Genre: Western/Adventure
Director: Scott Cooper
Writer: John Malone
Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Joel Edgerton, Tye Sheridan, Oscar Isaac, Bryan Cranston, Jason Momoa, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Mark Pellegrino, Asa Butterfield, Madelaine Petsch, Benjamin Bratt, Bill Pullman
Plot: The Governor of Texas, Richard Coke (Bill Pullman), heads down the stairs of the Governor's Palace to find the foyer full of cattle milling about. He turns to see rancher Richard King (Bryan Cranston) sitting in his chair. King tells the Governor that several ranches in South Texas, near the Mexican border, have been burned to the ground, the owners murdered, and their cattle stolen and taken into Mexico by bandits. He demands that the Governor do something before his ranch is hit and more people wind up dead. The Governor asks what King expects him to do, and King suggests bringing in Leander McNelly. Coke doesn't like the idea since McNelly, despite being good lawman, is known for questionable methods and disobeying orders. King convinces the Governor that McNelly's track record is exactly why he's the right man for the job.
King and rides up to small house in the plains of Burton, Texas. Leander McNelly (Joel Edgerton) sits on the front porch smoking and drinking whiskey. King tells McNelly that the Governor is willing to reorganize a company of Texas Rangers, 50 men for six months, and offers McNelly the position of captain in order to stop the cattle bandits. McNelly tells him that he doesn't want 50 men, he'll take just 30.
On a train, Easterner Lincoln Rogers Dunnison (Alden Ehrenreich) performs card tricks for a young attractive Mexican woman. She eventually rebuffs his advances, so he gets up and looks for something to do. He walks into another train car, finding a a group of armed men playing poker. He watches them play until he is spotted by their leader, King Fisher (Oscar Isaac). Fisher invites Dunnison to sit down for a game. The men with Fisher, Ajoba (Jason Momoa) and Wes Hardin (Mark Pellegrino) eye Dunnison suspiciously, but Fisher tells them to back off and let the kid play. It's not long until they catch Dunnison trying to cheat. Hardin pulls a gun on Dunnison, saying they should kill him. Instead, Fisher forces Dunnison to give them all of his money and clothes. They then throw a naked Dunnison from the moving train.
Dunnison sits, naked, waiting for the next train. A young man, George Durham (Tye Sheridan), happens by on horseback. Durham stops, befuddled by the sight of the naked Dunnison. Dunnison explains that he was robbed. Durham offers Dunnison a pair of old overalls and a ride to the next town on the back of his horse. Durham tells Dunnison that he has come all the way from Georgia to join McNelly's Texas Rangers. That night, they make a camp. Durham suggests Dunnison join the Rangers with him, but Dunnison tells him that he's not exactly the law and order type.
Dunnison and Durham make their way to Corpus Christi where McNelly is recruiting men for his Rangers. When they get into town, they find McNelly in a bar fight with a local vigilante group. Dunnison, never one to back down from a fight, gets into the fray. Durham, meanwhile, officially applies to join the Rangers with one of McNelly's men, Allen (O'Shea Jackson Jr.). McNelly tells Dunnison he didn't need any help taking care of those men, but Dunnison tells McNelly that he was bored and wanted something to do. McNelly asks Dunnison to join the Rangers, but Dunnison tells McNelly that it's his friend Durham who wants to join. At the recruitment area, McNelly tells Durham that he is accepted to the Rangers because he fought in the Civil War with his father. McNelly asks Dunnison to reconsider as he needs some men who can read and write, and they are few and far between. Dunnison agrees to join.
McNelly tells his Ranger recruits about their mission. They will be going southeast, south of the Nueces River into bandit country. The bandits are led by King Fisher who has a deal to supply Mexican General Cortinas with beef, so he and his men have been murdering ranchers and stealing their cattle. McNelly tells his men that they are going to be outmanned and outgunned, and that he wouldn't have it any other way.
During training, Dunnison and Durham meet Berry Smith (Asa Butterfield), a teenager who lied about his age in order to aid in the Rangers' cause. During horseback riding training, Dunnison sticks out like a sore thumb with his English-style riding, a side-effect of his upper class East Coast background. That evening, Dunnison is called to McNelly's quarters to write a letter for him. The letter is to Governor Coke, telling him that the circumstances at hand will force them to take the trail before sufficient training. On payday, several of the Rangers have a poker game and invite Dunnison and Durham to play. When the game ends, Dunnison has a whole new wardrobe, a fine new hat, and a fistful of money.
McNelly leads his Rangers out of their camp to start their mission. They head south to a town, Nuecestown, that was just hit by Fisher and his gang. Dunnison, flush with poker winnings, heads to the town's general store. Dunnison buys a Colt revolver from the woman behind the counter, Sarah Noakes (Madelaine Petsch). As Dunnison starts hitting on Sarah, he is called out of the store by McNelly. McNelly is talking to the store's owner. He tells them that the bandits raped his daughter, Sarah, and that she would be able to identify the culprit as he pulled his hood off to kiss her before he left. McNelly sends Dunnison back inside to talk to Sarah. She takes Dunnison up to her bedroom above the store. He is still clearing smitten with her, even with the given circumstances. She starts to undress in front of him. Just as he is about to undress himself, she reveals the letters "W.H." carved into her chest. Dunnison stares at her, completely thrown. She decribes the man and what he did to her. Dunnison realizes that it was Wes Hardin who raped her and tells her that he'll make him pay for what he did. She kisses him, but Durham walks in and says that they're moving out.
McNelly and the Rangers ride up to King Fisher's house to confront him. King Fisher and Ajoba are on the porch eating steaks. Fisher cheerfully greets McNelly, telling the Rangers that he has no clue where Hardin is but that he'll be sure to ask around. Dunnison notices several armed riders in the side yard and armed men on the house's balcony. Fisher recognizes Dunnison and invites him to have some dinner with him. McNelly and the Rangers begin riding off. Dunnison and Fisher stare each other down, before Fisher offers Dunnison a job with him. Allen calls after Dunnison, and Dunnison joins his fellow Rangers riding away from the property.
When they get back to their camp, the Rangers are greeted by an old friend of McNelly's, Jesus Sandoval (Benjamin Bratt). McNelly puts Sandoval in the unit with Dunnison, Berry and Durham. In the morning, the Rangers make their toward the Neuces River, which acts as a border between Texas and disputed Mexican territory. Along the way they pass an burned out ranch with a family all hanged on one of the trees. They are fired upon by a group of bandits. The Rangers easily take out the group, but keep one alive for questioning. The bandit refuses to say who he works for or where they cattle is being taken, but a saddle stolen from town is on his horse. Dunnison attacks the bandit and demands to know where Hardin is. Allen and Durham pull Dunnison off the bandit. Sandoval walks up to the bandit and executes him.
The Rangers make their way to Richard King's ranch near the Nueces. Berry tells the boys that her mother works there. King has dozens of armed men surrounding the ranch to protect it from Fisher and his men. King shows them behind the house, where he points out several tents and huts. He is letting people whose ranches were raided by the bandits camp out on his ranch for protection. McNelly interviews the refugees for information on where along the river Fisher is taking the cattle across. Berry reunites with his mother and sisters.
In the middle of the night, Dunnison rides back to Nuecestown to check on Sarah. He tells her that he thinks Hardin is taking cattle into Mexico for Fisher and he intends to track him down there. She says he doesn't need to risk his life for her. He kisses her and they end up sleeping together. In the morning, Dunnison attempts to race back to King's ranch before McNelly wakes up, but when he gets there he finds McNelly and Durham waiting for him.
Sandoval rides up saying that he was scouting ahead and saw a herd of cattle being taken across the river into Mexico. He thinks that if they leave now they can cross the river at a different point they can beat them to the other side and take them out at the river. McNelly rallies the Rangers and they race from the ranch across the river.
Sure enough, they manage to confront the bandits at the river. McNelly has the Rangers charge on the bandits. Dunnison sees Hardin and charges his horse at him. Dunnison fires his Colt at Hardin, but only manages to wound him before Hardin escapes. Durham's horse is hit, sending Durham flying into the river. Durham collects himself just before Ajoba attacks him with a hatchet. Durham is frozen with fear as Ajoba charges him. Suddenly a bullet flies through Ajoba's forehead. Durham looks behind him and sees McNelly. McNelly tells him to get up. The Rangers manage to kill half of the bandits, but the others managed to escape. McNelly tells Berry to help round up some of the cattle to take back to Richard King's ranch. Allen reports to McNelly that there were no Ranger casualties. McNelly commends the boys on a job well done and points out a bullet hole in Dunnison's hat. McNelly tells the Rangers to head back to Nuecestown to re-group and wait to see if King Fisher is going to retaliate.
Later, as the Rangers wait in Nuecestown, King Fisher rides into town with many riders behind him. Fisher claims to not know any of the bandits the Rangers killed and insists that he just came to town to do some shopping. When McNelly points at that some of the men had been at his house the other day, Fisher confesses to knowing them but says that McNelly and his rangers simply killed a bunch of innocent workers. Fisher turns his horse around and tells McNelly that he'll be at his house if the Rangers want to come and see him. Dunnison goes to see Sarah to tell her that he saw Hardin and put a bullet through his shoulder, but that he intends to finish the job in the morning.
Sandoval and Allen spy on King Fisher's house, waiting to see if anyone comes or goes. Just as some riders leave the house and start heading toward a ridge, Sandoval and Allen are attacked from behind by Hardin and some of Fisher's men. Sandoval manages to escape, despite taking a few bullets to the back, but the bandits kill Allen. Sandoval makes it back to the Ranger camp and reports Allen's death and the riders heading to the ridge. McNelly demands medical care for Sandoval, but he succumbs to his wounds and dies. McNelly rallies the Rangers and tells them that they are going to head up the ridge and attack King Fisher's men and finish the job they've been hired to do.
The Rangers confront King Fisher and his men along the ridge. Hardin rides alongside Fisher. Fisher once again offers Dunnison a job, but he declines. Dunnison then charges his horse at Hardin, jumps off, and tackles Hardin off of his horse. King Fisher and his other men turn around to try and beat the Rangers to the river. Dunnison beats Hardin to a pulp. The Rangers bury Sandoval and Allen and burn King Fisher's house to the ground and set up camp with plans to make a final stand against King Fisher and his bandits at the river in the morning.
McNelly calls Dunnison into his tent that night to write a letter. McNelly reveals that he never learned to read or write, and that he wants Dunnison to write down his will for him. McNelly says that his land will be bequeathed to the Texas Rangers, his pocket watch to Richard King and his Navy Colt pistols to Lincoln Rogers Dunnison. Dunnison is shocked. McNelly says he doesn't want to talk about it and to leave the tent as soon as the will is written down.
In the early morning, pre-dawn, McNelly leads the Rangers across the river, quietly. McNelly asks for a scout to get in close to let us know what they're up against. Dunnison volunteers to scout out the scene. Dunnison spies an old walled settlement. People are up, milling about, countless cattle and horses inside a makeshift fence.
McNelly and the Rangers sneak forward toward the settlement. They are spotted by a bandit, forcing the Rangers to open fire on the settlement. Bandits start rushing toward the line of Rangers, but McNelly tells them to hold the line and keep firing on them. King Fisher's army keeps coming, rushing the Rangers for the kill. Just when it looks like they're doomed, Richard King arrives with his guards to help in the assault against Fisher.
McNelly spots Fisher and demands Berry bring him a rifle. Just as Berry tosses McNelly the rifle, Berry is hit in the chest by enemy fire. The Rangers keep firing on the settlement as the sun rises. McNelly takes aim with the rifle and hits Fisher right in the gut. With Fisher down, the bandits scatter, freeing the cattle as a distraction. McNelly makes his way toward the settlement. Fisher is wounded, but not dead. McNelly considers executing Fisher, but decides to arrest him instead.
The Rangers bring the cattle back to Richard King's ranch, where many of the surviving ranchers are able to claim their cattle. The Rangers bury Berry at King's ranch. Durham and McNelly watch as Dunnison leaves to ride into Nuecestown to see Sarah.
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