After watching a couple of his 1930s films, I can confirm that Randolph Scott is much more "recognizable" as his more mature self in this 1940s film. I like the way everything in this story is split in two: Farmers vs. Cowboys is the main division, but the town is also divided. On one side, it's the church and businesses (civilization) on one side of the street, and the saloons on the other side. Dan (Scott) is the town marshal. This gives him the obligation to patrol both sides. He also has a counterpart: Sheriff Trimble (Edgar Buchanan), representing the law for the county. Dan takes his job seriously. The Sheriff would rather play cards and stay out of trouble. We have the two love interests: Sherry (Rhoda Fleming) on the church side, and Rita (Ann Dvorak) on the saloon side. Dan likes both of them, and they both like him. But Dan has a little more "saloon side" in him. He wants to represent the good guys, but he's willing to use his gun. He's also ...
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