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.
「Be funny, comma, when you can, period.」大型带娃直播现场，小男主也太萌了吧~ 虽然全片是黑白色调，看完却似有阳光洒在身上~
以一种社会纪录片的温柔视角(城市地貌的重评估-纽约大部分拍摄位于中国城附近；与孩童思维的反思-真实的与孩子的对话和观察)，来逐步构建“反抗”的孩子与“失意”的成年中的关系
johnny代表（纪录片）
老套，没有新意
4.5，男主与小侄子的爱恨情仇。直到最后一秒钟都还是在放采访的各种录音。孩子的视角是很独特的，回答的问题包括：你觉得未来会怎样？你想拥有哪种超能力？如果你的父母是你的孩子你会教他什么？中间有几段插入书本中的段落。男主给小侄子读的那本书，的确很有感觉。但说实话看的时候在想，还是不要养孩子比较幸福，你永远无法预知下一秒孩子会做什么，在复杂暴躁崩溃的边缘不断徘徊，还是一个人比较容易。去掉色彩的黑白，似乎把年代也一起抹去了，每个地方都没有太大的差别，楼房的稀疏而已。
是那种没有剧情的聊天电影。开始还觉得有些无聊，越看越喜欢，看到最后又哭又笑。这世界让人困惑，你不好也没关系。
岁月的河冲刷着记忆，爱会帮我们刻下那些模糊的日子（9/10）
大龄舅与幼童甥的差异、沟通和情感，用黑白色调展现，很有味道。摄影不错。
剧情: 两个……blablabla。剪辑不错。挺温柔的，the world is not good, but it is where we live
华金 还有 小朋友 ( ఠൠఠ )ﾉNB！！！
典型的essay film，但是嵌套了一个melodrama就让视角显得非常模糊。Jesse也并不完全能与影片中其他被采访的小孩等同起来，所以最后让人感觉一头雾水。
细心的观众可以从这部片中了解孩子的情绪和对人对事的敏感体察。
4.5 叔侄间的城市之旅，随着叔叔对各年龄各种族的未成年人采访的深入，叔侄间的关系也在加深，他们逐渐吐露自我，了解对方。不仅是他们俩的互相了解，也是他们对共同亲人的更深一步了解，在他们之间的日常相处中也会了解到他们共同亲人不为他们所知的一面。他们每日都流走在城市街道间，每到一处地方他们都会对眼前的事物评头论足一番。这些碎碎念好似一首首关于那些城市的城市之诗、街头之诗。全片偏灰的黑白色调也使关于那些城市的第一印象都趋于相同，不管是阳光之城洛杉矶还是冰冷大都市纽约都只是黑白灰。
黑白色彩看的人很难受，这种题材彩色会更好看，没必要为了文艺选择黑白。
8分 2022.01.16 一部很舒服的电影 可以慢慢的品 杰昆和小演员演的很棒 带孩子真是好难
當cliche 拍得不落俗套，孩子想像的未來以及成年人不敢面對的將來，累極時為自己打打氣，c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon。生命糟透了，但很正常。
such a beautiful movie in its own right. magically, first time feel right to have a movie in black and white. often thought childhood is the most carefree period and forgot it's also almost the most sensitive time, compelled to take in the turbulences from surrounding environments, and struggled to cope as much as adults, so not really an easy time in retrospect. this movie covers this topic with such tenderness and well crafted structure, nicely done
2022年4月27日，The Projector。看得挺感动的，就大都市生活人与人之间还是需要相互理解。以及即使不是熊孩子但生养下一代的精神消耗还是巨大的。
岁月的河冲刷着记忆，爱会帮我们刻下那些模糊的日子（9/10）
好舒服好温柔的一个片子，在城市间穿梭，收录着沙滩列车行人的声音，大人小孩情感的交流和接纳，一起呼喊i'm not fine. 中间穿插着所有的关于未来关于现在关于超能力的采访都充满了亲和力和想象力。
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