From Hell to Texas

Tod Lohman, a naive cowhand who wants no part of a fight, accidentally kills the son of Hunter Boyd, a powerful landowner. Boyd's other sons come after him, and Tod runs across plains, hills and rivers. He gets a breathing space on Amos Bradley's ranch and falls for Bradley's daughter Juanita, knowing the men behind him will arrive sooner or later. Henry Hathaway's 1958 film takes the chase western and builds its hero out of a refusal to draw: Tod does not want to kill anyone, which is exactly what leaves him cornered. It is an early part for Dennis Hopper, and the story of Hathaway making him repeat a single scene dozens of times was told in Hollywood for years afterwards.