Bob Ford murders his best friend Jesse James in order to obtain a pardon that will free him to marry his girlfriend Cynthy. The guilt-stricken Ford soon finds himself greeted with derision and open mockery throughout town. He travels to Colorado to try his hand at prospecting in hopes that marriage with Cynthy is still in the cards.
Direction
Fuller's first film—already obsessed with guilt and close-ups.
Acting
John Ireland's sweaty, desperate eyes say everything.
Cinematography
Western noir shadows that swallow the wide open range.
Director
Samuel Fuller
Preston Foster
John Kelley
Barbara Britton
Cynthy Waters
John Ireland
Bob Ford
Reed Hadley
Jesse James
J. Edward Bromberg
Harry Kane
Victor Kilian
Soapy
Tom Tyler
Frank James
Tommy Noonan
Charles Ford
Eddie Dunn
Joe, Silver King Bartender
Margia Dean
Saloon Singer
Byron Foulger
Silver King Room Clerk
Jeni Le Gon
Veronica, Cynthy's Maid
Barbara Woodell
Mrs. Zee James
Phillip Pine
Man in Saloon
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Samuel Fuller financed this by selling his war souvenirs. The man literally traded medals to make a film about cowardice.
This is the first 'psychological Western'—Fuller strips the genre of heroism before the 1950s revisionism wave even began.
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