Joseph “Doc” Frail (Gary Cooper) is a doctor with a past he's trying to outrun. While in Montana, he comes across a mining camp with a hanging tree and rescues a man named Rune (Ben Piazza) from the noose. After blackmailing Rune into servitude, Frail decides to settle down, and he takes over as town doctor. He meets Elizabeth (Maria Schell), who is suffering from shock, and the two soon fall in love. But when Elizabeth is attacked, Frail's attempt to help her lands them both in trouble.

The Hanging Tree

Adapted from: “The Hanging Tree” by Dorothy M. Johnson (1957)

Director: Delmer Daves

Year: 1959

Studio: Warner Bros.

Genre: Western