Rage at Dawn

Rage at Dawn is a 1955 American film starring Randolph Scott, Forrest Tucker, Mala Powers and J. Carrol Nash. It tells the story of the Reno Brothers who were an outlaw gang which terrorized the American Midwest, especially Southern Indiana after the American Civil War. The Reno Brothers are corrupt robbers and killers while a fifth brother, Clint (Denver Pyle) is a respected Indiana farmer. A sister, Laura (Mala Powers) has inherited the family home and serves as housekeeper and cook to the brothers. One brother is killed when they rob a bank in a nearby town and they soon learn that a local bartender by the name of Murphy informed on them. They tie Murphy up in his barn and set the barn ablaze. Murphy was in fact employed by the Peterson (in real life, Pinkerton) Detective Agency sent to investigate the Reno Brother's crimes. Muphy's replacement is James Barlow, (Randolph Scott), who is determined to join the gang by posing as a train robber. Grudgingly accepted by the brothers, Barlow soon learns that the gang have corrupted local officials, including a judge -- allowing them to operate in that part of Indiana with impunity. The brothers plan a train robbery with Barlow (Randolph Scott), but it is a setup in which they are captured following a shootout, and taken to an area jail outside the jurisdiction of the corrupted officials. This is a great thriller of a western and most notable for the outstanding and legendary performance of Randolph Scott.