Set in 1945, this latterday Western sees Jason Robards' ornery cattle baron going after Jane Fonda's small-time homesteader's land for its oil rights as she tries, as feistly as ever, to hold on to what she has.
From James Caan's returning GI to Robards' bereaved father, the characters, like the nation, are struggling to deal with the effects of World War II not to mention a sluggish story. Only Richard Farnsworth's old cow-hand really shines, as a throwback to earlier and, in the American psyche, morally less ambiguous times. The burgeoning relationship between Fonda and Caan is charming, beginning in an alliance of convenience against Robards and growing into something else. However, the pacing drags their best efforts down.