Original subtitles

I know you're gun-runnin' scum, mister.

Don't rush with a suit. That's the same as murderin' your own people.

You're not gonna let him send me to prison, are ya?

Is everything in trouble now?

Could be. Lizzie, will you put your clothes on?

My clothes are dirty.

I ain't restin' 'til I find Paul, Luca.

You're gonna have the sad task of shootin' a prisoner tryin' to escape.

You know this fella's gonna kill me, don't you?

You know he's got to kill me.

Time to dusty, the earth beneath my feet.

Time to dusty, as I ride through the burning heat.

With the help of God and this mountain man, and the hand of my elder son.

My little boy and my little girl will grow up in the polished land.

And in the eyes of a woman meant for me, I have a dream where the sun goes down.

The Willamette Valley's callin' me 'cause I'm Oregon Bound.

Oh, I'm Oregon Bound. Yes, I'm Oregon Bound.

Where'd you find her?

Sergeant, you in charge of this outfit? I'm in command here. Master Sergeant Buford Cole. Commanding the North Outpost out of Fort Laramie.

Well, all right. I'm Evan Thorpe. I belong to a wagon train. Tell me where you found her, Mr. Thorpe.

I found her with a gun runner named Mason. I also found the guns he was running. She was with Mason. Where's he?

Sergeant, he's probably out there someplace trying to explain things to a Sioux warchief named a wolf hand. And probably having an easier time of it than me.

I wouldn't count on that. I happen to know the wolf hand. He's not half the gentleman I am.

Ain't that so? Ain't your commander in chief a true gentleman? Get out with it, Buford.

Well, I need your preaching, Corporal. I'll ask for it. Come and have a drink with me, Thorpe.

If you don't mind, I do mind.

Come on.

Take it easy.

Hey, you brought it here, remember, mister?

Don't interfere with my men, Thorpe.

Lizzie knew what she was getting into when she tied up with Mason.

You know her? - Oh, yes. I know her.

We're all friends.

Here's your drink, Thorpe.

It looks real nice of you, but I get to get me a horse.

See, Mason stole mine, and I got to meet up with my people before they get to Fort Laramie.

Laramie? Well, we've got to have us a full report on all this.

Well, now, wait a minute. I'll give you a report.

See, it's all cut and dry. Now, come on, Mason, and the guns.

He got away. It was your friend, Miss Colter, there, so I brung her and the guns with me, and I come here.

That's a report, ain't it?

Not much of a post, is it?

Heat, sage, dust, Indians, bad food, bad pay, bad water, bad everything.

So, when we find ourselves some whiskey, like this, or a woman like Lizzie here,

or a chance to make some money on the side,

why we just naturally tend to forget what's right for the Army and start thinking about what's right for us.

And Fred F. Mason helps us in that pursuit.

You trade with him?

Boy, what have we got to trade?

How can we get some of the better things in life?

He got his guns from you.

Should have known it right off.

I told you to turn around.

You wouldn't think you'd have to run from the United States Army, would you?

Listen, you, me and Smith, we've got medals for what we did in the Mexican War,

and where to put us right here in this stinking outpost.

Do you think giving guns to the Sioux and betraying what you swore to protect makes it any better?

Mr. Thorpe, your bringing these guns might be a good thing.

What are you talking about now?

Well, maybe you can help us get promoted out of this place.

Missing guns?

Me and my command, we find them, bring in a gun runner.

That's right. That's how my report will read.

Thorpe, you're under arrest.

Now!

Why did you get so bad?

Sit down. You'll go where he's going. Sit down. Get him out of here.

What you said, Buford, about Mexico?

Talk, I was just talking.

No, you were telling it right.

You finally saw how it was, didn't you?

Well, if you could do that, Buford, then you sure as hell can tell how it is right now.

Yes, thinking beloved army.

Here's to her.

Not mine. Not mine.

I gave them 18 years, and they said I wasn't good enough.

They ordered their lousy officers and gentlemen.

But being an officer wasn't important, it didn't matter.

You're right. You are 100% right.

Did once, not anymore.

We gave the army everything we had.

We gave them our blood.

Now, we're going to get a little bit of the back.

Just a taste of what they owe us, that's all.

Well, beloved army, we're still army.

All right, so we're going to take a little bit back for ourselves.

We've still got 12 boys out there.

And they deserve something more from us besides just teaching them how to steal

than how to kill to keep it.

Boy, put them in a pit.

Two horses outside.

Heavy wagon tracks.

Same one we've been trailing.

What do you think Pa could be with?

He'll tell.

Hence, footprints. Marks and tracks.

Leading up to the water.

Back.

Reckon it's been sued?

We've got to hold up, Andrew. Give these horses rest.

If I ain't wrestling, I'll find Pa, Luca.

We ain't going to find him unless you listen to me.

Who said he'd quit the army and then didn't?

Who said he'd take me to California and then kept me here?

Waiting and...

Waiting and waiting.

Oh, Cole, I hated it when Mason touched me.

When he kissed me.

I wipe my lips off afterwards.

I swear.

What about this door?

Hmm.

Is he going to take you to California too?

You know where he brought me.

Huh?

What's the matter, Lizzie?

Didn't the ribbon work on him, huh?

Where are you going?

I'll catch you a drink.

I'm really glad to be back with you, Cole.

I swear.

Stop swearing.

You'd swear you were solid gold.

If you thought the man would believe you.

Cole, I am solid gold.

Who knows that?

Don't you?

Here.

Solid gold, ain't I?

I know.

I know.

You wouldn't listen to me, would you?

Now look where you are.

I don't know why I try to help you.

Don't you?

Well...

I mean, if I were able to get you out of there,

I'd be fine with you.

Don't you?

Well...

I mean, if I were able to get you out of there,

I could help you get to California.

Mm-hmm.

Would you take me there?

Or would you rather stay in here?

Lizzie. Yeah?

If you can find a way to get me out of this here cage,

I'll make damn sure you get to California.

All right.

Now you go on back, miss.

Put those keys where you found them.

See, I want you there when he wakes up.

I want you smiling. I want you pretty.

Doesn't matter what you feel like.

You just be there.

Hmm?

Well, go on, get.

Ah.

You ever been in Mexico, Mr. Thorpe?

No.

You know this fellow's gonna kill me, don't you?

You know he's got to kill me.

We're a cruise.

It's a pretty place.

Right on the Gulf.

The first time I saw it was in '46.

The only trouble there was a big battle going on.

I was landing some field, had a hole so deep in me,

you could have drove your fist through.

You gonna stand by and let him give guns to them, Sue?

If Buford called, he'd come on out to get me.

He'd come on out where nobody'd even show their noses.

He carried me all the way back.

Yes, sir, Cole did that, and lots more.

Now, he's the same man that's in that hut over there,

pumped full of bad whiskey and the dreams of a young woman's love.

You don't owe him the rest of your life.

Maybe not.

But when you're in the Army for a long time,

you get used to some things.

They become habits.

Some good, some bad.

You see, Mr. Thorpe, I am Buford Cole's friend.

Now, there ain't a damn thing I can do to change that.

Corporal!

All right.

Let's go around.

Holly, get up.

He'd be just about anywhere, couldn't he?

Sue might already got to him, but now he'd be hurt or worse

and we wouldn't even know it.

Now, that kind of guessing ain't getting us nowhere.

Well, that blame at Luther had been trying to be hopeful, hadn't it?

The wind found nothing to be hopeful about.

You know what your pardon says is that?

He'd just laugh right in your face,

keep him right on pushing.

Well, I ain't saying I quit.

And I'll tell you another thing, Luther Sprague,

it'll be a cold day in hell before I lay down ahead of you.

Let's move.

Now, you talkin' about just like you hurt her, old man!

Private Shafer, could you help me a minute?

What is it, Miss Lizzie?

I can't seem to get my skirt hooked up.

Oh, please.

Turn around.

Shafer, I'm gonna make all your dreams come true.

Take off your clothes.

Straight.

Come on.

Come on.

Hey!

Bring us some whiskey, Roland.

Join in the party.

There's no way around us yet.

We've got our own skins to think about.

Don't mean I gotta like it.

You a friend? Look. Look at that.

Hold it!

Let's go.

That's Mason.

Looks like that old wolf hand didn't accept any excuses, does it?

Keep your mouth shut, Thorpe.

They may be still around, waiting.

They probably are, if I know wolf hand.

Hey, Cole, you always wanted to be our officer.

Now, what would our officer do now?

Nothing's changed, Thorpe.

Ain't it?

He wants you to look at the faces on your men.

Whatever discipline they had you took from them,

why don't you turn around and look at them?

They know these hills are full of soo.

They're getting ready to run.

Save the whole skin.

What are we gonna do?

Get a hold of yourself.

I'm gonna take those boys that you're so concerned about away,

so they won't have to see what has to be done.

Now, wait, Buford.

You're gonna have the sad task of shooting a prisoner trying to escape.

Then I want to hear him in that wagon.

You catch up with us.

Well, why don't we leave the wagon and the rifles here?

Wolf hand will stop for that.

Gives us a chance to get to Laramie.

No.

Those rifles and a corpse are a pass out of this mess.

Yes, it'll be like the Mexican campaign.

We'll be heroes up in medals on us. I may even get that commission I earned.

You ain't making any sense at all, Buford.

You take care of things here.

It's ordered.

We'll scout ahead.

You were Wolf Hand's ass.

Take good care of things, Jesse.

How long you been taking care of things for that sergeant, Jesse?

He never was like that.

He is now, ain't he?

You gotta take care of all his dirty work from now on.

Something to look forward to, ain't it?

Hey, Jesse!

You keep your mouth shut, mister.

He ain't no killer. Now step back.

Stop taking care of things for coal.

You hear me? You keep your mouth shut!

'Cause I owe him, and I always will owe him!

Two shots.

Pissed on a rifle.

We're going back.

Move it out. We're going back.

Move it out. - Move it out!

But, Sarge! What about the suit?

We don't get to Laramie before.

Thorpe and those rifles will be looking down the wrong end of a firefight.

We don't get to Laramie before. Thorpe and those rifles will be looking down the wrong end of a firing squad.

I said move it out. Move it out!

Thorpe!

He's a rifle. Let's get out of here.

Grab a hold of these. I ain't leaving these rifles to the suit or the army or nobody.

I thought you did that already. - Oh, Mason, you did.

I was pulling his block. But it was a damn good idea, I'll tell you.

Give me those. Come on.

Take these. Get down there.

Grab this horse.

What? Lay a good base of fire. Rescue, follow me.

Lord, he's gone crazy. Look at him.

Remember who it is, your mother freed him.

There's one man and a girl up there.

A fire! Fire! Rescue, spread out!

Follow me!

Spread out! Spread out!

And fire!

Keep loading them of the rifle.

Fire! Move forward!

We haven't got a chance against all of them.

No big ways.

I got me a fireman, Oregon, and you got a place in California, right?

We got a chance.

It's all right, boy. It's all right.

You ain't going to die. You ain't going to die.

Move out! Move out!

You! Over there! Come on, move forward!

You! Come on! Move forward!

Come on! Move forward!

Don't worry, boys. I ain't done yet.

I said move!

Load and fire! Move forward!

Forward! Forward!

I've got to give it to him.

He's got a certain amount of style. He's keeping that moving.

Follow me!

It's the zoo!

It's the zoo!

It's the zoo!

It's the zoo!

Come back here. Hey, you!

Come back here, man!

Come back!

If I was a zoo, instead of a bunty alley, it'd both be scalped right now.

Where the hell you been, Luther?

You realize you're taking on the U.S. Army?

Afternoon, ma'am.

Do you realize it, Evan?

Yeah, I realize that Luther didn't take too long to explain to you.

Now, who's that cloud of dust you got with you?

Chief Andrew Thorpe.

Boy said he had it right to go. Now you take it up on him.

Come on, we got some more cleaning up to do.

What are you looking down the mountain, Beth?

You come through, didn't we?

Yeah, through to where?

Seems to me I'm right back where I started from.

Laring me up ahead and answering to the Army.

Don't you worry about the Army.

Tell them all they need to know.

You don't have to do that.

You don't need my help anymore.

You don't always lend a hubcushion over a barrel.

Sometimes they got other reasons.

You know, little things like friendship.

You know, you get used all the time.

You start thinking, that's the only way to get along.

I guess that's not really the way it is.

Nope.

Not really.

No, it ain't. Not really.

Well, I guess you realize it was the old trick.

Weren't no suit. Just the trick.

You were lucky, Thorpe.

Those boys at Smith had been winding about, hadn't run off.

He'd be another story.

He'd be looking down the barrel of my gun now.

You didn't exactly give him a very good reason to stay, did you?

What's going to happen to him anyway?

Same as having to him all his life.

The Army will take care of it.

See you there, Luther.

Now, what are you doing here?

Come on over here.

This here's Lizzie Kolder.

Pleasure to meet you, ma'am.

Same here.

She's going to be with us all the way to Fort Alarmy.

This is going to give her a wagon to California.

Yeah.

Hey.

I ain't that nice.

You ever get to San Francisco, you, uh, give that back to me, you?

Yeah, I got me a sneaky feeling you're going to need it long before that.

Uh-uh. Not me.

Not now.

Excuse me.

Time to dusty the earth beneath my feet

Time to dusty as I ride through the burning heat

With the help of God and this mountain man

I have a dream where the sun goes down

Though a land of valleys all in me

'Cause my more rages bow