A mournful and vengeful old man keeps a vigil at the graveside of his son, sending a hired vagrant to assassinate those responsible for his death. After executing his son's killer, the hireling is sent back to bring in the other man, a black bounty hunter, who was an accomplice in the killing of Billy Dan Clanton. But the vagrant pays a black friend to impersonate the bounty hunter and tell the old man the true story of how the rotten young Billy was an outlaw and a rapist, deserving to be shot down like the mangy dog he really was. During the tale the viewer sees flashbacks depicting the cowardice, viciousness and licentiousness of Billy Dan (John Alderman in a memorable performance) which includes the brutal gang rape of a rancher's daughter. With a little less sleaze and better production values this could have been a much better film. Unlike the antiseptic A-list big budget westerns which were more mythical than convincing, this rancid little entry is surprisingly effective, gritty and repugnant like much of the real history of the lawless west. Alderman, a charismatic presence in all his films no matter how sorry they were, pretty much carries the whole show. And the ending is like a shot in the head!
