John Derek is Brock Mitchell, a man released from jail after serving a year for killing a man in self-defense.
He returns to his hometown of Showdown Creek to discover that his brother Tracy (Nick Adams) and two neighboring ranchers have a pending beef contract with the railroad that could provide them with a secure future.
But there are two problems.
First, the note on the Mitchell ranch is about to expire, and the railroad agent that was supposed to show up in Showdown Creek with their contract is slow to show.
Second, Chad Deasey is determined to force Brock into a misstep of some sort.
Seems a couple years earlier, Brock gunned down his brother, also in self-defense.
Now Deasey has a hired gun named Miley Sutton acting as his bodyguard and trying to prod Brock into a gunfight.
And if that doesn’t work, he has other ideas about how to get even for his brother’s death.
Taunt little Western with Derek in the role of a man who wants to settle down to a life without a gun, but finds mistrust at every turn. Not to mention violent tendencies that make him wonder if he hasn’t turned into the trigger-happy animal everyone assumes his is.
Nick Adams turns in a solid performance as his supportive brother. Gage Clark is suitably slimy as the man determined to bring Brock down. And Carolyn Craig is the sheriff’s daugther who used to love Brock and would like to trust him again, but isn’t sure she should.
Directed by:
Gerd Oswald
Cast:
John Derek … Brock Mitchell
John Smith … Miley Sutton
Carolyn Craig … Ginny Clay
Nick Adams … Tracy Mitchell
Gage Clark .. Chad Deasey
Robert Griffin .. Sheriff Clay
Malcolm Atterbury … NorrisRusty Lane … Riley
Sydney Smith … Van Steeden
Frances Morris … Mrs. Williams
Tyler MacDuff … Tom Williams
Robert Adler … Alabam
Ken Christy … Mr. Phelps
Runtime: 76 min.
Memorable lines:
Sheriff to Brock: “The next time you have to come through this town, don’t.”
Mitchell: “I couldn’t stop. I wanted to sink my teeth into his throat. I’m trouble. It grows around me like weeds. Everyone I touch.”
Mitchell to banker Van Steeden: “Looks like my trouble weeds are about to trip you up, too.”
Mitchell: “It isn’t easy to join the human race again, once you’ve been drummed out.”