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.
不是说老亨利不能死，不过老亨利的死是说不通的，以老亨利的背景，可以想见当初将人带回来时，一定将该人搜索个遍了，以寻找他可以透露的身份信息，所以，类似手臂纹身是一定不会被忽视的。随便说一下，当初《巴斯特·斯克鲁格斯的歌谣》里的亮眼表演果然是人才。
感受就是，黑吃黑真可怕
有点模样 差点意思 不过嘛 西部片总要加点分
这篇短小精湛的西部片值得一看 西部逼王蒂姆尼尔森太带感了
各种喜欢，太久没看这种西部片了，前一天刚看的奇异博士多元宇宙，再看这个简直惊为天人，熟悉的电影感，稳定的镜头，压着嗓子的对白，不屑的神情，骨子里的天王老子来了也不怕的反叛，好想在院线里看到啊，老子天下第一，谁来干谁
别惹农民阶级，里面藏龙卧虎
他一袭白衣白裤从《巴斯特·斯克鲁格斯的歌谣》乘着歌声的翅膀飘到此地隐居，赔命为跃跃欲试的“生姜”演示了江湖玩命的“老姜”风范，树林里探头探脑的决斗舞步表演得惟妙惟肖。
群枪战开头的时候帅毙了！灵活的小交叉步+压低的左轮手枪，令人着迷！！！（看到这里我又联系到自己喜欢一个人完全不在意外貌这件事了
这时候冷不丁杀出一个大隐于山的邋遢老农用着颇具年代感的左轮大干特干
好多影迷说是传统硬核西部片，但这明明是老无所依式的西部哀歌。当然，导演希望比利小子后继有人，而传统西部片能再现辉煌。
这年头想看个像《老亨利》这样的西部片都已经很难得了。
有种看了古典西部爽片的感觉，1906年的美国已经是世界第一，具有传奇的老爹逝去，带着传统的西部小子开始闯荡新世界。
这片的迷之高分有点不理解，画面色调比较复古，有点西部片的样子，但剧情实在拉跨，比利小子成了比利老头子，修身养性了还教育下一代要成为温柔的绵羊，拜托老大，那是蛮荒西部啊，拼手速比狠劲的年代啊，那样教育下一代能活过十岁吗?枪战场面太低幼了，仅有的二场枪战就像童子军在露营，你可是西部传奇啊，虽然英雄迟暮也不至于过家家吧，完全没有表现出比利小子的凶悍与经验，本片这个农夫与蛇的故事也根本不可能发生啊。不知道导演想表达个啥，比利小子的顿悟?其儿子的成长?貌似啥都看不出来，这样拍西部片，这个类型真的就没必要再复辟了。
你要惹怒当农民的曾经杀手，那么你就会是被杀的那个人。
看的时候想起藤泽周平的武士小说，默默无闻的小人物，受困于艰辛生活，性格懦弱，被家人看不起，但其实是一个身怀绝技的侠客！
西部片的一波三折，还是跌宕起伏的。
传说中的比利小子变成了老比利，见识过大风大浪的人处变不惊，大杀四方，却终究暗箭难防
开完会冒烟的左轮，击中会炸飞的双管，开垦却不发芽的土地，
一句话的情节能拍出这种厚重感，这就是基本功。
好喜欢，很久没看这么有感觉的西部片了，片尾曲很好听
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