Last Train from Gun Hill 1959

Two old friends, Matt Morgan, Kirk Douglas and Craig Belden, Anthony Quinn, stand on opposite sides of Gun Hill’s power structure: Belden is a wealthy cattle baron who effectively rules the town, while Morgan is a U.S. Marshal living nearby with his Cherokee wife, Mrs. Catherine Morgan, Ziva Rodann, and their young son, Petey Morgan, Lars Henderson.

One night, two drunken cowboys rape and murder Morgan’s wife as she returns home with their son from a visit to her father. She manages to leave a deep whip scar on one attacker, and the boy escapes on one of the killers’ horses, which carries a distinctive saddle.

Morgan follows the trail to Gun Hill, and the saddle points to Belden as the suspect. He travels to Belden’s ranch to return the saddle and seek information, but he quickly realizes that Rick Belden, Belden’s son, Earl Holliman, is the killer.

Belden refuses to surrender his only son, and Morgan vows to bring Rick to justice and get him on the last train out of town that very day.

In town, the people resist Morgan’s investigation, offering little help. Linda, Belden’s former lover, Carolyn Jones, secretly tells him where Rick is likely to be. Morgan captures Rick and holds him prisoner in a hotel room, despite resistance from the hotel staff.

Meanwhile, Craig Belden arrives with his men, discovering Rick is now Morgan’s prisoner and bound to the hotel bed. After a brief negotiation, a shootout begins and Morgan manages to fend off Belden’s shooters, while Linda moves between the two sides as a go-between. She learns from Lee, Rick’s accomplice, Brian G. Hutton, that Craig is not willing to marry Linda, a revelation that adds another layer to the conflict.

Linda resolves to help Morgan and sneaks a shotgun to his hotel room. Lee meanwhile sets fire to the hotel to flush Morgan out. With the hotel burning, Morgan presses the shotgun to Rick’s chin and starts a slow march toward the train station, pursued by Belden, his armed men, and a wary townspeople crowd. He insists he will pull the trigger if anyone tries to stop him.

At the train platform, Lee confronts Morgan and shoots at him, but Rick is killed by a stray shot in the chaos. Morgan returns fire and kills Lee in turn. A devastated Craig Belden faces Morgan in a final showdown and is killed in the exchange.