While surveying a telegraph line in 1861, Western Union engineer Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is severely injured in an accident. He is discovered by Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott), an outlaw on the run from a posse. Forced to travel on foot after his horse was hurt, Shaw at first considers stealing Creighton's horse, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life.
Sometime later, following his recovery, Creighton returns to Omaha, Nebraska and plans the construction of a telegraph line from Omaha to Salt Lake City, Utah. Facing considerable opposition to the line from Confederate soldiers, Indians, and outlaws, Creighton elicits the help of his sister Sue (Virginia Gilmore), foreman Pat Grogan (Minor Watson), and assistant Homer Kettle (Chill Wills).
Looking to put his outlaw past behind him, Shaw arrives at Creighton's Western Union office looking for honest work and is hired as a scout by Grogan who is unaware of his past. Creighton recognizes him among the men and allows him to stay despite his suspicions. Creighton also hires tenderfoot Richard Blake (Robert Young), a Harvard-educated engineer as a favor to Blake's father. Shaw and Blake are both attracted to Sue and vie for her attention, but their romantic rivalry is cut short when construction of the telegraph line starts on July 4, 1861.
After work commences on the line, one of the men is killed apparently by a mysterious band of cattle-rustling Indians. Unconvinced that Indians are to blame, Shaw rides out to investigate and follows the rustlers' trail to the camp of Jack Slade, a former friend and cohort, whose gang committed the killing disguised as Indians—the gang Shaw left following his last bank robbery. Slade reveals that they are working for the Confederacy to disrupt Western Union because they believe the telegraph service will help the Union. Shaw rides away and returns to the line. Not wanting to turn in his former friends, Shaw tells Creighton that a large band of Dakota Indians stole the cattle, and recommends that they simply replace the herd and not risk a fight with the Indians.
Sometime later, a confrontation takes place between men working on the forward line and a band of drunken Indians. When one of the Indians tries to steal some equipment, a nervous Blake shoots him, ignoring Shaw's order to remain calm. After word arrives that the main camp is under attack by other Indians, the Western Union men rush back to help with the defense. At the main camp, Slade's men, who are again disguised as Indians, steal the Western Union horses. The company discover the ruse when one of the wounded Indians turns out to be a white man. Forced to buy back their stolen horses from Slade, Creighton becomes suspicious of Shaw's involvement, especially when he admits to knowing the gang.
Soon the U.S. Army arrives and announces the Indians have now refused to allow the telegraph lines to go through their territory in response to Blake's shooting of the drunken Indian. Creighton, Shaw, and Blake ride out to convince Chief Spotted Horse to allow them to build the line through Indian territory, even though the man Blake wounded was Spotted Horse's son. Creighton is finally able to persuade the Indians to allow them passage, and work continues until the company approaches Salt Lake City.
Sometime later, Shaw receives word that Jack Slade wants to meet with him. On the way to see Slade, Shaw is captured and bound by Slade's men. Slade says his group is going to burn down the Western Union camp and they don't want Shaw to interfere. After Slade and his men ride off, Shaw escapes from his ropes but arrives back too late to prevent the fire. He helps rescue some of the Western Union men from the flames and burns his hands in the process.
After the fire, Creighton confronts Shaw for an explanation, but Shaw does not reveal what he knows and is fired by Creighton. As Shaw leaves the camp, he tells Blake that Slade is actually Shaw's brother and that he, Shaw, will find Slade's gang and stop them from interfering with the telegraph project. Shaw rides off and finds Slade and his men in a nearby town. At the barber shop, Shaw confronts his brother, whose gun is concealed under the barber's sheet. Slade shoots Shaw through the sheet. Shaw fights back in spite of his wound, killing some of the gang members, and then dies. Blake arrives and continues the fight with Slade who dies from his wounds. Soon after, the Western Union line is completed and the workers celebrate. When Sue laments the absence of Shaw, Creighton tells her that Shaw can hear them.
革命精神的传承需要这么好的载体，这部影片非常优秀，真实又梦幻，能让人看进心里去，应该安利给更多人。
有些压抑
很多超细腻的镜头都带给我超强的观影体验，有的来自视觉冲击，有的来自心理冲击，我想很长一段时间我都不会忘了那场血雨。
这场48小时的激战很真实，有种跨越七十多年的时光终于亲见的感觉，当战士们一个接一个倒下，带的纸巾都不够用了…希望永远不会再有战争，致敬所有英雄。
流水账式的电影，叙事结构太差；演员都选得非常好，就剧本是软肋，比关原之战差太远了。
故事不够，视听来凑，前半段在干什么啊！最后二十分钟最值得一看
这是一部极具导演个人风格电影，也是一部非典型的战争片，个人很喜欢。有几个特色让人耳目一新，比如电影画面的形式感特别强，有多处给人极强的舞台剧的感觉，这些画面对于推动故事十分有效，也有助于演绎人物心理动态的变化过程，另外，还有好几处出现人物幻觉，让观众进入超现实场景，突出了残酷战争状态给人物带来的严重的心理压力，结尾我觉得一个开放式结局，因为并没有呈现弹药库被炸毁的场面，但战争对人产生的巨大伤害从洒落在洪队长脸上的血雨中得到了充分的展现。电影如诗一般的画面与战争的血腥暴力形成了奇特的吸引力，一点也不沉闷，代入感极强，值得一看。
黑白彰显残酷，水墨氤氲希望，观影体验一级棒！
如果没有先辈们的浴血奋战，我们也会生活在黑白色的世界里，他们用鲜血点燃火种，赋予天地间五彩颜色，给与我们生的希望，视觉感受提升心理感受，绝绝子。
希望更多年轻人都来看看这部影片，在我们不熟知的浙西南还有一种“挺进师”精神，需要被我们记住并传承下去。
独特的切入视角加深了对战争的残酷性的理解，触动也就更大一些，挺进师的故事催人泪下，挺进师的精神振奋人心！
有两处男主出现幻觉的地方给我留下深刻的印象，一处是水中他不停的看见尸体，而另一处是小哨子出事后，他看到的幻觉。这两处真是整部电影的神来之笔，在战火纷飞的年代，普通人面对残酷的战争，一定会留下心理创伤PTSD的，这也更揭露了小人物从身体上、精神上、人性上各方向面临的多重压力和摧残，而这也恰恰说明了我们生命力的顽强，心理表达上处理非常好。
最后瓢泼而下的泥雨里，主色调由灰转红，枪响过后琴声渐起，鸡皮疙瘩掉了一地。
影片里有很多源于山林里的自然声音，虫鸣鸟叫声、湍急流水声，还有风吹树叶沙沙作响的声音，这些共同构成了这部电影丰满的背景音，让人仿佛置身浙江山水中。
黑白色调，压抑，对白生硬，很多唯美的镜头都蕴含着死亡。
单单是看着他们的脸庞就能感受到那种热血，没有炮火轰鸣、血流成河，反而是一场游走在山林间的新潮跑酷，很新颖的模式
战争是宏大的，也是个体的。个体不仅有集体主义，有家国情怀，也有自己的挣扎，害怕，思念，挫败，愧疚与勇气。这才是战争最应该被看到的，多感受多了解，才能一起反对战争，热爱和平
意外好片！借鉴了《这里的黎明静悄悄》，但别有新意。
题材新颖，角色很吸引人，适合一个人的时候看，值得观看！
打戏好看，加一星。豆瓣页面简介里把新选组副局长写成“新仙谷副司令员”，乐死爹了
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