This lively Western puts Walter Brennan front and center, even though he doesn’t have the starring role; the movie really hinges on his performance. He plays "Judge Roy Bean" of Vinegarroon, a character who is surprisingly unpleasant. Upon arriving in this isolated Texas town, “Cole Harden,” played by Gary Cooper, finds himself wrongly accused and quickly found guilty of horse theft. Some cleverness, a bit of money, …

Law West of the Pecos. The Westerner comes from director William Wyler and features a script by Niven Busch, Jo Swerling, and Stuart N. Lake. Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Fred Stone, and Doris Davenport lead the cast. Dimitri Tiomkin composed the music, and Gregg Toland was responsible for the cinematography. The narrative presents a fictionalized telling of Judge Roy Bean (Brennan), who presides over Vingaroo…