Terror on the Prairie (2022) Movie Script
1
And God saw that the wickedness
of man was great in the earth.
And that every imagination
of the thoughts in his heart
was only evil continually.
And it repented the Lord that
he had made man on the earth
and it grieved his heart.
And the Lord said, "I will destroy a man"
that I have created on
the face of the earth.
"For it repenteth me that I have made them."
Book of Genesis 6:5-7.
That's enough.
I said, that's enough.
I apologize, Gideon.
If manners maketh man, I have
surrounded myself with boys.
You look like you could use a drink.
Hey.
Do you know who I am?
Uh-huh.
Then you know why I'm here.
Your tears, they do you credit.
They show contrition.
And I have no doubt that
God will forgive you
through the blood of his Son.
But I ain't God.
Go to hell, you son of a bitch.
Ooh!
Pick him up!
Hell, son. Live in it.
It's coming, sweet girl. It's coming.
Sh.
Rise and shine
Coffee.
Yep, yep, yep.
Ready?
What's going on. What wrong?
Hm, want your bed?
Be calm. Okay?
Sh, sh.
Sh, sh! It's okay.
It's all right. It's all right.
Give me that.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Amen.
You go hunt down that damn coyote,
before we lose any more of our chickens.
Uh, Pa?
Can I come hunt with you?
Ask your ma.
Well, can I?
Can I?
If you finish your chores.
Gotta clean my bed, feed Bess.
What's this?
Ma gave it to me.
She said you shot a red
major clean off his horse
at 700 yards.
I think she said
I could shoot a red major
off his horse 700 yards.
I can't.
Nobody can.
But you did kill kill Rebs.
It ain't polite conversation, son.
You were a sharp shooter?
I'm still a sharp shooter, boy.
Don't you ever forget it. Goodnight.
Hattie McAllister, who would've thought?
Grilling pigtails, we used to eat candy
and read books in the
back of your daddy's store
that someday we'd be
homesteading this wild country
with the best of them.
Are we gonna make it out here?
Just gotta have a little grit.
I don't know where to find that anymore.
Sure you do.
I know.
Deep down, you're the toughest
woman in this territory.
Pa shot that coyote from half mile away.
Oh, it was more like 100 yards.
Good Lord, Hat. What the hell happened?
Ma?
Boy's down. Supper's put away.
I'm sorry.
They must have wandered
off the reservation looking for something.
Got no scrap.
I want to go home.
All right, if you wanna see your folks,
reckon I can get a work with the railroad.
Buy you a ticket.
I don't want a ticket.
I want to pack the wagon
and take our children out
of this God forsaken place.
I know it's been hard,
but this here's good land.
We live in a shack, Jeb.
We've got old tools, worn out live stock,
and can only feed our children
with food borrowed off store credit.
I understand it's been tough.
But this is our dream, Hattie.
This is what we set out to do,
build a home on land we can call our own.
I want you to ask my daddy for a job.
You want us to crawl back to him?
We can't make it on our own.
Hell, yes, we can. We
just gotta keep on going.
Well, I can't.
That's good.
I'm gonna ahead into town, grab supplies.
Be a strong boy.
Look after your mom while
I'm in town, won't ya?
Here, Pa.
Jeb.
Hiyah, go!
I think we've earned it.
Pa says candy's a real treat,
just for Christmas and funerals.
When I was a girl in St. Louis,
we'd have candy every week.
Really?
We'd have ice cream in the summer,
toffee in the fall and
peppermint sticks at Christmas.
You would've loved living there.
Is it true that Granny
and Gramps didn't want you
to marry Pa?
They just had their own ideas
about what they wanted for me.
But PA's a hero. He defended
Missouri from the Rebs.
Your pa was a Reb.
He used it to be join up to save the Union.
Things weren't simple back then.
Will.
I might fine morning to you, ma'am.
And to you.
I wonder if we might trouble
you for some of your water.
Our mounts are about dried
out and we're not much better.
Take as much as you like.
Much obliged.
Will.
What's the matter with you, son.
Didn't your ma teach you any manners?
You didn't have no ma,
dropped out of a whore
and raised by those fur
traders, is what I heard.
I do apologize, ma'am.
We have been in the saddle
for about three months now
and I'm afraid it is beginning to show.
Um, I couldn't help, but
notice your coop over yonder,
I, I wonder if I might
offer to buy some salt pork
and maybe a dozen eggs.
Fetch as many as you need.
Well.
I must confess,
I, I do feel a bit forward
talking business with a lady.
Uh, is your husband at home?
He ain't here. He gone to town.
Oh, well then I guess
that makes you the man
of the house, I reckon.
Oh, uh, one more thing.
Is that a Missouri accent that I detect.
St. Louis.
I knew it. What a happy coincidence.
I am a Cameron man, myself,
that big fella over there,
he's from Arkansas, but we try
not to hold that against it.
We don't get many Missourians out this way.
No, ma'am, I expect you don't.
I'd be happy to cook you men
some breakfast before you go.
Well, we would be much obliged.
This is very kind of you, ma'am.
Those your folks over there, Mrs. Uh?
McAllister.
McAllister.
Hattie. This is Bess and this is Will.
Set the table.
How old are you?
Nine and three quarters.
Why then, I reckon that's big
enough to wear one of these.
This is a lovely home you have here, Mrs.
McAllister.
Your husband is a lucky man.
She wants to talk.
Oh, now here, allow me.
I've held a baby at two in my life.
Yeah. You okay?
Yeah.
Now Dixie forever
She's never at a loss
Down with the eagle
Up with the cross.
We will rally around the flag, boys
We'll rally 'round again
Shout, shout the battle cry of
Freedom
Now Dixie forever
She's never had a loss
Bess.
Down with the eagle
And up with the cross
Gonna go fetch some eggs.
We will rally round the flag, boys
We'll rally 'round again
Yeah. Come on.
Shout shout
The battle cry of freedom
Hey, Hey. Hey.
Is that a Reb song?
Need to teach her that song.
You never heard that song before.
You like that song?
Happy girl now, doo, doo
What a gentle little soul she is.
You ain' got a problem
with Rebs, now do you, boy.
Our young host was born
after hostilities ended.
I'm sure he's a proud
American, aren't you, boy.
Nothing wrong with that,
man should be loyal to his own country.
Not everybody is.
My daddy was a sharp shooter.
Was he now?
Will's not a bad shot himself.
Why don't you go show these gentlemen
that shotgun your daddy got you.
Easy now.
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Let me see that.
Oh my goodness.
Those Rebs best be careful
coming around here.
Oh.
Will, warm up the coffee.
Hope you like strawberry jam.
That's all we could grow this spring.
Oh, I'm sure we like it just fine.
Before we dig in, boys, we
like to have a little prayer.
Keep us humble.
Lord,
please look down on us
and help us to be grateful
for these gifts that we have been given
and help us to be always mindful
of the needs of others and
not think only of ourselves.
We pray in the name of
your son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Amen.
All right.
Ma!
Will, get behind the stove
with your sister. Now!
There must be some misunderstanding, ma'am.
How have we offended?
I don't feed killers in my house.
Killers.
Good Lord.
Oh, oh, I see the confusion.
Boy, she is talking about those trophies
that we got off that Cheyenne
trader near Fort Laramie.
Ma'am, I realize that's
an unseemly business,
but those can be very valuable objects
when you're trading in the back country.
Now can't we just sit back down
and talk about something more pleasant.
We were having such a nice time.
I think it's best you go now.
What the hell are we waiting for?
She's only got two rounds.
As you wish.
And leave your guns.
The hell we will.
Ma'am, I'm sure you understand
how valuable these weapons are.
You can trade your
scalps for some new ones.
You heard the woman.
Uh-uh, these were my pa's.
They took him off his
dead body of Pea Ridge.
Fine.
Can I have my hat?
Will, give him his hat.
Hiyah!
Help me.
Push! Push!
Son of a bitch!
Ah, get down!
Wait a sec! Come and see!
Come and see!
Son of a bitch!
Hyah! What the hell are you doing?
I want 'em alive!
Whoo! She can't shoot for jack shit.
I need you to be brave. Okay?
Okay.
Reload.
Take care of your sister.
Just take what you want and go.
But what we want is you.
I can do anything.
Lay track, shoot buffalo, run the teams.
I appreciate the interest, Mr. McAllister.
There simply isn't the work.
We have more than enough
men to meet our needs.
There has to be something.
I could even help with the chuck wagons.
Oh Lord, we're not cowboys.
We just bring our food
up from down the line.
Good day. Best of luck.
You're all right. It's okay.
Here we go.
Okay. Okay.
Mrs. McAllister.
Hide your sister.
Mrs. McAllister.
That's far enough.
I regret that we got off on the wrong foot.
I would like for us to
start over, make it right.
There's nothing to talk about,
except you men getting on
your horses and riding off.
I respect how you must be
feeling and I can sympathize,
but this standoff not doing
anybody a lick of good.
It's true that I've
done my share of killing
both during the war and after.
But one thing I ain't never done,
I ain't never hurt a woman or a child.
Why should I believe a word you say.
I had a daughter once.
She was my only child, apple of my eye.
Every bit of love and
affection a father can give
I lavished on that child.
She's dead now.
Buried out Cameron way.
I swear on her grave,
I will not harm a hair on your head
or on the heads of your children.
Dammit!
Damn fools!
You okay? You okay?
I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to wake her.
That's all right.
Bring her here.
Come on, Bess.
What are they doing with Daisy?
No.
No!
No.
Sorry.
Now, you hold him.
Oh, hell, Captain, it'll heal itself.
It'll heal on its own, Captain.
It'll heal on its own.
Jesus, Joseph and Mary, no.
Please refrain from that papist blasphemy.
Open his sleeve.
Damn them all to hell!
Well I reckon that all the
sufferings of this present age
are not worthy compared to the glory,
which shall be revealed in us.
It's gonna be all right.
Pa couldn't have been Reb,
Ma, just couldn't have been.
That's what you're upset about?
Your Pa's no Rebel.
He may have begun fighting for the South,
but he ended that war a patriot.
But you said that he was-
Good and bad aren't always so clear, Will.
Sometimes you wake up
and you realize you're on
the wrong side of things.
And when you pa did,
he have the courage to make things right.
Just like he always does.
And when he comes back,
those killers outside are
gonna feel God's wrath.
What if they kill him instead?
Better eat up, son.
Hard to be brave on an empty belly.
Well, Captain, there's,
there's just something about all this
that I don't rightly understand.
Go on.
Well, it's all you said about
not hurting women or kids.
And you think we ought to stand by that.
You remember when your Pappy and I rode out
to defend our way of life
from the tyrant Lincoln.
I do.
We had a lot of fine ideas then
about chivalry and honor
and what war should look like.
How the rightness of our cause
would carry us to victory.
And the Yankees stole our cattle.
They burned our farms
and hung our kin without cause.
And all our fine notions were nothing
in the face of their
rapacious, murderous hatred.
They took my only child from me,
ripped her from this life
without mercy or pity.
And there ain't no law on earth
or in heaven or hell
that can keep a father
from taking his revenge.
Not the devil
and not God himself.
That make things any clearer?
Hell, we ain't gonna have
to hurt anybody anyway.
How you figure that?
Mrs. McAllister ain't cut
out for this kinda life.
I can tell that by looking in her eyes.
We give her enough time,
she's just gonna come on out here to us.
That's the sensible thing to do.
And she is a sensible woman.
Captain!
What?
The hell.
Damnation!
They'll see that for miles.
Ma!
Keep it burning, you understand?
Anything you can find.
Look.
Will, your sister.
Come to a help.
The children are still inside?
You come alone, neighbor?
Yeah, I see the smoke,
I come riding real fast.
Why? What's wrong.
Mr. Sameson, no, go get help.
Get help!
No. I want him alive.
Ride, Mr. Sameson, ride!
Let it burn!
Are you crazy? Captain wants them alive.
Just trying to help.
Let him go.
Mrs. McAllister, I'm surprised.
It does not dignify a woman
to holler and carry on such.
He hasn't done anything to you.
Well, that is entirely true.
But as you see,
your obstinance has put us
all in a difficult situation.
So I'm gonna ask you again to come out here
and let us resolve this
like civilized people.
Hattie, you stay there.
He's a no good liar.
He can't be trusted.
Of course, you'd rather not be civilized.
I'll have to resort to other methods.
You don't have to do this.
I'd hope not to. See, I'm a preacher's son.
I was raised to believe in the Good Book.
It's the only thing that
keeps us from being savages.
But even a preacher's
boy has got his limits.
Please. He has a wife and five children.
The Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not want.
You made me to lay down.
I don't like repeating myself.
He led me besides the still waters.
Mrs. McAllister, so I'm gonna say this
one more time.
Come on out!
In the valley of the shadow off death,
I will fear no evil.
No. No.
For thou art with me.
You left it across the street.
See?
Maybe I best come down
and escort you across.
No, miss, I'm quite all right.
Hey. You really gonna drive
home half liquored up?
Seems to me you ought to sober up
or just go on, get drunk all the way.
I gotta get home to my farm.
Farm? Your farm ain't gonna miss you.
We got real nice beds in there.
Soft satin sheets.
Oh, you could sleep all night.
Wake up first thing in the morning.
Of course, you can do other things too.
My wife.
Your wife?
She's waiting on me.
Something tells me your wife,
she don't appreciate you,
hard workin' man like you,
not the way you deserve.
Oh, geez!
Hyah!
I think it's time you learned
how to make some coffee.
First, put on some water.
Now we need to grind up some beans.
You want 'em fine like table salt.
Can we boil 'em?
That may be how cow hands
make some black sludge they call coffee,
but it's not the proper way.
Well, what do we do different?
How's that grind looking?
Just like salt.
Good.
Now find something we can use as a filter.
Now we wait for it to boil.
You wanna know how your pa and I met?
I was walking home from school
one day back in St. Louis.
It was during the war and the
streets were full of soldiers.
One bunch decided they
wanted to have some fun.
So they stole my books.
I begged and pleaded for
them to give 'em back.
But they wouldn't.
And just when I started to cry,
I heard someone order those boys to stop.
I turned around expecting
a lieutenant or a captain,
but it was just your pa.
He was all alone,
in a private's uniform no less.
There was one man against six,
but there was something in his voice,
something that said he could still lick
every single one of them, one
at a time or all together.
When they heard it, one by one,
they started to drift away
till the last one, gave me
back my books and apologized.
Your pa asked me if he could walk me home.
I said, yes, but in my
heart, I already knew.
Knew what?
That he was the man I wanted to marry.
That nothing in this world
could ever cause him to give up
and whatever would come, he
would stand up and protect me.
All right, now pour it over
the beans, nice and slow.
How about some more rock candy?
Can't trick your coffee black, can you?
Will. Will!
I need you to keep watch.
I'll be right back.
Psst, psst!
Ma!
Don't shoot.
I just come the talk.
You so much as flinch
and I swear, I'll put a
bullet through your heart.
I ain't armed.
Right through your heart.
Please.
The others don't know I come.
Will you just listen?
All right. Talk then.
This ain't what I thought I was joining.
We was supposed to rob banks and trains,
not hurt women and children.
It just don't sit right with me no more.
You stood by why I killed my neighbor.
If I'd done said anything,
I'd be lying dead on the ground too.
I remember my mama once warned me
about falling in with bad company.
Once I did, I didn't realize
how hard it would be to part ways.
Who are they?
They're a gang from Missouri.
They rode with Quantrill's
Raiders during the war.
Captain was his right hand man.
Most of the fellers gave up
when old Quantrill was killed
or after the surrender.
But not Captain.
The war ain't never ended for him.
Look, if if'n I help you,
will you put in a good world
with the US Marshall for me?
Right then, here's my plan.
The others are sleeping and
I'm supposed to be on watch.
If you and the young ones
can get out of the window,
I'll meet you back about a hundred paces.
I'll bring horses.
You can get 'em without waking them.
I already done got 'em all saddled up.
I'll get the children ready.
We'll meet you in 10 minutes.
All right.
Thank you.
And we can ride on out afore anyone's wiser
and then go find Jeb.
Jed! Son of a bitch!
She got him, Captain.
Now I gotta tell his mama!
That dang fool kid couldn't lie for shit!
You mind your tongue.
Ma, he was just trying to help!
I never told him your
pa's name, not one time.
Then how did they know it?
They're not after us.
They came looking for your pa.
That's why they're out
there taking their time.
That's why they're out there now waiting.
We're just the bait.
Your father's walking into a trap.
Will, I'm gonna need you to do something.
And you're gonna have to be brave to do it.
I need you to get the filly.
What? No, I can't.
Yes, you can.
You're your father's son.
It's our turn to protect him.
That little Yankee bastard!
They took that Yankee bastard
They shot him in the head
They put him on the fire
So if mama saw he's dead
Sh!
It's okay. It's okay.
The Yankee's went to Baltimore
And they came upon a mare
Hell, Captain,
the horses are running to kingdom come!
You get her!
Oh, come on.
Son of a bitch! Get back here.
Will! Will!
Think you're going.
You know, Captain, he didn't
mean you no harm before,
but he does now.
Easy.
No! No!
No! No!
You don't move. You understand me?
Don't you move!
Oh my god, my god, she got my face!
Will, run!
She got my face!
God, she got my damn face!
Will, run! Run!
Go, run!
Ma!
Go! Take her!
You run, just take her.
Go to the Danielsons. Go!
Go! Go!
Come here, you!
Come here, I got you!
Get out of there! Let go!
Where'd you go?
Come on out, I won't hurt ya.
Bitch!
That was a damn fool
thing you done back there.
Almost got yourself killed.
I told you, I ain't never harmed a woman.
Captain, when we gonna go get
that little Yankee bastard?
Shut your mouth.
We got everything we need right here.
All we gotta do is get Mrs.
McAllister back home
before she catches her death out here.
Yeah, but you told me I could get him
and bring him back here and cut his-
Shut your belly achin' rotten mouth!
You move, you die.
You want to see how it feels
to get your flesh burned off?
Gentle does it, boys.
As it says in Ecclesiastes:
Cast thy bread upon the waters
for thou shalt find it after many days.
Jeb!
Care to die?
This ain't no way to start a conversation.
Let her go, Miller.
It's Captain Miller to you.
I'd appreciate it if you'd remember that.
Where are my children?
They're safe.
They made it across the river.
You still call yourself
a Confederate officer.
You got no right to hold a woman prisoner.
"For a man shall leave
his father and mother"
and cleave unto his wife.
"And they shall be as one flesh."
Genesis chapter two, 24th verse.
Your sins have found you
out, Jebediah McAllister,
and now they are visited
upon your whole family.
What do you want?
Vengeance.
Vengeance belongs to the Lord, Miller.
Well, the Lord takes too damn long.
Now I can see that I am
being less than clear.
So let me be blunt.
You either put that gun down
or your pretty little wife
is gonna have her eyes cut out of her head.
You said you never hurt a woman.
I haven't, but he has.
My daughter has laid
in her grave for 12 years,
while her murderers have walked free.
We didn't murder anyone.
It was an accident.
She trusted you.
She trusted you because
you were her countryman.
Not one man there knew she was inside.
Ask him!
Not one man there draws breath, except you.
We thought it was you in there.
No, only my heart.
Make it slow.
Jeb!
You swear, you won't hurt her.
You'll let her go.
No, no, Jeb!
On my child's grave.
You can't trust him.
No.
No, no, no, no!
No, no!
Ain't having no more little bastards now!
Hope you don't mind, Jebediah.
The pleasure's all mine.
You son of a bitch!
Come on, princess!
His daughter? Why did you never tell me.
Bad enough if I had to kill
men for the Confederacy,
I murdered a child for the union.
It wasn't murder. You didn't know.
It doesn't matter to him.
When he finishes what he is gonna do,
you ride outta here and don't look back.
I'm not leaving, now or ever.
Well. Mrs. McAllister,
pride goeth before a fall.
Now, I think that you deserve
to have a front row seat
for this trial because of
your close relationship
with the accused.
Jebediah McAllister,
you are here by charged
with crimes against God
and the Confederate States of America,
including a murder of a child.
How do you plead?
I have done what I have done.
You have heard the confession.
Don't hit my wife!
Gentlemen of the jury-
Wahoo!
How do you find the defendant?
Guilty as hell, Captain.
Guilty as hell.
You got no right.
Look what you have wrought, McAllister.
Do you have anything to say for yourself?
You don't give a damn what I have to say.
Go on, do what you gotta do.
No!
Are you familiar with the book of Romans?
"For all, have sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God."
And I have no doubt that
God will forgive you-
No!
Through the blood of his Son.
But I ain't God.
I'll do anything!
I said, I'd do anything!
Anything?
Each man here.
Entirely of your own free will.
Hattie, no.
Well.
Not for me.
Hattie, no!
What do you say?
Hattie, no.
Don't do it!
Woo-ie!
Hattie, no.
Don't do it, no!
Hattie!
Now I expect you to conduct yourself
like a Southern gentleman in there.
I am going to allow you to watch your wife,
make herself into a whore
and then I'm gonna kill ya just the same.
Take off your gun belt
and leave it by the door.
I can put some perfume on if you like.
I got a bottle in just
last year from New York.
"And behold, the pale
rider which sat on him,
his name was Death."
"And Hell followed with him."
Go to hell, you son of a bitch.
Hey, hurry it up in there.
My pecker's getting antsy.
Son of a bitch shot me again!
Kill 'em all!
I'm all right. All right.
Where are you going?
What are you doing?
Go on.
Thank you, Frank.
You avenged her
as if she was yours.
May all his glory be
revealed you, my brother.
And upon the wicked, he shall rain snares.
Fire!
And brimstone!
And a horrible tempest
shall be the portion of their cup.
This is not the end, McAllister.
You hear me?
This is just the beginning.
The inequities of the father
will visited upon the children!
I am gonna hunt down your girl and boy!
I don't care how years,
I don't care how many miles!
I will find them!
Jeb.
You son of a bitch!
Hey!
Jebediah.
It is finished!
Until the end
I'll walk with you
I'll walk with you, my love
And with my heart
I'll speak the truth
And only then, to you
Glory be to all our love
That flows a mighty river
And glory to the open plains
That hold it like no other
And God saw that the wickedness
of man was great in the earth.
And that every imagination
of the thoughts in his heart
was only evil continually.
And it repented the Lord that
he had made man on the earth
and it grieved his heart.
And the Lord said, "I will destroy a man"
that I have created on
the face of the earth.
"For it repenteth me that I have made them."
Book of Genesis 6:5-7.
That's enough.
I said, that's enough.
I apologize, Gideon.
If manners maketh man, I have
surrounded myself with boys.
You look like you could use a drink.
Hey.
Do you know who I am?
Uh-huh.
Then you know why I'm here.
Your tears, they do you credit.
They show contrition.
And I have no doubt that
God will forgive you
through the blood of his Son.
But I ain't God.
Go to hell, you son of a bitch.
Ooh!
Pick him up!
Hell, son. Live in it.
It's coming, sweet girl. It's coming.
Sh.
Rise and shine
Coffee.
Yep, yep, yep.
Ready?
What's going on. What wrong?
Hm, want your bed?
Be calm. Okay?
Sh, sh.
Sh, sh! It's okay.
It's all right. It's all right.
Give me that.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Amen.
You go hunt down that damn coyote,
before we lose any more of our chickens.
Uh, Pa?
Can I come hunt with you?
Ask your ma.
Well, can I?
Can I?
If you finish your chores.
Gotta clean my bed, feed Bess.
What's this?
Ma gave it to me.
She said you shot a red
major clean off his horse
at 700 yards.
I think she said
I could shoot a red major
off his horse 700 yards.
I can't.
Nobody can.
But you did kill kill Rebs.
It ain't polite conversation, son.
You were a sharp shooter?
I'm still a sharp shooter, boy.
Don't you ever forget it. Goodnight.
Hattie McAllister, who would've thought?
Grilling pigtails, we used to eat candy
and read books in the
back of your daddy's store
that someday we'd be
homesteading this wild country
with the best of them.
Are we gonna make it out here?
Just gotta have a little grit.
I don't know where to find that anymore.
Sure you do.
I know.
Deep down, you're the toughest
woman in this territory.
Pa shot that coyote from half mile away.
Oh, it was more like 100 yards.
Good Lord, Hat. What the hell happened?
Ma?
Boy's down. Supper's put away.
I'm sorry.
They must have wandered
off the reservation looking for something.
Got no scrap.
I want to go home.
All right, if you wanna see your folks,
reckon I can get a work with the railroad.
Buy you a ticket.
I don't want a ticket.
I want to pack the wagon
and take our children out
of this God forsaken place.
I know it's been hard,
but this here's good land.
We live in a shack, Jeb.
We've got old tools, worn out live stock,
and can only feed our children
with food borrowed off store credit.
I understand it's been tough.
But this is our dream, Hattie.
This is what we set out to do,
build a home on land we can call our own.
I want you to ask my daddy for a job.
You want us to crawl back to him?
We can't make it on our own.
Hell, yes, we can. We
just gotta keep on going.
Well, I can't.
That's good.
I'm gonna ahead into town, grab supplies.
Be a strong boy.
Look after your mom while
I'm in town, won't ya?
Here, Pa.
Jeb.
Hiyah, go!
I think we've earned it.
Pa says candy's a real treat,
just for Christmas and funerals.
When I was a girl in St. Louis,
we'd have candy every week.
Really?
We'd have ice cream in the summer,
toffee in the fall and
peppermint sticks at Christmas.
You would've loved living there.
Is it true that Granny
and Gramps didn't want you
to marry Pa?
They just had their own ideas
about what they wanted for me.
But PA's a hero. He defended
Missouri from the Rebs.
Your pa was a Reb.
He used it to be join up to save the Union.
Things weren't simple back then.
Will.
I might fine morning to you, ma'am.
And to you.
I wonder if we might trouble
you for some of your water.
Our mounts are about dried
out and we're not much better.
Take as much as you like.
Much obliged.
Will.
What's the matter with you, son.
Didn't your ma teach you any manners?
You didn't have no ma,
dropped out of a whore
and raised by those fur
traders, is what I heard.
I do apologize, ma'am.
We have been in the saddle
for about three months now
and I'm afraid it is beginning to show.
Um, I couldn't help, but
notice your coop over yonder,
I, I wonder if I might
offer to buy some salt pork
and maybe a dozen eggs.
Fetch as many as you need.
Well.
I must confess,
I, I do feel a bit forward
talking business with a lady.
Uh, is your husband at home?
He ain't here. He gone to town.
Oh, well then I guess
that makes you the man
of the house, I reckon.
Oh, uh, one more thing.
Is that a Missouri accent that I detect.
St. Louis.
I knew it. What a happy coincidence.
I am a Cameron man, myself,
that big fella over there,
he's from Arkansas, but we try
not to hold that against it.
We don't get many Missourians out this way.
No, ma'am, I expect you don't.
I'd be happy to cook you men
some breakfast before you go.
Well, we would be much obliged.
This is very kind of you, ma'am.
Those your folks over there, Mrs. Uh?
McAllister.
McAllister.
Hattie. This is Bess and this is Will.
Set the table.
How old are you?
Nine and three quarters.
Why then, I reckon that's big
enough to wear one of these.
This is a lovely home you have here, Mrs.
McAllister.
Your husband is a lucky man.
She wants to talk.
Oh, now here, allow me.
I've held a baby at two in my life.
Yeah. You okay?
Yeah.
Now Dixie forever
She's never at a loss
Down with the eagle
Up with the cross.
We will rally around the flag, boys
We'll rally 'round again
Shout, shout the battle cry of
Freedom
Now Dixie forever
She's never had a loss
Bess.
Down with the eagle
And up with the cross
Gonna go fetch some eggs.
We will rally round the flag, boys
We'll rally 'round again
Yeah. Come on.
Shout shout
The battle cry of freedom
Hey, Hey. Hey.
Is that a Reb song?
Need to teach her that song.
You never heard that song before.
You like that song?
Happy girl now, doo, doo
What a gentle little soul she is.
You ain' got a problem
with Rebs, now do you, boy.
Our young host was born
after hostilities ended.
I'm sure he's a proud
American, aren't you, boy.
Nothing wrong with that,
man should be loyal to his own country.
Not everybody is.
My daddy was a sharp shooter.
Was he now?
Will's not a bad shot himself.
Why don't you go show these gentlemen
that shotgun your daddy got you.
Easy now.
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Let me see that.
Oh my goodness.
Those Rebs best be careful
coming around here.
Oh.
Will, warm up the coffee.
Hope you like strawberry jam.
That's all we could grow this spring.
Oh, I'm sure we like it just fine.
Before we dig in, boys, we
like to have a little prayer.
Keep us humble.
Lord,
please look down on us
and help us to be grateful
for these gifts that we have been given
and help us to be always mindful
of the needs of others and
not think only of ourselves.
We pray in the name of
your son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Amen.
All right.
Ma!
Will, get behind the stove
with your sister. Now!
There must be some misunderstanding, ma'am.
How have we offended?
I don't feed killers in my house.
Killers.
Good Lord.
Oh, oh, I see the confusion.
Boy, she is talking about those trophies
that we got off that Cheyenne
trader near Fort Laramie.
Ma'am, I realize that's
an unseemly business,
but those can be very valuable objects
when you're trading in the back country.
Now can't we just sit back down
and talk about something more pleasant.
We were having such a nice time.
I think it's best you go now.
What the hell are we waiting for?
She's only got two rounds.
As you wish.
And leave your guns.
The hell we will.
Ma'am, I'm sure you understand
how valuable these weapons are.
You can trade your
scalps for some new ones.
You heard the woman.
Uh-uh, these were my pa's.
They took him off his
dead body of Pea Ridge.
Fine.
Can I have my hat?
Will, give him his hat.
Hiyah!
Help me.
Push! Push!
Son of a bitch!
Ah, get down!
Wait a sec! Come and see!
Come and see!
Son of a bitch!
Hyah! What the hell are you doing?
I want 'em alive!
Whoo! She can't shoot for jack shit.
I need you to be brave. Okay?
Okay.
Reload.
Take care of your sister.
Just take what you want and go.
But what we want is you.
I can do anything.
Lay track, shoot buffalo, run the teams.
I appreciate the interest, Mr. McAllister.
There simply isn't the work.
We have more than enough
men to meet our needs.
There has to be something.
I could even help with the chuck wagons.
Oh Lord, we're not cowboys.
We just bring our food
up from down the line.
Good day. Best of luck.
You're all right. It's okay.
Here we go.
Okay. Okay.
Mrs. McAllister.
Hide your sister.
Mrs. McAllister.
That's far enough.
I regret that we got off on the wrong foot.
I would like for us to
start over, make it right.
There's nothing to talk about,
except you men getting on
your horses and riding off.
I respect how you must be
feeling and I can sympathize,
but this standoff not doing
anybody a lick of good.
It's true that I've
done my share of killing
both during the war and after.
But one thing I ain't never done,
I ain't never hurt a woman or a child.
Why should I believe a word you say.
I had a daughter once.
She was my only child, apple of my eye.
Every bit of love and
affection a father can give
I lavished on that child.
She's dead now.
Buried out Cameron way.
I swear on her grave,
I will not harm a hair on your head
or on the heads of your children.
Dammit!
Damn fools!
You okay? You okay?
I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to wake her.
That's all right.
Bring her here.
Come on, Bess.
What are they doing with Daisy?
No.
No!
No.
Sorry.
Now, you hold him.
Oh, hell, Captain, it'll heal itself.
It'll heal on its own, Captain.
It'll heal on its own.
Jesus, Joseph and Mary, no.
Please refrain from that papist blasphemy.
Open his sleeve.
Damn them all to hell!
Well I reckon that all the
sufferings of this present age
are not worthy compared to the glory,
which shall be revealed in us.
It's gonna be all right.
Pa couldn't have been Reb,
Ma, just couldn't have been.
That's what you're upset about?
Your Pa's no Rebel.
He may have begun fighting for the South,
but he ended that war a patriot.
But you said that he was-
Good and bad aren't always so clear, Will.
Sometimes you wake up
and you realize you're on
the wrong side of things.
And when you pa did,
he have the courage to make things right.
Just like he always does.
And when he comes back,
those killers outside are
gonna feel God's wrath.
What if they kill him instead?
Better eat up, son.
Hard to be brave on an empty belly.
Well, Captain, there's,
there's just something about all this
that I don't rightly understand.
Go on.
Well, it's all you said about
not hurting women or kids.
And you think we ought to stand by that.
You remember when your Pappy and I rode out
to defend our way of life
from the tyrant Lincoln.
I do.
We had a lot of fine ideas then
about chivalry and honor
and what war should look like.
How the rightness of our cause
would carry us to victory.
And the Yankees stole our cattle.
They burned our farms
and hung our kin without cause.
And all our fine notions were nothing
in the face of their
rapacious, murderous hatred.
They took my only child from me,
ripped her from this life
without mercy or pity.
And there ain't no law on earth
or in heaven or hell
that can keep a father
from taking his revenge.
Not the devil
and not God himself.
That make things any clearer?
Hell, we ain't gonna have
to hurt anybody anyway.
How you figure that?
Mrs. McAllister ain't cut
out for this kinda life.
I can tell that by looking in her eyes.
We give her enough time,
she's just gonna come on out here to us.
That's the sensible thing to do.
And she is a sensible woman.
Captain!
What?
The hell.
Damnation!
They'll see that for miles.
Ma!
Keep it burning, you understand?
Anything you can find.
Look.
Will, your sister.
Come to a help.
The children are still inside?
You come alone, neighbor?
Yeah, I see the smoke,
I come riding real fast.
Why? What's wrong.
Mr. Sameson, no, go get help.
Get help!
No. I want him alive.
Ride, Mr. Sameson, ride!
Let it burn!
Are you crazy? Captain wants them alive.
Just trying to help.
Let him go.
Mrs. McAllister, I'm surprised.
It does not dignify a woman
to holler and carry on such.
He hasn't done anything to you.
Well, that is entirely true.
But as you see,
your obstinance has put us
all in a difficult situation.
So I'm gonna ask you again to come out here
and let us resolve this
like civilized people.
Hattie, you stay there.
He's a no good liar.
He can't be trusted.
Of course, you'd rather not be civilized.
I'll have to resort to other methods.
You don't have to do this.
I'd hope not to. See, I'm a preacher's son.
I was raised to believe in the Good Book.
It's the only thing that
keeps us from being savages.
But even a preacher's
boy has got his limits.
Please. He has a wife and five children.
The Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not want.
You made me to lay down.
I don't like repeating myself.
He led me besides the still waters.
Mrs. McAllister, so I'm gonna say this
one more time.
Come on out!
In the valley of the shadow off death,
I will fear no evil.
No. No.
For thou art with me.
You left it across the street.
See?
Maybe I best come down
and escort you across.
No, miss, I'm quite all right.
Hey. You really gonna drive
home half liquored up?
Seems to me you ought to sober up
or just go on, get drunk all the way.
I gotta get home to my farm.
Farm? Your farm ain't gonna miss you.
We got real nice beds in there.
Soft satin sheets.
Oh, you could sleep all night.
Wake up first thing in the morning.
Of course, you can do other things too.
My wife.
Your wife?
She's waiting on me.
Something tells me your wife,
she don't appreciate you,
hard workin' man like you,
not the way you deserve.
Oh, geez!
Hyah!
I think it's time you learned
how to make some coffee.
First, put on some water.
Now we need to grind up some beans.
You want 'em fine like table salt.
Can we boil 'em?
That may be how cow hands
make some black sludge they call coffee,
but it's not the proper way.
Well, what do we do different?
How's that grind looking?
Just like salt.
Good.
Now find something we can use as a filter.
Now we wait for it to boil.
You wanna know how your pa and I met?
I was walking home from school
one day back in St. Louis.
It was during the war and the
streets were full of soldiers.
One bunch decided they
wanted to have some fun.
So they stole my books.
I begged and pleaded for
them to give 'em back.
But they wouldn't.
And just when I started to cry,
I heard someone order those boys to stop.
I turned around expecting
a lieutenant or a captain,
but it was just your pa.
He was all alone,
in a private's uniform no less.
There was one man against six,
but there was something in his voice,
something that said he could still lick
every single one of them, one
at a time or all together.
When they heard it, one by one,
they started to drift away
till the last one, gave me
back my books and apologized.
Your pa asked me if he could walk me home.
I said, yes, but in my
heart, I already knew.
Knew what?
That he was the man I wanted to marry.
That nothing in this world
could ever cause him to give up
and whatever would come, he
would stand up and protect me.
All right, now pour it over
the beans, nice and slow.
How about some more rock candy?
Can't trick your coffee black, can you?
Will. Will!
I need you to keep watch.
I'll be right back.
Psst, psst!
Ma!
Don't shoot.
I just come the talk.
You so much as flinch
and I swear, I'll put a
bullet through your heart.
I ain't armed.
Right through your heart.
Please.
The others don't know I come.
Will you just listen?
All right. Talk then.
This ain't what I thought I was joining.
We was supposed to rob banks and trains,
not hurt women and children.
It just don't sit right with me no more.
You stood by why I killed my neighbor.
If I'd done said anything,
I'd be lying dead on the ground too.
I remember my mama once warned me
about falling in with bad company.
Once I did, I didn't realize
how hard it would be to part ways.
Who are they?
They're a gang from Missouri.
They rode with Quantrill's
Raiders during the war.
Captain was his right hand man.
Most of the fellers gave up
when old Quantrill was killed
or after the surrender.
But not Captain.
The war ain't never ended for him.
Look, if if'n I help you,
will you put in a good world
with the US Marshall for me?
Right then, here's my plan.
The others are sleeping and
I'm supposed to be on watch.
If you and the young ones
can get out of the window,
I'll meet you back about a hundred paces.
I'll bring horses.
You can get 'em without waking them.
I already done got 'em all saddled up.
I'll get the children ready.
We'll meet you in 10 minutes.
All right.
Thank you.
And we can ride on out afore anyone's wiser
and then go find Jeb.
Jed! Son of a bitch!
She got him, Captain.
Now I gotta tell his mama!
That dang fool kid couldn't lie for shit!
You mind your tongue.
Ma, he was just trying to help!
I never told him your
pa's name, not one time.
Then how did they know it?
They're not after us.
They came looking for your pa.
That's why they're out
there taking their time.
That's why they're out there now waiting.
We're just the bait.
Your father's walking into a trap.
Will, I'm gonna need you to do something.
And you're gonna have to be brave to do it.
I need you to get the filly.
What? No, I can't.
Yes, you can.
You're your father's son.
It's our turn to protect him.
That little Yankee bastard!
They took that Yankee bastard
They shot him in the head
They put him on the fire
So if mama saw he's dead
Sh!
It's okay. It's okay.
The Yankee's went to Baltimore
And they came upon a mare
Hell, Captain,
the horses are running to kingdom come!
You get her!
Oh, come on.
Son of a bitch! Get back here.
Will! Will!
Think you're going.
You know, Captain, he didn't
mean you no harm before,
but he does now.
Easy.
No! No!
No! No!
You don't move. You understand me?
Don't you move!
Oh my god, my god, she got my face!
Will, run!
She got my face!
God, she got my damn face!
Will, run! Run!
Go, run!
Ma!
Go! Take her!
You run, just take her.
Go to the Danielsons. Go!
Go! Go!
Come here, you!
Come here, I got you!
Get out of there! Let go!
Where'd you go?
Come on out, I won't hurt ya.
Bitch!
That was a damn fool
thing you done back there.
Almost got yourself killed.
I told you, I ain't never harmed a woman.
Captain, when we gonna go get
that little Yankee bastard?
Shut your mouth.
We got everything we need right here.
All we gotta do is get Mrs.
McAllister back home
before she catches her death out here.
Yeah, but you told me I could get him
and bring him back here and cut his-
Shut your belly achin' rotten mouth!
You move, you die.
You want to see how it feels
to get your flesh burned off?
Gentle does it, boys.
As it says in Ecclesiastes:
Cast thy bread upon the waters
for thou shalt find it after many days.
Jeb!
Care to die?
This ain't no way to start a conversation.
Let her go, Miller.
It's Captain Miller to you.
I'd appreciate it if you'd remember that.
Where are my children?
They're safe.
They made it across the river.
You still call yourself
a Confederate officer.
You got no right to hold a woman prisoner.
"For a man shall leave
his father and mother"
and cleave unto his wife.
"And they shall be as one flesh."
Genesis chapter two, 24th verse.
Your sins have found you
out, Jebediah McAllister,
and now they are visited
upon your whole family.
What do you want?
Vengeance.
Vengeance belongs to the Lord, Miller.
Well, the Lord takes too damn long.
Now I can see that I am
being less than clear.
So let me be blunt.
You either put that gun down
or your pretty little wife
is gonna have her eyes cut out of her head.
You said you never hurt a woman.
I haven't, but he has.
My daughter has laid
in her grave for 12 years,
while her murderers have walked free.
We didn't murder anyone.
It was an accident.
She trusted you.
She trusted you because
you were her countryman.
Not one man there knew she was inside.
Ask him!
Not one man there draws breath, except you.
We thought it was you in there.
No, only my heart.
Make it slow.
Jeb!
You swear, you won't hurt her.
You'll let her go.
No, no, Jeb!
On my child's grave.
You can't trust him.
No.
No, no, no, no!
No, no!
Ain't having no more little bastards now!
Hope you don't mind, Jebediah.
The pleasure's all mine.
You son of a bitch!
Come on, princess!
His daughter? Why did you never tell me.
Bad enough if I had to kill
men for the Confederacy,
I murdered a child for the union.
It wasn't murder. You didn't know.
It doesn't matter to him.
When he finishes what he is gonna do,
you ride outta here and don't look back.
I'm not leaving, now or ever.
Well. Mrs. McAllister,
pride goeth before a fall.
Now, I think that you deserve
to have a front row seat
for this trial because of
your close relationship
with the accused.
Jebediah McAllister,
you are here by charged
with crimes against God
and the Confederate States of America,
including a murder of a child.
How do you plead?
I have done what I have done.
You have heard the confession.
Don't hit my wife!
Gentlemen of the jury-
Wahoo!
How do you find the defendant?
Guilty as hell, Captain.
Guilty as hell.
You got no right.
Look what you have wrought, McAllister.
Do you have anything to say for yourself?
You don't give a damn what I have to say.
Go on, do what you gotta do.
No!
Are you familiar with the book of Romans?
"For all, have sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God."
And I have no doubt that
God will forgive you-
No!
Through the blood of his Son.
But I ain't God.
I'll do anything!
I said, I'd do anything!
Anything?
Each man here.
Entirely of your own free will.
Hattie, no.
Well.
Not for me.
Hattie, no!
What do you say?
Hattie, no.
Don't do it!
Woo-ie!
Hattie, no.
Don't do it, no!
Hattie!
Now I expect you to conduct yourself
like a Southern gentleman in there.
I am going to allow you to watch your wife,
make herself into a whore
and then I'm gonna kill ya just the same.
Take off your gun belt
and leave it by the door.
I can put some perfume on if you like.
I got a bottle in just
last year from New York.
"And behold, the pale
rider which sat on him,
his name was Death."
"And Hell followed with him."
Go to hell, you son of a bitch.
Hey, hurry it up in there.
My pecker's getting antsy.
Son of a bitch shot me again!
Kill 'em all!
I'm all right. All right.
Where are you going?
What are you doing?
Go on.
Thank you, Frank.
You avenged her
as if she was yours.
May all his glory be
revealed you, my brother.
And upon the wicked, he shall rain snares.
Fire!
And brimstone!
And a horrible tempest
shall be the portion of their cup.
This is not the end, McAllister.
You hear me?
This is just the beginning.
The inequities of the father
will visited upon the children!
I am gonna hunt down your girl and boy!
I don't care how years,
I don't care how many miles!
I will find them!
Jeb.
You son of a bitch!
Hey!
Jebediah.
It is finished!
Until the end
I'll walk with you
I'll walk with you, my love
And with my heart
I'll speak the truth
And only then, to you
Glory be to all our love
That flows a mighty river
And glory to the open plains
That hold it like no other