Man with the Gun

Clint Tollinger arrives in Sheridan City to seek out Nelly Bain. She refuses to see him, underscoring the town's fear of his 'town tamer' reputation. The community has endured a year of violence—14 killings and 31 robberies—while the town marshal resists challenging powerful rancher Dade Holman and his gang. Under pressure, the town council reluctantly hires Tollinger for $500.

The marshal deputizes Tollinger and he immediately insists on acting on his own terms, with no interference from other officials. He asserts his authority over Sheridan City's security and announces that weapons will be controlled under his rules. This signals a hard-edged cleanup campaign against Holman’s influence.

Tollinger singles out the Harkness brothers, Holman’s gunmen, and warns them to leave town. Their presence marks the start of Tollinger's abrupt crackdown and sets up the climactic confrontations to come.

Tollinger disarms Frenchy Lescaux, the manager of Holman’s saloon-backed operation, and makes it clear that no one will carry weapons inside town limits. The move demonstrates his readiness to dismantle Holman’s network at the ground level. The town's uneasy tension rises as the ban becomes enforced.

The Harkness brothers are shot dead by Tollinger, a decisive early strike in his campaign. The killings send a message that Tollinger will not hesitate to eliminate Holman’s gunmen. The town begins to feel the weight of his ruthless brand of justice.

Four men ride into town looking for Tollinger. He drops them at shotgun point and orders them to drop their weapons. Reedy tries to hide a gun in his hat, but Tollinger sees through the ruse and shoots him dead.

At a social event, a town woman critiques dancing and vice while Tollinger enforces a curfew. Unaware Tollinger already knows Nelly—the girls' madam—from past dealings, she and the others may be forced to move on. The exchange highlights the personal stakes of Tollinger's crackdown on Holman’s influence.

Two men detain Jeff Castle for trespassing on Holman’s property; Tollinger counters by arresting them for carrying guns in town. After several tense hours, an exchange is arranged: Castle is released in return for the surrender of the gunmen.

Nelly reveals that Tollinger’s daughter Beth is dead, and the revelation hits him hard. He absorbs the news with a rare crack in his steady composure, signaling a shift in his restraint. The moment deepens the personal cost of Tollinger's violent career.

Tollinger burns Holman’s saloon to the ground and kills Lescaux when he poorly times a knife attempt from behind. The blaze effectively destroys Holman’s power base in Sheridan City. The act marks a dramatic escalation in Tollinger’s campaign against Holman’s network.

Holman’s lawyer Zender arrives in town and begins laying a trap for Tollinger as Holman plots to reassert control. Nelly learns who Zender is and tries to warn Tollinger of the danger. The stage is set for a final showdown between Tollinger and Holman.

Holman rides into town in a surrey, hoping to join the kill. Tollinger kills his would-be murderer, and Castle asserts that the kill is rightfully his. Tollinger delays and lets Castle take the fatal shot, but the holdout buys Holman time to strike Tollinger in the shoulder.

Tollinger survives the shoulder wound and is treated by the town doctor. He decides it is time to leave the business behind. He and Nelly share a quiet kiss, hinting at a potential future away from the violence and their old life together.