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.
除了略显冗长的铺垫和过分伟光正的主角，其他都值得好评。正义真难。
制作上其实不算很精良
谁能想到这是真实发生且还在发生的事情呢？PS剧情过于冗长，看了一大半也大概猜到结局便匆匆睡去。
要比《辩护人》要艰难许多~
灿烂的宗教文明，顽固的种姓制度，写飞鸟集的泰戈尔，拿奥运会奖牌的辛度，拍三傻蜚声国际的阿米尔汗和片子里被殴打致死的拉贾坎努，都是印度。宗教究竟是让底层人有了精神出口，还是规驯他们学会了逆来顺受。印度有《杰伊比姆》 ，韩国有《辩护人》 ，曾经我们如果有这样的片子，会被称为给西方民主国家递刀，美国人权斗士们确实喜欢这样的片子，会用一种居高临下的悲悯去观看，但这并不意味着不应该拍，文强、黄宏发、孙小果等等等等，还有那些没有被揪出来的苍蝇老虎们，应该颤抖。
无论什么制度，最终都要靠人的良心和说真话。
本身是部好电影，但为什么我不爱看印度电影，总是用一些低级的手法，比如出场正面人物的慢动作再加上走路自带BGM的镜头让我十分不感冒。
为啥少一颗星呢，紧张程度还是少一些。全靠剧情支撑。印度黑暗，一点点再改变，希望我们也是。
种姓制度不完全废，没啥希望。给低种姓的人学习的机会，都考上大学，他们自然不结婚不生孩子了
并算不上很妙，伏笔埋得太明显，显得很蹩脚。但要表达的东西倒挺真诚的，其实这样一个故事放到其他国家必定觉得不真实，但在印度真不好说。
比姆是印度宪法之父，也是印度第一位法律部长 。印度的姓氏是分级别的，贱民身份世代相传，不能接受教育，不能穿鞋，只能从事卑贱的工作，甚至在走路的时候影子都怕落到路人的身上，这是印度历史最黑暗的阴影。
真的是胜在真实事件本身的残酷与带来的意义，影片整体臃肿了些，是印度影片的的通病了，但还是看看吧，又一个需要罪.犯就造一个，至于是谁，不重要，弱势就行，但这样的事少吗？历史与现实会告诉你，司.法系统，法.律，执.法者，到底在保护谁？有一股势力想要逼迫绝大多数的人视野要更狭窄，知道得越少越好，你的生活必须更贫乏，制.度与世俗在尽可能的要方方面面掌控你~~~~~我只想说，别熬走你的锐气，多读书多认识这个世界吧！！
不得不说越来越多的印度电影和电视剧出现在我们的视角里了，有些电影真的值得我们导演和编剧学习。
从故事角度满分，电影角度上为数不多的缺陷是前半部拖沓，稍许艺术化和套路。
这世上相信正义并为之行动的人不会绝种。
妻子最终都不接受权势者威逼利诱的和解。
类似于划分种姓造成的各种人权问题永远无法完全解决，能有人站出来帮助平衡就不错了。生命比金钱重要，名声比挨揍重要这些道理，有时候却是光脚的人更明白。
印度又一部超级震撼的电影，题材火爆，节奏把握严丝合缝，虽然带有一定的理想主义色彩，但思想性极其深刻，印度电影已经在引领世界电影的走向了。
全片印象最深，其实不是结局，而是妻子那一句『生命是最重要的，即使是那些警察中了蛇毒，我也会救他们』
名为calling的针刺在十多年前的心上。
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