One of the earliest of Clint Eastwood's Roles. This movie quotable lines about masculinity. The central theme here is bargains. Survival depends on bargains. Copelan at the helm of his first and only film explores the usual themes of man versus man, man versus society, man versus his environment, and the issue of apocalyptic armaments. Clearly, the Winchester repeating rifles at the heart of this drama serve as metaphors for atomic weapons. Copelan emphasizes their role early on by presenting them in the first close-ups so that we cannot overlook them. The durable and dependable Scott Brady must prevent these rifles from landing in Apache hands. Watchable only due to Eastwood's early presence.