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.
老吉的独角戏！精彩！主要的配角都只闻其声！通过一点一点的抽丝剥茧还原两个故事的真相，同时救赎自我救赎了两个罪人
这种脾气的911接线员应该会坏很多事儿吧？然后，观众并不想看到他在马桶里吐的东西是啥颜色。
凭印象，基本跟原版一样，开头加的森林大火背景也没什么实际作用，剩下就是看老吉的表演，顺道听声认人。
这样一夜竭尽全力救起的人命 才认识到自己亲手夺走一条生命的罪恶深重 说实话演技真的有些过
这部电影的感受我说不上来，根据丹麦版翻拍，观影过程中很紧张、刺激，杰克•吉伦哈尔出演了一位焦虑、暴躁的911接线员，剧情大部分与原版如出一辙。
“Broken people save broken people.” 结尾竟然直接安排NPC来句点题台词，生怕观众没看出这出独角戏的良苦用心，颇有种脱裤子放屁的白费劲。从故事到拍法皆照搬原版，只为给老吉挣个奥斯卡提名，他这股子笨拙的执念让我很是心疼，演个对空气怒吼的马景涛又是何苦呢。当然导演是值得感谢的，不遗余力全景呈现老吉的美貌，那动辄停留在他睫毛上舍不得挪开的镜头，是他送给影迷的礼物吧。
很美国本土，典型的PTSD男主遇见新的事件，随即对过去创伤做选择，因而转移了现时事件推进过程的一部分注意力，也少了北欧版的那种不留痕迹的提心吊胆。老吉过于sentimental。
小成本悬疑片，虽然快到最后猜到了结局，但还是看的很过瘾。美国一些比较敏感的话题想警民关系、医疗保障都有一些涉及。但电影毕竟是电影。社会并不会因为一部电影而改变
a one-man show. short but brief.
原版本就没太好 这版翻拍更为平庸 好莱坞式的结局太烂了 也就吉伦哈尔的演技值得一看
一向不太理解这种仅仅换了团队、文本几乎无长进的翻拍电影有什么存在的必要，蛮喜欢jake的所以还是看了。但是演员吧有时候完全可以松弛一些，演戏不用总是大火爆炒。你知道你在酝酿，观众也看得出来你在酝酿，一层又一层情绪铺垫最后果然来次大的，it is too much.说白了还是天赋问题，不是说演技差，就是看得观众很累，不应该是这样的
[视]结合“河南大学女大学生120事件”。艾比，乔尔，膝盖。台前神秘客，幕后前任月光骑士和谜语人
居然也看完了……小屏幕对影片质量真是友好。
对比丹麦版的高冷，好莱坞版明显感情充沛、外露。
吉伦哈尔的演技真的厉害，但是剧情上的单调是不足以用演技去弥补的。
broken ppl saved broken ppl
男主人设实在不讨喜。结局圆满又正确，好莱坞潜规则兜兜转转又回去了（以前要正确结尾，有段时间变成要坏人赢，现在又轮回去了）
对于这种纯翻拍的电影，我认为可看性就只有新演员的演绎了。基于这一点，吉伦哈尔完成得其实不错，摄像机90分钟几乎全都聚焦他的面部，不同于丹麦原版演员的相对克制和冷静，吉伦哈尔的表演是美式的易怒、粗鲁、傲娇。靠放大情绪来弥补单一空间带来的乏力，音乐摄影一切都退到他的表演后。这种方式也没什么问题。总之，如果你喜欢吉伦哈尔，那么这是有可看性的一次再度演绎，如果对他无感，这个翻拍其实的确没什么必要。
嗯……用一个突如其来的救赎换取另一个救赎……
有《狙击电话亭》和《洛克》在前，这部片在人物刻画到表演，到剧情张力上都远远不如。
Copyright © 2015-2023 All Rights Reserved
