Rancho Deluxe

Bored with life, Jack McKee and Cecil Colson turn to rustling cattle as a thrill. They cut up the cattle with a chainsaw and pay bills with fresh meat rather than cash. Their criminal hobby begins in the Montana range, drawing the first streak of trouble into Brown's orbit.

Brown and his wife Cora are equally bored and decide to act when they hear about rustling. Brown sends Burt and Curt in a helicopter to catch them in the act, upping the stakes of the pursuit. The chase shifts from whispers to visible danger.

Jack and Cecil kidnap Basehart of Bozeman Canyon, Brown's $50,000 prize bull, to force payment. The crime escalates as Brown contemplates more aggressive moves against the rustlers. The ransom becomes the focal point of the confrontation.

Brown calls in Henry Beige, the famed stock detective who has seen better days. He seems doddering and uninterested in the rustling, spending his days watching TV. Laura, his niece, waits on him and lures Curt with her unnervingly sweet persona.

Burt and Curt deduce the rustlers are Jack and Cecil, and the pair bribe them into a scheme to steal a semi-truckload of Brown's cattle. With the bribe in place, the plan threads into a larger, riskier heist. The town's watchful eyes start to sharpen.

Curt falls for Laura, though she keeps him guessing with her lure and innocence. In the woods, she seduces him in a sexual encounter, showing her true cunning. Her sweetness is revealed to be a calculated act.

Burt intends to use the rustling profits for an expensive vacation in Mexico, while Curt imagines marrying Laura. The conflicting ambitions pull the group in different directions and strain alliances. The tension mounts as plans collide.

Henry's apparent ineptitude provokes Brown's fury and he unceremoniously fires the old detective. The town watches as Brown grows more impatient with the suspect's trail. The mood shifts from skepticism to accountability.

Laura explains to Curt that she must take care of her uncle and will be leaving with him, effectively ending any possibility of marrying Curt. The revelation sours Curt's trust and hardens his resolve. Curt decides to help Henry catch the rustlers despite Laura's departure.

Curt chooses to help Henry catch the rustlers, stepping away from the romantic entanglement. Henry proceeds to stage a show of pursuit to demonstrate his competence. The town becomes invested in the spectacle as the chase unfolds.

Henry leads a public pursuit and makes a show of catching the rustlers before the town's citizens. The rustlers' bravado collapses as law enforcement closes in. This becomes a theatrical denouement that exposes the rustlers' true capabilities.

Burt and Curt are arrested as the plan unravels, and Curt realizes Laura's sweetness and love for him were a calculated act. The social circle is turned upside down as relationships unravel. The reason for their actions becomes clearer in the face of consequences.

Jack and Cecil end up at the Montana State Prison Ranch at Deer Lodge, spending their days on horseback, bored just as before. The punishment fits their boredom, rather than a harsh retribution. The system both confines and mirrors their restlessness.

The film closes with the two rustlers riding off beneath a sign that reads Rancho Deluxe. The scene bookends their thrill-seeking with a quiet, resigned humor. The pair continues their restless days, trapped in the same cycle.