| Director | Steve Miner |
|---|---|
| Genre | drama film, film based on book |
| Runtime | 86 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $38 million |
| Box office | $763,740 |
Ten years after the Civil War, the governor of Texas asks Leander McNelly to recommission a company of Texas Rangers to help uphold the law along the Mexican border. In a border town, Lincoln Rogers Dunnison arrives by carriage to meet his family. Just as they are reunited, John King Fisher and his gang arrive and kill several townspeople, including Lincoln's father, mother and brother, then steal cattle which are to be auctioned. After the attack, Lincoln wanders into an abandoned church and meets George Durham, a cowhand whose outfit was attacked by the same bandits. George joins Lincoln on his way to Brownsville to join the Rangers.
In Brownsville, Lincoln witnesses a man attempting to extort resources from the town to support his posse, which will supposedly pursue Fisher's gang. McNelly arrives with the legitimate Rangers and is forced to kill the man, but invites any others to join his company. Despite his ineptitude with weapons and not being from Texas, Lincoln shows determination to fight for justice and is accepted into the Rangers, along with George and others. McNelly uses Lincoln as his secretary because of his education and reveals that he is dying, apparently of tuberculosis. Out on the trail, Fisher and his gang encounter a traveling circus and kidnap a beautiful Mexican juggler named Perdita.
After training in the field, another Ranger named Sam Walters asks Lincoln to get him an appointment with McNelly because he wants to make better maps of the ill-charted Texas territory. Once in his tent, he reveals himself to be an assassin who wants to kill McNelly. McNelly kills Walters, but Lincoln is shaken and tries to desert, believing himself responsible for endangering McNelly. McNelly convinces Lincoln to stay.
The Rangers get their first taste of combat against a small contingent and take two prisoners. Despite saying that anyone who surrendered would be tried, McNelly hangs the survivors when their treachery is revealed. Lincoln is offended by this apparent lack of justice. Later, when the Rangers catch up with the bulk of Fisher's gang, McNelly decides to attack, despite the protests of his sergeants. The battle goes horribly as Fisher planned an ambush and several Rangers die. McNelly collects his survivors, including Perdita, and heads for the ranch of his old friend, Captain Richard Dukes.
While there, Lincoln and George compete for the affection of Dukes' daughter, Caroline. Sergeant Armstrong learns from Perdita that Fisher is planning to raid Victor Logan's ranch. The Rangers ride out, but when no raid occurs, McNelly realizes that the girl lied, and Fisher must be headed for the Dukes ranch instead. The Rangers discover that Dukes has been captured and Fisher has crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico. Fisher lynches Dukes after deriding McNelly in front of his men, and Lincoln argues for Perdita's innocence as McNelly is on the cusp of executing her in retaliation. McNelly releases the girl. The Rangers plot their attack on the Mexican fortress after McNelly dictates his will to Lincoln, in which he leaves him his possessions and effectively instates him as leader.
The Rangers attack the fort at dawn; the Fisher gang is asleep and hungover and overpowered when Sergeant Bones takes command of a Gatling gun. Lincoln avenges his family by killing Fisher. After the Rangers return to the Dukes ranch, McNelly, on his deathbed, implores Lincoln and George to keep the Rangers on the right side of justice. George stays behind with Caroline to work on the ranch and Lincoln rides off to lead the Rangers.