 John Wayne is Big Jake McCandles, on the trail on bandits in this action drama that stretches from Texas to Mexico. It s 1909, and the Old West is giving way to modern times. When the outlaw gang led bu vicious John Fain (Boone) raids Jake s ranch and kidnaps his 8-year-old grandson, Jake s wife (Maureen O Hara), whom he hasn t seen in 18 years, sends for her husband to rescue the boy. While the law gives chase in rickety automobiles, Jake saddles up with an Indian scout, a faithful dog, and a box of money. But paying ransom isn t Jake s idea of good old frontier justice.