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.
整个故事讲得很节制，镜头表达和主角主观的距离感刚刚好，认识这种真实事件对个人生活也有警醒作用
恭喜赵婷。但我还是要说，这个电影真的很难进入，也很难让人接受，大段的慢镜头，过于平静和冷峭，这就是一个超长版的MV。
甘草棒可以帮助戒烟。
see you down the road 那个是真的 nomad 在车里生活十九年了。
一个中国导演能拍出这样的片子很不错。有时让我想起瓦尔达。不过把丧亲之痛与寻求自由的人生态度混在一起谈，有些重心不明确。
天呢，扑面而来的实感，是电影化的实感，观影过程好享受，剧作仍然看似松散但不露声色的捕捉着人物，女主太优秀，完全溶于环境，感觉这部确实比前作《骑士》在剧作上更高明。好看好看。2021第一部5星电影给赵婷导演。
See you down the road
最喜欢片尾的那段对话，使人辽阔与豁达。见众生，见天地，见自己，是一部应当在大荧幕上再看一次的电影。
走过荒野，一个人独庆新年。
十几岁的时候觉得这种生活方式也不错，自由，淡泊，独立。但有了一定生活阅历后，却觉得这不过是无奈之举，如果可以选择谁不愿意有个家庭，能依偎在伴侣身旁，能与亲朋好友相聚，能享受生活给予的时光。但社会的组建和机制又让许多的人不得不为了生活忙碌奔波，为了体面活着，为了心灵的安宁，他们才不得不选择了一种艰难的生活。
自然主义生活流，淡淡哀伤，默默上路，最大特点就是没特点，比较舒服
又细腻又克制，孤独且温柔。像看纪录片一样，真喜欢。
【补标】210612 太像了太像了，哭不出来，因为太像了。这就是我现在的生活，只是我比女主多了房间，却少了自由。美国电影拍摄流程就鲜少出现欧洲片的灵性，因为设计感太重，很多“灵气”都是在导演充分创作自由的情况下现场发挥的，所有镜头设计好，拉一票工作人员流水线式拍摄模式，往往就少点神来之笔。
从为了缅怀上路到想上路 从朋友领着到自己为新年点小烟花 见过临近终点 见过可能的停留处 然后从最初的家里再出发 压低的地平线和山脊的太阳 水里的身体 姐妹二人一个走向房子一个沿路走出画右
真正的诗意，隐藏在老无所依的边缘之地，属于无所依遁的边缘之人。
人们选择生活方式，不应该是选择轻松或者辛苦，不是选择有家可归或者流浪，也不是选择陪伴或者孤独，如果只是这样选择，那未免太过简单，那不叫选择，而是顺应世俗去生活。关于本片我想说的仅此。
构图好美，配乐超赞，很多长镜头。
第一次真切从电影中感受到 原来一个普通人的生活真的值得被拍成一部电影啊 我们真的可以做主角诶
4.对新自由的欲望的追求
Dedicated to the ones who had to depart.
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