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.
整个故事的架构感觉问题很大。说得好听是学院派但给我的感觉更像是大型的学生作业。在视听的处理和画面风格上有一些创新，但是工业流程很明显不熟练，录音部分让普通观众都能意识到存在问题。幻境与现实的切换在创作团队看来是合理的，但是一旦跳脱出创作的语境就会觉得一时间无法理解。总体来说就是自以为达到艺术成就的自嗨。
这灰不拉叽的滤镜真是够了，看不清人物表情，边界模糊，电影质感不是冷色调就一定高级。头一次见方言说得这么不接地气。剧情无聊，角色单薄，转变突兀。摄影还可以吧，像作画那样讲究构图，但很多时候过于追求静态构图又没能力把握住动态构图，以至于让人物沦为了模特。
9.24看了首映忘记写短评，但是发到了red。
成功浪费快一个小时，折磨人的观影体验，剩下半个多小时在睡觉。首先不敌视炫技 不排斥凹造型 你营造所谓的氛围感 你镜头语言努力去牛逼 但我就是不喜欢 请讲好且尊重故事
前小段极为形式化的镜头让我一度以为是部炫技的烂片，但是看完全片还是感到比较振奋的。虽然没能摆脱主旋律电影的通病——人只是接受任务完成任务的机器，群像描写比较单薄（以及一句非常离谱的主题口号），但是考虑到命题作文式的创作背景，足以感受到导演反宏大叙事反类型的决心，尤其是几段战斗场面有意的留白非常出彩（祠堂，河底，芦苇荡）。总之在一堆某狼某湖之中足够让人眼前一亮了。
能有这样的创作是电影的星星之火，能在万达周末看到排片是我的幸运。同场后排一个男生和一对情侣，很安静。
中途一度想要离场，看完以后不知道主角长啥样。毫无必要地全程使用黑白色调、昏暗灯光，剧本七零八落，人物无一立体。
这黑白调色，难道，只是为了，过审🤔？
不禁让人想起第五代开山作《一个和八个》，与其相比本片的摄影可以说更为大胆，浙江西南的风景拍的尤其迷人，大量消色摄影带来的寡淡画风被丰富的镜头调度所弥补，最后一个长镜头尤其精彩颇有老塔遗风。
影片有自己独特的影像风格，但影像风格并不是电影的一切，如果说这是习作，差不多能到7分，可这是一部院线，那不好意思5分不能再多了。
内容低于形式。通过“口号”就能让人物就团结凝聚，在人物动机和转变描写上就一笔带过。宣教式场景和教化式对白的出现在所谓“诗电影”当中显得不伦不类。
说实话个人还蛮喜欢精巧营造的水墨画面的，水底、树林和洞穴的光影美则美矣，却不能深入到叙事的新意，同时可惜的是摄影机的存在感太强，表面上在讲个体反主旋律，实际上主体被分散了，个体的内心依然空洞。整体上，就是内容跟不上形式的追求。
国产主旋律就应该有这样的质量，别再搞形式主义了
感觉像看了个大型的毕业联合作业…… 有别传统战争类型片的艺术探索，只是这样的摄影风格和分镜设计对于此类型电影的加成肉眼可见并不大，这样影片的成就更多的是在于开发出另一种可能性吧，个人还是蛮喜欢这样形式的表达的。
BJIFF2021第十六场。淡化人物和叙事，完整的美学体验。一部试验性作品。北影节最佳摄影预定。
当然整部电影的镜头都很美，不同人物所代表的不同类型的革命战士，以及最后的血雨，再考虑到这是一部命题电影。真的很不错。
美术太棒了，怪不得是美术学院的作品。影像诗情画意，部分镜头有塔可夫斯基的味道，镜头设计得很好。色调就像一幅水墨画。成功的让影像引领叙事，北影节最后一场，终于看到以影像为主的电影了，怪不得是最佳影片。
为了救另外的几百个人，甘愿把自己化为名字。那另外的几百人，他们是为了救谁，而又去战谁呢？谁是手足，谁又是敌人？建构性在小孩子身上还没完全体现，他并没有把你和我分得那么清楚。最终你和我之间的区别也就是谁先开枪罢了。一场浅层次的认同之争，过暗加梦境化的处理让人分不清。
很遗憾，装逼没装到我的审美点上，所以三星。不过有一点还是比较认同，真正的战死大都是悄无声息的，不会像吴京那样大喊大叫好几次。
为了救另外的几百个人，甘愿把自己化为名字。那另外的几百人，他们是为了救谁，而又去战谁呢？谁是手足，谁又是敌人？建构性在小孩子身上还没完全体现，他并没有把你和我分得那么清楚。最终你和我之间的区别也就是谁先开枪罢了。一场浅层次的认同之争，过暗加梦境化的处理让人分不清。
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