While surveying a telegraph line in 1861, Western Union engineer Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is severely injured in an accident. He is discovered by Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott), an outlaw on the run from a posse. Forced to travel on foot after his horse was hurt, Shaw at first considers stealing Creighton's horse, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life.
Sometime later, following his recovery, Creighton returns to Omaha, Nebraska and plans the construction of a telegraph line from Omaha to Salt Lake City, Utah. Facing considerable opposition to the line from Confederate soldiers, Indians, and outlaws, Creighton elicits the help of his sister Sue (Virginia Gilmore), foreman Pat Grogan (Minor Watson), and assistant Homer Kettle (Chill Wills).
Looking to put his outlaw past behind him, Shaw arrives at Creighton's Western Union office looking for honest work and is hired as a scout by Grogan who is unaware of his past. Creighton recognizes him among the men and allows him to stay despite his suspicions. Creighton also hires tenderfoot Richard Blake (Robert Young), a Harvard-educated engineer as a favor to Blake's father. Shaw and Blake are both attracted to Sue and vie for her attention, but their romantic rivalry is cut short when construction of the telegraph line starts on July 4, 1861.
After work commences on the line, one of the men is killed apparently by a mysterious band of cattle-rustling Indians. Unconvinced that Indians are to blame, Shaw rides out to investigate and follows the rustlers' trail to the camp of Jack Slade, a former friend and cohort, whose gang committed the killing disguised as Indians—the gang Shaw left following his last bank robbery. Slade reveals that they are working for the Confederacy to disrupt Western Union because they believe the telegraph service will help the Union. Shaw rides away and returns to the line. Not wanting to turn in his former friends, Shaw tells Creighton that a large band of Dakota Indians stole the cattle, and recommends that they simply replace the herd and not risk a fight with the Indians.
Sometime later, a confrontation takes place between men working on the forward line and a band of drunken Indians. When one of the Indians tries to steal some equipment, a nervous Blake shoots him, ignoring Shaw's order to remain calm. After word arrives that the main camp is under attack by other Indians, the Western Union men rush back to help with the defense. At the main camp, Slade's men, who are again disguised as Indians, steal the Western Union horses. The company discover the ruse when one of the wounded Indians turns out to be a white man. Forced to buy back their stolen horses from Slade, Creighton becomes suspicious of Shaw's involvement, especially when he admits to knowing the gang.
Soon the U.S. Army arrives and announces the Indians have now refused to allow the telegraph lines to go through their territory in response to Blake's shooting of the drunken Indian. Creighton, Shaw, and Blake ride out to convince Chief Spotted Horse to allow them to build the line through Indian territory, even though the man Blake wounded was Spotted Horse's son. Creighton is finally able to persuade the Indians to allow them passage, and work continues until the company approaches Salt Lake City.
Sometime later, Shaw receives word that Jack Slade wants to meet with him. On the way to see Slade, Shaw is captured and bound by Slade's men. Slade says his group is going to burn down the Western Union camp and they don't want Shaw to interfere. After Slade and his men ride off, Shaw escapes from his ropes but arrives back too late to prevent the fire. He helps rescue some of the Western Union men from the flames and burns his hands in the process.
After the fire, Creighton confronts Shaw for an explanation, but Shaw does not reveal what he knows and is fired by Creighton. As Shaw leaves the camp, he tells Blake that Slade is actually Shaw's brother and that he, Shaw, will find Slade's gang and stop them from interfering with the telegraph project. Shaw rides off and finds Slade and his men in a nearby town. At the barber shop, Shaw confronts his brother, whose gun is concealed under the barber's sheet. Slade shoots Shaw through the sheet. Shaw fights back in spite of his wound, killing some of the gang members, and then dies. Blake arrives and continues the fight with Slade who dies from his wounds. Soon after, the Western Union line is completed and the workers celebrate. When Sue laments the absence of Shaw, Creighton tells her that Shaw can hear them.
难得看到如此精彩的国产小成本电影，虽然有些许bug，但瑕不掩瑜，值得五星
致敬了《闪灵》。想用小成本拍科幻片还是很有难度的。连反打镜头都拍不了，全程3个演员，从头到尾只靠台词。
小成本国产科幻片，虽然格局不大，但有的地方确实看得人头皮发麻，挺不错的
多一星鼓励吧，有限的资源下（14天、100万、3个演员）完成度还挺不错的。观感上还是有点“空”，买了房子没钱装修的既视感，但整体框架是好的，需要打磨的地方太多了，难怪会被好莱坞买去翻拍，期待一下翻拍会怎么“装修”一番。
脉络清晰的小成本电影，拍成这样真的很惊艳。
难得一见的国产平行空间片，恐怖游轮的壳子，彗星来的那一夜的里子，对于只有3个演员撑起的小成本电影，我觉得需要5分鼓励。每段穿越都有亮点，逻辑又自洽，男女主演技又在线。
ps剧透:
虽然剧本还可以 但节奏实在是太慢了 内容匮乏 还有男主的演技一直很出戏
抖音编剧雷神自编自导自吹的小成本长片，
就三位不知名演员演出的这么个小成本制作，谁能想到居然牛了个x了。有似曾相识的元素，但又不一样，听说剧本还被好莱坞买走，有前途。
剧情并不自洽，那么多平行空间，竟然两个人都是夫妻，都是夫妻也就算了，还都是生了一个儿子，都是儿子也就算了，还都是叫童童…
1.5星。看了豆瓣短评以为有多厉害，实际情况是学生习作水平，粗制滥造，三个演员的演技加起来是零分。以上是绝对客观的评价，你不信你自己去看。与国外同类题材的科幻影视有很大差距。
只是燕子还是她博士老公的大段理论讨论插入的很生硬。除了创意性改编，剧情的打磨上还是略显粗糙。
虽然剧本还可以 但节奏实在是太慢了 内容匮乏 还有男主的演技一直很出戏
车祸开场，急救室，爆炸结尾，心跳停止。有点儿意思~
因为喜欢雷神的短视频，前不久刷到他说作品被美国买走版权了，赶紧过来看看。小成本制作，已经很不错了。故事也讲明白了，就是看上去还是会有些费解，逻辑上的。内核还是借鉴了彗星来的那一夜，但有自己的思考👍🏻
作为一个成本只有100万的小制作真的不错。有遗憾也有惊喜。
深夜惊雷，入林查看，偶遇同一个自己，还被袭击，逃回会所；
节奏，台词，演技，镜头语言，人物语言行动逻辑一塌糊涂，就算是有个类似彗星和恐邮的好点子，驾驭不了也是白搭，你说他不是好故事吧他也有设计，但前面那些灾难性的缺陷实在是让我无法再多给一颗星。
想到了很多年前看过的一部电影《前目的地》，都挺好看的。
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