Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

B. I just watched the movie last night and it is one of Scott's best. Another poster compared him to the stoic never make a mistake type of character that was often played by a later in his career Joel McCrea ( like he was with Scott in 'Ride The High Country'), but the fact that Scott ( like his character Britt Canfield was from Virginia) spoilers ahead: What Britt is above all is a leader, which is why Dave Baxter ( Warner Anderson), hires him to work on his railroad, and eventually makes him his right hand man. The problem that Canfield ( and his brothers), face is how despised southerners were treated after the Civil War. Carpetbaggers stealing the family farm, disrespect from soldiers which is why that soldier ended up getting killed by one of the Canfield brothers, even the women he likes Judith Chandler ( Janis Carter) cannot stand him because he led a battle in which her husband died. His biggest problem was he could not get his brothers to follow him and work for the railroad, and they became outlaws. He holds himself responsible for that. As he says to his Sister In Law, Ella. "As the oldest, it's my responsibility to keep the family together."at the end he has to join a posse and try and bring them to justice. ( and hopefully save them from dying ( which does not happen))the final two scenes of the movie were interesting and neither had Scott. Dave was explaining how the Railroad would open up an Empire and how Canfield was responsible for getting it built. Then some of the men ( such as the engineers) who worked with him told Judith ( and Ella) to send him a message that they are coming to work for him. Judith says "That is a message I will deliver in person." So it ends up that even though he could not get his brothers to follow him ( because of all the hate they had inside), he ended up with people who will follow him ( because of who he was). One character I love is Ella. Normally Hollywood would make her the love interest instead of a Sister In Law. There is a scene at the end where the brothers commit a robbery and Scott goes to her home looking for them she tells Scott "I would rather have him in jail, then living an outlaw life." Then the law ( and Dave ) come in and are going to arrest She says he is innocent . They asked him where they are? He will not tell ( he wants to bring them in), she tells the Law. Her loyalty was with Britt and doing the right thing over her husband. My single favorite scene is with the Indian Chief driving the train and the smile on his face. It is rare when you see an Indian as actually happy and not because of a battle or around a woman. I also like what Britt had someone say to the chief "Someday they will name a train after you." They did the Santa Fe Railroad "Super Chief." 10/10 stars.

Wonderful premise where 4 brothers, after the civil war, go different directions with the elder brother, Randolph Scott, working for the railroad and the other 3 wind up as bank robbers.The film becomes muddled as you really don't understand the conflict between the various factions within the railroad. You also don't know how to feel about the brothers. Are they victims of circumstances? What was the fate of the surviving brothers by film's end?Roy Roberts plays the villain here. I remember him as a hotel innkeeper who refused admission to Gregory Peck for being Jewish in "Gentleman's Agreement," and 20 years later to a black couple in "Hotel."This is a great part for Randolph Scott. He is a real good guy here, and yet still loyal to the concept of family.

Enjoyed this 1951 story about the expanding of the Santa Fe Railroad through Kansas and how some Southern soldiers after the war headed North to find jobs and their leader was Randolph Scott, (Britt Canfield)and his three brothers. There plan was to make enough money in the North and head back to Virginia, however, there was still great hatred towards the Northerners for burning their property and also claiming their homestead lands. As the Santa Fe railroad is trying to lay their track across the land there is a bunch of crooks looking for their pay checks on pay day and they set up a tent with gambling, booze and hot bar maids to grab every nickle and dime and cause great delays in the building of the railroad. Janis Carter, (Judith Chandler) is a pretty platinum blonde who captures the eye of Britt Canfield, but she hates him for killing her brother in the Civil War. Great film with steam engines burning up the tracks and even an Indian takes complete control of the engine. Enjoy a great 1951 Classis Western from the past.

I have a special liking for this film because I used to admire the Santa Fe beautiful passenger trains in the fifties and I made a fantastic trip at that time on the Santa Fe from New Mexico to Chicago. This is a colorful, entertaining film which tells the story of Randolph Scott and his brothers who were confederates and after the war is finished, get in a brawl with some nasty northern soldiers. To get away from a posse they jump into a train of the Santa Fe and Scott starts working in the building of the railroad. As his brothers become outlaws, he gets uncomfortable in his position at the railroad. Scott changes his westerns outfits quite often, I suppose because at that time the movie stills were published in a lot of magazines. A great moment is when an Indian chief complains that the train is making too much noise, so Scott allows him to drive the locomotive, to feel that he is in control. From "The Iron Horse" on, the building of the railroads was always a great theme for westerns and Santa Fe tell its story with plenty of good action scenes.