Richard Harris is Sean Kilpatrick, the unlikely sheriff of a small Texas town who always tries to avoid violence. However, he undergoes a major change of heart once Frank Brand (an excellent Rod Taylor), a cold-blooded outlaw, and his nasty gang, cause a ruckus in his town, and lead to the deaths of Kilpatrick's wife and son. Kilpatrick relentlessly tracks them down, even as they cross the border into Mexico, where Kilpatrick's progress is both helped and hindered by Mexican policeman Gutierrez (Al Lettieri), who is also after Brand but wants to do things the legal way.<br /><br />While this Western (from a story by Samuel Fuller, also the original director but fired after disputes with star Harris) won't be for everybody because of its grim and sometimes ugly nature, there's no doubt that it hits a real nerve. It doesn't glorify vigilantism and instead works as an examination of how an obsession with "justice" can lead basically good people down a very dark path. As the movie goes on, Kilpatrick displays a newfound proclivity towards ruthlessness. (Perhaps most interesting is having Brand display a touch of humanity late in the movie as he tries to reach out to his own daughter.) It also serves as a good contrast between conflicting ideas as Kilpatrick and Gutierrez strike up their rather volatile relationship.<br /><br />Excellent widescreen photography is one asset; a most amusing supporting cast is another. Neville Brand is great as "Choo Choo", so named for a rail tie at the end of one limb where his hand used to be. William Smith is interesting as the thuggish but seemingly mentally challenged "Schoolboy", and Paul Benjamin is fine as Jacob, the dapper black gentleman who for whatever unfathomable reason rides with these men and puts up with a lot of their nonsense. But Taylor is the most fun as the swaggering lowlife who puts the whole plot into motion.<br /><br />The movie is rather slowly paced, but offers a very adult story for Western fans. It packs a rather mean punch and while not particularly memorable, it's still pretty good entertainment.<br /><br />7/10