Lawyer Ralph Anderson arrives in Tula, an amazingly remote town in the desert, as reluctant emissary of mob chief Victor Massonetti, who wants the airstrip clear for his unofficial exit from the country. Ralph's arrival has a profound effect on his estranged father, the sheriff; his brother Tip, an alcoholic deputy; and his ex-sweetheart Linda, now married to Tip. Tension builds as a small army of gangsters takes over the town. Then the situation abruptly changes...
Acting
Widmark's slow-burn guilt versus Cobb's volcanic menace.
Direction
Panama squeezes claustrophobia from wide open spaces.
Cinematography
The desert becomes a character—beautiful and murderous.
Director
Norman Panama
Richard Widmark
Ralph Anderson
Lee J. Cobb
Victor Massonetti
Tina Louise
Linda Anderson
Earl Holliman
Tippy Anderson
Carl Benton Reid
Sheriff Lloyd Anderson
Lorne Greene
Davis
Peter Baldwin
Mellon
Richard Shannon
Len Karger
Carl Milletaire
Eddie
James Bell
Clint Edwards
Karl Lukas
Greenie (uncredited)
Wayne Heffley
Lou Brann (uncredited)
Louis Quinn
Archie Stoner (uncredited)
Walter Coy
Second Fake Policeman (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
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