Dan Duryea stars in this gritty medium-budget western as an unregenerate killer. His one saving grace is his affection for his foster son (Tony Young), whom he's raised from infancy. The boy grows up to be a sheriff, while Duryea continues his criminal activities in the company of his natural son. The ultimate showdown finds Young squaring off with his stepbrother, knowing full well that even if he wins, he'll lose in the eyes of some townsfolk--including his violence-hating fiancee. He Rides Tall combines western traditionalism with the gut-splattering gore popular in the early 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi