Saddle the Wind

Steve Sinclair is a retired gunslinger and former Confederate soldier who now lives as a rancher. He works with landowner Dennis Deneen to preserve communal stability and keep a fragile peace on the open range. The arrangement shows a quiet, carefully managed balance in a small western community.

Tony, the emotionally unstable younger brother, arrives with his girlfriend Joan and immediately exudes reckless bravado. He unveils a handmade six-gun with a filed-down trigger and flaunts his quick-draw skills. The scene ends with Tony firing a reflection of himself in a pool of water, signaling his vanity and danger.

An old rival of Steve, gunman Larry Venables, arrives on the scene, threatening to disrupt the balance. Tony challenges Venables to a draw, flaunting his bravado as Venables hesitates. In the ensuing moment, Tony murders Venables, and his success goes to his head.

Steve confronts his brother over the killing, reminding him that Venables was one of the faster gunfighters and that he got lucky. He urges Tony to respect the danger of what he's done and warns of consequences. The confrontation strains the already fragile family ties.

Clay Ellison, a neighbor and farmer, arrives with plans to fence off a strip of inherited land and grow wheat, threatening the open-range grazing. Tony tries to drive Ellison off, but Steve intervenes to de-escalate the confrontation. The clash foreshadows deeper conflict over property and power.

Ellison appeals to Dennis Deneen, the landowner, who agrees to defend Ellison's legal rights to the land. Deneen's decision signals a shift away from the Sinclairs and toward formal disputes. Tony's aggression continues to challenge the new arrangement.

In town, while Ellison tries to buy provisions, Tony murders him, escalating the conflict and severing any remaining support for the Sinclairs. Deneen promptly breaks ties with Steve and his family as a result. The act hardens the line between loyalty and law in the frontier town.

Deneen dissolves his association with the Sinclairs, signaling the end of their old arrangement. Tony bets for control, pushing to seize the ranch. Steve drives Tony off, but the revolt culminates as Tony corners Deneen and attempts to kill him.

A gunfight ensues when Tony confronts Deneen and tries to eliminate him, leaving both sides wounded. Steve is reluctantly drawn back into the violence as the balance of power collapses. Tony flees into the hills, and the ranch settles into a tense, uneasy stalemate.

Deneen's men inform Steve that if he wants to bring Tony to justice, he must wear his old guns again after years of retirement. Steve reluctantly agrees and heads into the hills to track Tony. The decision marks a return to the code Steve once lived by, and foreshadows a final confrontation.

Steve finds Tony in the hillside shadows, and the younger man shoots himself, echoing the earlier image of himself in the pool of water. The self-inflicted death ends Tony's volatile arc and resolves the immediate danger. Steve is left to carry the burden of the tragedy and to report back to Deneen.

Steve informs Deneen that Tony is dead, and the fragile peace is restored only through the loss of a life. Deneen persuades Steve to remain on the ranch, recognizing that he still serves as a stabilizing influence. The film ends with a wary but necessary continuation of life on the range.