The comments on this page are a real shame.

Cooper plays the most sympathetic western character I can remember. Will Kane has his wedding day ruined by the memory of a past a devotion and a promise that must take precedence over his new marriage. A promise of duty, a devotion that cannot be escaped.

What a beautiful movie. The shots of solitary Kane walking through the streets with the pitiful refrain of the title song ("do not forsake me oh my darling," as much words between Kane and his wife as between the town and Kane) are close to tear-provoking.

A western that elevates emotional involvement over the genre's classical stylistic and thematic elements. Unique and vital.

Different from the regular westerns in so many ways, yet one of the best . One of my all time fav.

Something about this movie draws you in right away and, over the span of its hour and 45 minute runtime, Cooper's increasingly desperate situation holds you until the finale despite the lack of traditional western action.

A serious man's western about moral imperatives and a town's collective social conscious.