Cinematheque: Anthony Mann's Westerns

Stewart and Mann’s first collaboration follows a coveted rifle as it passes between owners. The plot eagerly scrambles the conventional story arc: all the requisite raids, hideouts, and showdowns are accounted for, but seem to take place out of order. Beautifully shot in black and white by William Daniels, this marks visually Mann's thematic transition from the claustrophobic alleys of his contemporary, urban films noir to the expansive, vacant frontiers of the west.