said if he came after me, līd kill him.
Jesus! Wait!
Seven unmarked with the Wolf Creek bunch, Mr Bronson.
- Mark īem. - Some of themīll be Adamsīs.
Cut out his brand and give them to him.
- What do you mean, you donīt know? - I Just donīt know.
- You knew last night. - Did l?
I canīt figure you, Crowe. You ainīt scared of him, so what is it?
Maybe I Just donīt think itīs the right way to do things.
Maybe I donīt think itīs my fight. I Just donīt know.
Maybe I donīt think it should take four or five guns to go against one man.
- He murdered Harvey. - I know what happened, Jase.
I was there, remember?
- I thought we were friends. - We are.
And I didnīt say I wouldnīt.
I Just wanna think on it.
Well, youīd better think right... if you wanna ride for this brand.
Your run is over, mister. Drop your rifle.
Now the side gun.
Walk ahead.
Thatīs far enough. Turn around and sit.
- You Price or Adams? - Adams.
Keep one thing in mind, Adams. Make it difficult, youīre a dead man.
Letīs go.
Howīd you know who I was?
I was in town when you brought in Cormanīs body.
- You thought you were better than him. - No, I didnīt.
I didnīt kill anybody that night, and I canīt afford the time to go back and stand trial.
I got 100 head and nobody but a woman and my old dog to hold down my place.
Iīd have nothing to come back to.
You have no right to take that from me.
Drop it.
I told you to drop it.
(SpeakS Comanche)
What do you want, Price?
I Just come by to pay my respects, Vince.
- Whenīs the burying? - Soon.
Iīd appreciate it if I could attend.
- Youīll be welcome. - Can I stay, Vince?
Just for the night, I mean.
You must excuse me. Sheīll show you to your room.
Thanks, Vince.
When are you going after that Maddox?
When the dead are buried.
He needs killing.
No man needs killing.
I was only thinking of Harv.
Weīre all thinking of Harv.
It took guns to get this land, guns to keep it, guns to make things grow.
The guns that pride called out.
And each time we buried the cost.
Iīll see you, Price, at the burying.
I wouldnīt think a few beef and a scrub ranch would be worth dying for, mister.
Weīre leaving.
O omnipotent God, alone and unbending in thy heaven,
accept with mercy into thy Judgment this thy child.
Moulded from the cold shard,
and fired with a soul warmed in thy presence, comes forth man.
To struggle and move, unbowed, through this harsh world alone.
To be tested by life.
To be confused by passion.
To be tempted and brought down by evil.
To seek for the light that the soul knows and never turns away from,
and then to return from which he came, again, alone.
To stand in all finality before thy gaze and give account.
Such is manīs destiny.
And from the hardness comes forth a purity that soft men can never find.
Such a man was this, our brother, who now we bury here.
- Amen. - (all) Amen.
And now let us each man unto his own God pray.
And now let us sing unto the Lord.
* A mighty fortress is our God
* A bulwark never failing...
We should have gone together, Harv.
* Our helper, he, amid...
(dog ba)king)
Hush!
Heīs not here. Iīm alone. Heīs run.
Got a prisoner here that needs a bit of care. Got a hole in him.
Vern, whereīs Hurd?
Heīs run free, Laura.
- Can you get the bullet out? - Itīll have to be cut out through the back.
- You can put him in the bed. - He goes outside.
- Get up. - Heīs hurt bad.
Someday līll get a second chance at you, and I wonīt miss.
Donīt push it, Adams.
Iīve got some food warming.
How do you like the Price farm?
Over there we grow corn... for the weevils.
And out in back the potatoes fried black in the ground from the sun.
We do own a few head of stock to keep the bore-fly happy and the crows.
Itīs not much, but I guess itīs more than you got, Jered.
Are you married to this Price fella?
No preachers and no flowers. But līm his woman, Jered.
That food will be done now.
- Does he have to stay out there all night? - He does.
- You havenīt changed much. - Not much.
I hear Canyon City is a ghost town.
Diggingīs dried up.
The golden promise.
Well, it had a good run for its money.
Remember Bucky? Whereīs Bucky now?
Heīs dead. Charlottesville. Somebody named Yancey, I heard.
Buck tried to take him in, gave him too much edge, I guess.
And Joe Wilmot?
Him, too. Shot in the back.
Ben Tilson, Luther Thompson, Bill Chrysler. All gone.
- Jack Horn will never walk again. - Iīm sorry, Jered.
A lot of candles to light.
- Can I take something out to Vern? - Go ahead.
Get me something to cut loose, and a gun if youīve got one.
- Please, Laura. - No, Vern. Heīll kill you.
No, heīll go after Hurd next, maybe kill him.
With a gun and him not expecting it, I could stop him.
Eat your food. Iīll get you another blanket.
Promise me that you wonīt try to kill Maddox, that youīll Just go.
Heīd come after me.
Itīs turned colder. Can I take him another blanket?
Laura.
Thanks for supper.
Promise me, Vern, that youīll go. Just go.
I got no more run in me.
If you get me a gun, līll have more than a better chance to get him.
Heīll check me again before he beds down.
He wonīt expect nothing.
Youīve got to.
I was gonna give it to him.
Do you wanna know why I was gonna give him the gun?
Heīs hurt. Heīs a friend. There are a lot of reasons.
I wanted to because of you.
Because thereīs nothing soft in you, nothing forgiving.
Even this damn land doesnīt hold a man down as hard as you do.
What made you change your mind?
It wouldnīt make any difference.
Youīd kill him or go after him, or heīd kill you.
I didnīt want that.
The sword of Gideon.
How do you see yourself, Jered?
What are you asking, girl?
For me to let Adams go? Forget about Price, Bronson and the rest?
- Would that be so terrible? - You know I canīt.
You hold the law too high. You always did.
Would it make any difference if Just once...
You canīt play with it like that, Laura. There is no īīJust onceīī.
Next time it might be a friend.
Or money in your hand. Or maybe you get scared.
And then it becomes one more īīJust onceīī.
Soon you donīt know who you are.
You canīt break the rules, Laura.
The rules.
I forgot about the rules. You think they change the killings.
Because you never draw on a man first, do you think that really matters?
Do you know what they call you, Jered?
The widow-maker.
Iīve a harsh tongue, Jered Maddox, and then līm always saying that līm sorry.
And thereīs no use your being out there wanting to be in here,
and me being in here wishing youīd come to me.
You took a damn long time.
(je)ed) How did you get here?
Hm?
This place, I mean.
Oh.
After Canyon City, it was Tombstone. Then I went north to Ellsworth.
Thatīs where I met Hurd.
And he brought me here.
Why do you stay?
Iīve used up too many places.
Besides, I owe Hurd.
Heīs kind and tender when thereīs time to be kind and tender.
He left you here.
Heīs frightened. Itīs a terrible thing to be frightened, Jered.
You donīt leave a man like Hurd much.
Come back with me.
Would you quit?
Iīve thought of it.
25 years. All youīve got is a gun and not enough ground to throw over you.
Come back to Bannock.
Iīve always loved you, Jered.
But I would rather have this dead land and Hurd Price
than the cold waiting that līd have with you.
Do you still carry that whistle thing?
- You mean the flute? - Do you?
In the saddlebag.
Play me something.
(flute muSic)
Any free land around here?
I asked you a question, mister.
Only high up. South of the river thereīs some for the buying.
Good land?
Men like you donīt buy land, Maddox. You donīt buy it and you donīt work it.
(ho)Se neighS)
Do you want me to handle this myself, Mr Bronson?
No.
Find Crowe?
Quit. Rode out earlier with his stuff.
This locks in with you, Hurd. Are you going to ride with us?
A manīs gotta stand sometime!
- Iīll Just get my things. - Get Price an animal.
You need some breakfast.
I hear you might have trouble from the citizens.
Harris?
It seems heīs trying to throw a lot of sand.
What does a man like that want, Lucas?
The name. He hungers for the name in bold, proud letters.
When Maddox comes back, you could have big trouble, Cotton.
If Maddox comes back.
Heīll come back. You might need help.
I tell you, Lucas, if I had somewhere to run to, līd run.
But I donīt, so līll stand.
And the storekeeper and his friends?
I donīt know.
You knew Maddox from before?
You never said.
- From where? - Claremont, Canyon City, San Acoma.
- Friends? - Used to be.
And now?
Thereīs been trouble between us. I killed a man in San Acoma.
Maddox called it against me, posted me out of town.
He called it wrong, but... thatīs how it stayed.
Harris and his friends donīt have the tail for gunplay.
Such a man was this, our brother, Marc Corman, who now we bury here.
- Amen. - (all) Amen.
Better get him to a doctor.
- Who is that woman? - Cormanīs widow.
Murderer!
Tell Moss and Cobden to meet at my store.
How? Thatīs what I wanna know, Luther.
The next time he steps into the street. You and Moss upstairs.
Totts, Hersham and me here in the store and out in the alley.
- You mean cut him down, Just like that? - Just like that. Does that bother you?
Weīre not gunfighters. We canīt do it straight out.
Itīs not as if it was murder, him a killer anī all. More like a hanging.
Heīs standing on the neck of this town, and thatīs for damn sure.
- Whatīs the matter, Cobden? - I got no taste for it.
I had you down for a man.
You talk a big noise, Luther, but Maddox put water between your legs once before,
and I think maybe the mould is set that way.
- Ryan? - Be right out.
Doc says Adams canīt travel for a few days. Heīs busted up inside.
When he gets better, let him go.
Tell him he can go back to his land. The others, too.
Tell īem itīs finished. Iīm pulling out.
You? What happened out there?
Nothing happened.
A man like you doesnīt let go that easy, not for no reason.
I guess I Just looked around me.
Anyway, soon thereīll be no more towns like Bannock,
towns that need a gun like mine.
I guess yours is the right way, Cotton.
Sit out the years, find a nice, quiet town, one that pays a bit of house toll.
Donīt do it my way, Maddox. Quit clean.
- Buy you a drink? - No, thanks.
Bronson Just rode into town. Thereīs four of īem.
- Whoīs with him? - His son, Choctaw Lee and Hurd Price.
Iīd say you bought more than you can chew this time.
You figure you got a say in this?
I wouldnīt wanna see you get it in the back.
Weīve done too many towns.
- You donīt owe me, Lucas. - Well, letīs say I need the action.
You and I sit at the same table, Jered.
The virtuous need us, but they donīt like the smell.
(B)onSon) Maddox!
Damn fools. Iīll go out and talk to them.
Leave us be. Man gets caught in his own doing.
You canīt change what you are, and if you try, something always calls you back.
Cotton?
I canīt. I got no stomach for that kind of shooting any more.
- Which one is Hurd Price? - The one on the end, next to the old man.
Watch Lee, on your right. Heīs the gun hand.
Crowe!
Please let me talk to īem, Maddox.
Jason and me were never in Bannock. We went to Abilene.
Hear me out. Jason and me are friends. Iīll kill you if I have to, Maddox.
No need to, son.
Whoa!
Thereīs been enough.
Heīs going.
He killed Harvey. You canīt let him go.
Maddox!
- Itīs over, Jase. - I donīt crawl.
- Heīll kill you. - Get your hands off. Iīm not afraid of him.
Harveyīd walk fire for you.
Heīs my son, Maddox.
Donīt beg him.
Visiontext Subtitles: Sally Lewis
ENHOH