Howard Hawks’s sweeping Western stars John Wayne as a ruthless cattle rancher determined to drive his herd from Texas to Kansas. Alongside him is his adopted son, played by Montgomery Clift, whose more humane outlook increasingly clashes with Wayne’s authoritarian leadership. The clash between Wayne and Clift’s very different approaches to acting created fireworks on screen and tension off screen. Clift’s performance—his first film role—brings a sensitive, introspective quality to the Western hero and establishes the screen presence that would define much of his career—nominated for two Academy Awards.