Well done oater. It's something of an oddball—a TCF production with typically good production values, an unusual premise, but no marquee names. In fact, screen time is divided between two "heroes", Keith and Jason, neither of whom was a big name at the time. Still, the movie's crowd scenes plus epic location filming suggest an A-production with hopes for a lesser-known cast.
It's a big canvas storyline as land rights between an old Spanish land grant and the ambitions of newcomer white settlers clash. Jason certainly looks the part of an aristocratic Spanish padrone, while Keith acts out a low-key gunslinger in usual fine fashion. Each, of course, has a love interest, lovelies Gam and Powers, respectively. Naturally it takes a while for the various conflicting interests to get sorted out, no thanks to the one irredeemable bad guy, Steve Brodie. There are several likable scenes—a charming folk dance among the settlers, along with a very well conceived last scene that serves as a fitting epilogue.
I suspect this 1958 release got lost in the waves of Westerns consuming much of TV and movies of the time. I'm sure it was hard to compete with the likes of The Big Country (1958) with Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston that received a ton of promotion. Still, this obscure feature remains a good slice of entertainment, along with some food for thought.
