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.
倒叙和现在，两线并进，逐步逼近真相。311大背景，应该可以拍出更深刻的故事。要么走感动，要么悬疑到底，但都没有
反省政府和社会问题，关心弱势群体，情节感人。
如果没有看过原著这部电影还算可以，但对于看过的我来说就有很多不满的地方。原著的悬疑气氛是很浓的，电影变成了感情戏为主。佐藤健的女装造型没有出现关键这个角色比小说里弱了太多一眼就看出不是嫌疑人。原著中罪犯的真面目最后才揭晓，电影里暴露的太早了。最不能接受的是佐藤健的角色很早就知道了真相并默默帮助真凶，最后还无罪释放。对影视化还是不能抱太大的希望啊！
循规蹈矩可否就是一种事不关己的渎职呢，说到底都是为了更优雅的果腹罢了，但有没有那么转头的一顺，去看看那些得不到保护无助待死的人们，还是说假装着未曾注意。
這個翻拍電影比較難啊 很多誤會和黑色幽默轉變得一板一眼就不是那味兒了
觉得很可惜 一定要把最底层的人逼上绝路才有可能让上层听到这一点点发声 已经有多少人没领到低保而在挣扎中沉没了 佐藤健保护了小干 宁愿自己顶罪被杀 小干在网上发完帖子后绑架了曾受理阿姨申请的科长 两个年轻人为了十年前在地震灾后得到温暖的那段时光付出了自己的人生
人都想有尊严的死去，可是最后都孤零零的离开了 我觉得各位申请低保的办事员都还可以，虽然有点皮笑肉不笑的感觉，但不至于死吧 在上海的这次疫情中，我也相信有那些1%的恶人，请大家发出比这些卑劣的人更大的声音吧
经历了去年那场暴雨，似乎让我逐渐明白了一些之前不曾理解的事情，灾后的避难所，漫长的夜，以及那种复杂的情绪，致那些得不到保护的人。
社会福利如何保障贫困人口，不至于因没钱买食物而饿死，如何让底层老百姓有投诉的地方，如何不让僵化的制度引出无谓的人祸，而不至于做出报复个人的行为，一切都值得深思……just can’t help associating with the current Shanghai……
作为这类题材的电影，歌舞形式和主题本身就是相冲突的，强行结合起来就只能出这种畸形产物。
三星是给歌曲的，影版真的好奇怪，之前看大悲饭桶的影版没有这么水土不服的感觉，这部的拍摄手法就让演员一开口唱歌就变得很奇怪，非常尴尬的感觉…而且Ben的脸上大银幕的确不太适合…
5.2 电影中歌舞片的门类中通常是角色在一个空旷无人的场景中独唱或者是众人齐唱，哪怕是《新白娘子传奇》都讲究一人唱歌全员皆唱的风格。这里一人唱歌，其他人对话真的非常诡异，要注意的是，音乐剧中，音乐场景布置是最核心的两个东西，这两个特质在电影要排稍后的，这种平衡非常难以把握
适合心情灾害重建的人，套路是旧的，但是关怀是好的
最喜欢的角色是那个黑人女生，她比主角还要有复杂度…总体而言，歌很好听！但是从舞台到银幕的转化目前看来有点尴尬，character song必须由各角色亲口唱出来，但这和电影的表达方式可能是冲突的，弄成mv+电视剧了。
作为这类题材的电影，歌舞形式和主题本身就是相冲突的，强行结合起来就只能出这种畸形产物。
虽然他做了难以挽回的事情，但是他发出的诘问值得我们深思……针砭时弊，如果我们也有这种电影就好了
3.5 有这钱学隔壁CFA出个OBC官摄，这不香嘛？PS我永远对音乐剧改编电影后新加的歌毫无感觉。
很深刻的题材，演员也都不错，但整体节奏把控不是很好且没拍出深度。不过疫情下看看有的地方还是能够感同身受的。
A below average film encountered at the right timing.
其实不算那么差，音乐剧改编电影的一大看点之一就是看音乐剧能如何改编成电影，这部其实换个更好的导演，拍的更文艺少些洒狗血就更好了
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