Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

PamelaShort Randolph Scott plays Jim Dancer, a man in search of revenge for the murder of his brother. He rides with the Quantrell gang and after killing Evelyn Slocom's ( Joan Taylor ) father, believing he was the killer of his brother, Dancer now finds himself a wanted man. Years pass and he is now the Marshall of a Kansas town where he defeats another violent gang with the help of a young Jesse James ( Dale Robertson ). Randolph Scott and director Edwin L. Marin bring about an exceptional gripping atmospheric western. With a balanced amount of storyline complexity, a surprisingly powerful violent opening scene for the time and plenty of excellent elements of surprise, leaving the viewer wondering how it will all come to a climax. Also, the dark cinematography gives towering Randolph Scott an imposing quality, perfect for his character. Fighting Man of the Plains may very well be one of his best westerns to close out the 1940s. With a superb line up of excellent character actors along with the young Dale Robertson, this western hold ups extremely well. A full synopsis would only give away too much watching enjoyment for the reader. If you are a fan of Randolph Scott and western genre, I highly recommend giving " Fighting Man of the Plains " a look.

chipe I had high hopes for this movie, but became gradually disappointed, especially towards the implausible ending.I'm a big Westerns fan, Randolph Scott fan, and a fan of director Edward Marin, who directed one of my all-time favorite movies, John Wayne's "Tall In the Saddle." This movie started out brightly. I liked the plot device where Scott is being taken to jail by detective Milligan. The two are handcuffed together; Milligan is killed by accident, and Scott switches identities, which leads to his becoming town sheriff. There was also a welcome gritty scene where Victor Jory uses a pen knife to cut off the dead detective's hand to free Scott. Dale Robertson, in his first credited role, has two refreshing scenes.**** Spoilers**** Towards the end, the movie disintegrates much in my opinion. Barry Kelly is the political and financial boss of the town. He owns practically everything including the surrounding territory. Douglas Kennedy is town prosecutor and Kelly's loyal right-hand man. As I said, Kelly owns and controls just about everything. (It is a little puzzling the way he could legally own and control so much.) He starts to turn the screws on the townsfolk (raising the rent, insisting on a cut of the profits, fees to transport cattle, etc.). People, including Milo Meeker, begin to complain, but so what? Kelly controls everything. So why does Kelly and Kennedy arrange to have Milo Meeker killed openly in his store, especially where witnesses can see the five killers? The five are tried in court and sentenced to hang. About that time, Scott is exposed as the wanted murderer he is. Kennedy is appointed sheriff, frees the five murderers, and goes ballistic. For no real reason he starts shooting dead leading citizens. He then attempts to hang Scott for his past crimes, and Kennedy turns on Kelly and announces that he'll rob Kelly's bank. But then suddenly and for no good reason to know of Scott's plight, Dale Robertson (who is playing Jesse James) and four of his men turn up to save Scott from the hanging and to help shoot down the bad guys. Scott remains in town (as Sheriff?) even though he is still a known wanted murderer. All so implausible.

audiemurph This is a real humdinger of a western. The plot and dialogue move along quickly, with no time wasted on unlikely romance or saloon song. On the contrary, this tight little gem centers fully and solely on the great Randolph Scott. Here, Scott is at his lean, trim, handsomest best; the director senses this, and the film is noteworthy for featuring a number of lovely, soft, lingering close-ups of Randolph's grim face. To me, this is a wonderful touch and a delightful tribute to one the Westerns' greatest stars.The co-stars are fine as well, but they definitely play second fiddle to Scott. One unexpected twist involves the town's "tinhorn" gambler, played by Victor Jory. Jory is the only member of the town to recognize Scott as a wanted outlaw, and is certainly in a position to blackmail him; however, in a quite unusual development, Jory chooses to befriend Scott, and remains his loyal friend to the end."Fighting Man on the Plains" is the perfect late-40's Western, a fully mature old-fashioned good-guys vs. bad-guys bit of adult theatre, a genre film crafted to its full potential; and it sets the stage nicely for the more psychologically complex Westerns of the 50's.Highly recommended for lovers of Westerns.

dstevens-3 Although I only saw this film once (when it was released 50 years ago), it is one of my favorite Randolph Scott westerns. The combination of a turbulent setting (Quantrill's murderous raid on Lawrenceville, Kansas, and post Civil War Kansas ) and the main character's efforts to atone for his wartime actions by keeping the peace in a violence prone Kansas cow town rank it even with or better than Scott's later films directed by the acclaimed director, Budd Boetticher.