This movie reminded me off the old fashioned westerns of yesteryear.
It starts off with 4 cowboys driving their herd to market and the troubles that they encounter on route. Robert Duvall plays Boss with Kevin Costner playing Charlie his sidekick.
The trouble starts when Mose (one of the group) calls into a town for supplies and doesn't return. The town is run by a currupt Sherrif who is controlled by an evil rancher played by Michael Gambon, who detests free grazers and they beat up Mose and throw him in jail.
Boss and Charlie go in search of him and have him released but are warned by Gambon to move their cattle off the land. They take Mose to the local Doctor and Charlie falls for the Doc's Sister, Sue, played by Annette Benning. The doctor and his sister have no love for the Sherrif or the Rancher and tend to Mose's wounds.
When they return to their camp, they find that they are being watched by Gambon's men and Boss decides to teach them a lesson by attacking their camp by night. When the return they find that the Mose has been shot dead and the young boy in their group has been badly injured. Their pet dog has also been mutilated.
They return to the Doctor's house with they young boy and leave him in Sue's care. What follows is similar to the gun fight at the OK Corral, with Boss and Charlie taking on Michael Gambon and the baddies. The town eventually rally round and help them out.
Charlie asks Sue to marry him and leaves to drive his cattle to market. The movie ends with them driving into the sunset and plan to return and buy a saloon and get out of the cattle business.
The solid acting from Robert Duvall and his relationship to Kevin Costner is very moving and although Costner's acting is very good he is overshadowed by Robert Duvall.
As an action movie it doesn't compare to other westerns of the same theme as the shooting scenes at the end reminded me of some of the old fifties movies. Overall I enjoyed the movie but wouldn't rate it as one of the all time great westerns.
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