The story is about an intense rivalry between two competing rail lines. Their rivalry is depicted in the personal conflicts that develop between the characters played by Edmond O'Brien and Sterling Hayden. From the first few minutes of the story, we know that Hayden is playing a villain, since he frames O'Brien for a killing that he has committed.
O'Brien's character is not prosecuted for some inexplicable reason, but he faces wrath from the dead man's sister (portrayed by Kasey Rogers, billed as Laura Elliott).
After the opening prologue is finished, Hayden remains off screen for large chunks of time during the first half of the movie. But he plays a huge part in the second half, since his bad deeds set in motion a very memorable standoff between the two railroad companies. Hayden seems to relish this role, knowing that shady characters can be more fun to play.
I have to admit that the first half of the movie plods along a bit slowly, since there is a lot of character-driven stuff involving O'Brien and his boss (Dean Jagger). Figuring into this is the boss's secretary (Elliott) who wants justice for her late brother's death. Kasey Rogers/Laura Elliott is a very beautiful and decent actress who reminds me a lot of Grace Kelly here.
She has a very difficult scene near the end, where she realizes she's been misled by Hayden and his crony Lyle Bettger. Quickly she must set things right and help the Denver & Rio Grande railroad succeed.
The film benefits from excellent Technicolor cinematography, shot on location in the timeless mountain region of Durango, Colorado. There is also some amusing comic relief provided by ZaSu Pitts and Paul Fix. But it's that heart-pounding finale, involving the head-on collision of two steam locomotives that is truly gripping.
O'Brien's character is not prosecuted for some inexplicable reason, but he faces wrath from the dead man's sister (portrayed by Kasey Rogers, billed as Laura Elliott).
After the opening prologue is finished, Hayden remains off screen for large chunks of time during the first half of the movie. But he plays a huge part in the second half, since his bad deeds set in motion a very memorable standoff between the two railroad companies. Hayden seems to relish this role, knowing that shady characters can be more fun to play.
I have to admit that the first half of the movie plods along a bit slowly, since there is a lot of character-driven stuff involving O'Brien and his boss (Dean Jagger). Figuring into this is the boss's secretary (Elliott) who wants justice for her late brother's death. Kasey Rogers/Laura Elliott is a very beautiful and decent actress who reminds me a lot of Grace Kelly here.
She has a very difficult scene near the end, where she realizes she's been misled by Hayden and his crony Lyle Bettger. Quickly she must set things right and help the Denver & Rio Grande railroad succeed.
The film benefits from excellent Technicolor cinematography, shot on location in the timeless mountain region of Durango, Colorado. There is also some amusing comic relief provided by ZaSu Pitts and Paul Fix. But it's that heart-pounding finale, involving the head-on collision of two steam locomotives that is truly gripping.