Very different John Wayne film. A romantic western, if you will. Wayne plays notorious gunslinger Quirt Evans, who is wounded and nursed back to health by a Quaker family. The sweet and innocent daughter, Penelope (Gail Russell), falls in love with Quirt. But the gunfighter's got some bad guys to deal with, chiefly an hombre named Laredo (Bruce Cabot). Quirt will have to choose between his way and the Quaker way, which means choosing Penelope or the gun.

John Wayne is really good in this one. He's a very underrated actor that is often slighted by people that don't like the man, usually because they don't like his politics or something along those lines. But he was actually a very good actor who brought depth to most of the characters he played. Here he gets to show his softer side and it's one of his best performances from the '40s. Gail Russell is young and very pretty here. She does a great job in one of her two best-known films (the other being The Uninvited). Russell and Wayne have terrific chemistry. It's sad how her life turned out as she had the potential to be one of the greats. Harry Carey, Sr. plays a grizzled old marshal dubious of whether Quirt can change. As was often the case, he stands out above the pack. An excellent actor who could say more with a smile or a look than most could with a page of dialogue.

Amusingly there are characters in this movie named Hondo and McClintock, both names for future Wayne characters. It's a charming and enjoyable western that fans of the Duke will love but also I think people who don't normally like westerns can enjoy.

A famous gunfighter (John Wayne) is wounded in crossfire and a quaker family cares him and heals . During recuperation the daughter named Penelope Worth (Gail Russell) has a romance and falls in love for him . She eventually humanizing the gunslinger . And he has to choose between his violent world or the pacifist existence in which Penelope Worth lives . Meanwhile , he'll have to confront a malicious ringleader (Bruce Cabot) and his henchmen .

This well-handled production is a thoughtful Western but with average budget . By time this western was popular with the public . The film has rider pursuits , stampedes , shootouts , struggles and an agreeable love story . John Wayne gives one of the best interpretations of his long career . Bruce Cabot as Wayne's friend has an important and well featured role , he's habitual in his films . Gail Russell shined in the role as Penelope and provided a great acting . Rare and enjoyable beauty , she was to be groomed one of Paramout's top stars , but the alcohol took her and she was found dead and it attributed to the drinking . Gail was only 36 years old . Had it not been for the alcohol , Gail's career could have been one of the biggest . Besides , there appears Harry Carey Sr. as a tough sheriff , Carey was a veteran actor who played numerous Western . The motion picture is finely directed by the Wayne's usual screenwriter named James Edward Grant . There's also a lousy version in computer-colored . The flick will appeal to John Wayne fans and Western moviegoers . Rating : Nice and well worth watching .

Fun movie about a cowboy named Quirt (John Wayne) who is wants to reform his ways after he meets a sweet Quaker girl. When he is shot, the Quaker family takes care of him, and after he wakes up the daughter (Gail Russell) falls in love with him. It's goofy and cliché, sure, but there's a really fine movie to be found in the familiar setup. Writer/director Grant create many good vignettes. There are several wonderful supporting characters who add a lot of worth to the proceedings, including Harry Carey as a marshall, Lee Dixon as one of Quirt's friends and old partners in crime, Tom Powers as the local, scientific, atheist doctor, and Olin Howlin as the town telegrapher. Howlin's character is pure comic relief, very humorously claiming a long friendship with Quirt, though he only saw him once when he was almost unconscious. Then Carey's character is wryly comedic: as the marshall, he's constantly stalking Quirt. He's sure that someday he'll get to hang the guy, and he harps on it constantly. The chemistry between Wayne and Russell adds an unexpected poignancy to the film. The scene where the two pick blackberries is simply beautiful, and their wordless climactic exchange is perfectly performed. Good action sequences, as well. 9/10.