Blood on the Mountain 2016

As Drifter Jim Garry rides into an Indian reservation, summoned by his old friend Tate Riling, he finds himself entangled in a web of deceit and conflict. The cattle owner, John Lufton, requests Garry’s help in delivering a crucial message to his family, unaware that Riling has concocted a scheme to fleece him out of his herd. Lufton’s suspicions are further fueled when he learns that Garry is supposedly working on behalf of Riling.

Garry’s interactions with the Lufton family are initially met with hostility, particularly from Lufton’s daughter Amy, who remains wary of this newcomer in her father’s affairs. Meanwhile, Riling and his partner, Indian agent Jake Pindalest, have devised a clever ploy to force Lufton into selling his herd at rock-bottom prices. Pindalest has deemed Lufton’s cattle unfit for the reservation’s needs, giving him a week to remove them from the land or face financial ruin.

Riling has cleverly manipulated the homesteaders into believing he is working in their best interests, convincing them to block Lufton’s attempts to relocate his herd. Lufton, desperate and with no other options, would be forced to sell his herd to Riling himself, knowing that Pindalest would then facilitate a government purchase. In exchange for Garry’s cooperation, Riling offers him a hefty $10,000.

However, Lufton proves to be a cunning foe, outsmarting Riling and successfully relocating his herd off the reservation without incident. As Garry delivers the note, he inadvertently assumes the wrong course of action, leading Riling to believe he has been duped. Meanwhile, Lufton’s daughter Carol, who is secretly smitten with Riling, reveals her father’s plan to him, allowing Riling and his men to track down and stampede Lufton’s cattle back onto the reservation.

With time running out, Garry becomes horrified by the senseless loss of life in the stampede, including the fatal injury of a young man. This turning point prompts Garry to abandon his initial role and side with the Luftons against Riling’s ruthless tactics. Despite Amy’s continued wariness, she eventually comes to trust and fall in love with Garry, particularly after he intervenes to save her father from certain death at the hands of Riling’s henchmen.

As desperation sets in, Garry resorts to a clever ruse, concealing his falling out with Riling from the unsuspecting Pindalest, and convinces him to dispatch a messenger to the authorities in a last-ditch effort to prolong the deadline. With this temporary reprieve secured, Garry seizes Pindalest as his prisoner, effectively neutralizing any potential threat. Meanwhile, Riling and his ruthless cohorts close in on their quarry, determined to exact revenge.

In search of refuge, Garry flees to the remote cabin of Kris Barden, the grieving father of the young man whose tragic fate served as a poignant reminder of the devastating consequences of their own actions. Here, he finds solace with Amy, who has grown increasingly wary of his wandering ways. However, their fleeting moment of peace is shattered by the sudden onset of chaos, as a heated gunfight erupts, leaving its participants battered and bruised.

Despite earlier sustaining injuries, Garry seizes the cover of night to launch a daring escape, silencing Pindalest’s protests with a swift blow and dispatching Riling’s two loyal henchmen in a display of calculated ruthlessness. With his adversaries eliminated, the two former friends are left facing each other, their long-standing bond now strained to the breaking point.

As the dust settles, Garry succumbs to the weight of his actions, realizing that his wandering days must come to an end. Amy’s jubilation at this newfound decision is palpable, serving as a poignant reminder that even in the darkest of times, redemption and renewal are always within reach.