(1948) is a seminal RKO Radio Pictures production that is widely recognized as one of the first and finest examples of the "Noir Western". Directed by Robert Wise , who would later win Academy Awards for West Side Story and The Sound of Music , the film blends traditional frontier action with the psychological depth and moody visual style of film noir. Plot and Themes

Based on the novel by Luke Short, the story follows Jim Garry (), a drifter who arrives in Arizona during a range war. He is summoned by an old friend, Tate Riling ( Robert Preston ), who offers him a $10,000 "job" as a hired gun.