The Warrant (2020) Movie Script
Fire!
Each of our lives is a story.
And every story is
about a struggle.
A fight.
A fight against sickness...
poverty...
each other.
Some fight for big things.
Ideas...
freedoms...
rights.
Some fight for little things.
A name, a piece of land...
Or for a friend.
The little liberties.
There's a fight
inside men as well.
A fight against a reckoning.
A reckoning of all
the things we've done.
Or didn't do.
My granddaddy...
He called it a warrant.
"Dear Bonnie,
today marks four years.
Four years of fightin'.
Feels like 400.
At the time of this letter,
our son's still safe and well.
As well as can be expected.
He's become close with
Virgil's boy, Perkins.
I know you don't
approve of "The Saint"
as we've come to call him.
Let's go. Ironic, I know.
But his son is a good kid.
When I get back-
When we get back...
We'll have stories
to tell, Bonnie girl.
No joy?
He won't check his gun
and he won't tell me
why he's here.
Boar headed bounty hunter.
I'll go in and get him out.
You know what
happened last time.
Assault and battery,
aggravated assault, attempt to-
Well what about him?
Murderin', robbin',
horse thievin'.
Be careful is all I'm sayin'.
Careful?
All these years we've
been ridin' together,
I've never heard you talk like-
Don't get all mushy
on me, Sheriff.
I ain't talkin'
about your health.
I'm thinkin' about
your job, my job.
Just because some black-eyed...
Black-eyed?
Bloody-nosed jay hawker...
Bloody-nosed?
Jack Swanson came at me
with a blade and weren't
no butter-knife neither. Break,
you used a fence-post on him.
He had more than a black
eye and a bloody nose.
What was I supposed to
do, let him stick me?
Tread gently is all.
Bonnie said you had it in you,
lands and lovers and such.
And such.
You go around the back just
in case he makes a run for
it when the tickling starts.
The tickling ain't
what makes me nervous.
Well, it should!
Hello Bobby.
Your mama teach ya how to fight?
Don't you talk about my mama!
What?
He insulted my mother.
You didn't even know your mama.
All the more, Buge,
all the more.
Who sent ya?
Nobody.
Never heard of him.
You ever heard of him?
A Mr. Nobody. Hard to say.
Oh heck, Buge, they say you're
the brains of the outfit.
I thought I was the looks.
Up!
You are the third
tight-lipped bounty-hunter
we've had to move
out this month.
There's something
cookin' around here Buge.
And it's making me hangry.
You heard that carpetbagger.
He's offering good,
hard coin for The Saint.
Dead or alive.
Where's the Union now?
Where's their promises?
They ripped our world apart!
Where's their promise of mercy?
The Saint's been
stealin' those promises.
Breakin' it while they sit
back gettin' fat on victory.
My farm's in ashes.
My kids is hungry.
The Union's failed us again.
It's on us, to take what's ours.
Are you boys
talkin' about The Saint?
What's it to ya?
Well, a friendly piece of
advice, I would stay clear.
Let the law work for ya.
Not against ya.
The law ain't feedin' my family!
Neither are you, if you're dead.
What'd you say?
Is that a threat boy?!
Come on down here and face us
like a man or I'll shoot you-
I'd lower that hammer
before I drop mine.
Uh-uh. DEPUTY SHANKS: You heard
the deputy marshal, now drop it.
Steer clear, boys,
you've been warned.
Jeremiah.
Stay safe, fellas.
No.
Hmph.
No.
It's more like this.
My son never had many friends.
War will make 'em brothers
before it's all over.
Want any of this?
Got it off a Georgia boy.
I don't suppose that
was an even trade?
Spoils of war, brother.
John? Hmm?
I've seen you stare
down a bear with only a round
left in your chamber.
I've seen you crack more
skulls and break more bones
than any man in the territory.
I mean, you're as
tough as they come.
But when it comes to
these gray backs...
your sympathy concerns me.
Well...
that bear had it coming,
he killed my dog.
As for cracking and breaking
something, I'd rather
put something in a sling
than in a grave.
As for them...
I believe in what
we're fighting for.
Doesn't mean I have to hate
who I'm fighting against.
Mm.
Sound any good?
Yeah.
Keep it simple.
Good guys in blue,
bad guys in gray.
Well, that's not how I see it.
When this is over...
If Davis and Lee and the rest
of these guys aren't dancing
at the end of a rope...
I'm gonna pay old Honest
Abe a visit myself.
That talk brings trouble, Virg.
Trouble can find me.
John?
You make 'em out?
Too far. Oh.
It's the marshal.
Guess he heard
about the fence post.
Fence post?
You sure it's him?
Of course, I'm sure.
Look at how he sits
in that saddle.
He rides like you.
I look that good?
What's that on his head?
Is that a new hat?
And a new deputy.
Huh...
How do you do, marshal?
Mom, Sheriff.
This is Deputy Shanks.
Afternoon, ma'am.
Deputy Shanks, call me Bonnie.
It's a pleasure.
And this is Sheriff Breaker.
His daddy.
Well, it's an honor, Sheriff.
Shanks.
You wouldn't happen to be kin
to a Colonel Williford Shanks,
would ya?
Yes sir, that's my daddy.
You're Willy's boy!
I'll be.
How is old guts n' glory doing?
Uh, well...
He actually passed
last spring sir.
Caught pneumonia.
But he told me plenty
of stories about you.
Mostly from the war.
He was a good man.
You look a lot like him.
Thank you, sir.
Bugle.
Marshal.
You boys hungry?
Can I put on a chicken? M'm...
You've slaughtered enough
chickens on my account.
Whatever the Sheriff's
having, that'd be fine.
No, no, no; Those
chickens have been
thrivin' under my
shadow too long.
The only time I get a
treat is when you show up.
Bonnie, slaughter
the fatted hen.
The prodigal has returned.
Fried chicken, then.
M'm.
I uh... suppose you heard
about the whole fence post
thing and Jack Swanson and all?
I did.
And I suppose
that's why you're here.
It's not.
That lawyer had all the facts
all twisted, he's making
this whole stink about it.
That guy had himself a knife.
- Didn't he have a knife on him?
- Sheriff...
That is between you,
him and the fence post.
I am here on more
prudent matters.
He called me Sheriff again.
Listen, son...
If you're gonna stand on
my property with that belly
growlin' for one of
my chickens, you'll call
me dad, pa, father...
Or if you're feeling
especially tender, daddy.
Done!
I'm here on matters other than
your fence post escapades.
Escapades?
He's back.
Now have you seen this?
No.
If I knew where he was,
I would've hunted and
found him a long time ago.
I know where he is.
You think you do. I do.
Even if you think you
do, he's not gettable.
Not just the two of you.
Well, someone has to try.
I have a warrant for his arrest.
That's just a piece of
rollin' paper to him.
It is my duty to deliver
that warrant and
to bring him back.
A warrant for The Saint?
Well, whose boot did he spit
on, because jayhawkers like
that are small potatoes
to the likes of Washington.
There have been whispers...
and rumors that have made it
all the way to Washington.
Rumors rubbed together
don't make a warrant.
We have information
that him and his crew...
they have been hitting
reconstruction supply lines,
raiding encampments,
profiteering, leaving a mess
wherever they hit!
Taking supplies,
women, leaving bodies!
Now all that intel,
that leads here.
Kansas?
You start flipping rocks
over in Kansas, you're
gonna find more desperate
deserters than rattlesnakes.
You're better off asking Grant
for a regiment of expendables.
The president?
The government asked me.
And now, I'm asking you.
Wha-
What?
Well, why didn't you say
that in the first place?
I was trying to.
The only thing is you would
need to become my deputy.
A deputy, Break.
A deputy?
Well, we would have
to cross state lines.
John...
The Saint has been stirring
up all kinds of trouble.
Pickin' fights with
deserters, bushwhackers,
any southerner...
that's paths he cross.
The bounty is unwarranted
and unsanctioned but...
it is backed by rich
investors and carpetbaggers.
Bounty hunters from all over
have been winding up dead.
Everybody wants this reward
but nobody can claim it.
Carpetbaggers,
banking bushwhackers.
Trespassing bounty hunters.
Bobby the bear.
I told you somethin'
was cookin'.
You warned me, 100.
This man wants war.
If he can light a fire, he will.
Now if the bushwhackers
get him, then...
But this man is living as
if the war is still on.
If he keeps going on the
way that he is then...
he could reignite the Civil War.
Now hold on.
The Saint's a slippery one.
He's not gonna be stopped with
a smile and a piece of paper.
Then we bring him
inthe hard way.
Cut from the same cloth.
Like wool, in summer.
Alright...
Show me something about
his little group here.
I'm not used to The Saint
having a gaggle with him.
This is Anvil.
He can and will shoot
you dead in a heartbeat.
But he prefers to
fight more personal.
They say his fists might
as well be horse hooves.
Weapon of choice:
Brass knuckles.
I got it, don't get close.
Easier said than done.
Meet Holt.
A hunter.
You'll hear his gunshot
before you see him comin'.
Franklin York.
We're being ambushed!
Go, go, ride for help!
One of the best
snipers in the business.
If he can see you in the
distance, he can hit you.
Claims that he's shot
more than a dozen officers
off their horses.
Says he doesn't miss.
Everybody misses.
Who's next?
George Washington, Jr.
Claims he's the direct
descendant of the president.
Says if America was a
monarchy he'd be king.
Washington didn't have any kids.
He didn't?
Well, don't tell him that.
Tucker Macready.
He will kill anyone he
sees as a rebel sympathizer.
Aah!
They say he's the
musician of the group and.
The Saint's right hand man.
And he is mean.
Music, the great equalizer.
Stacey Snyder.
A girl.
An unknown,
a mystery, a liability.
Pretty, but you'll hit the floor
before you can say, "Miss."
They say she holds
her own though, against
the rest of the bunch.
Makes her scary enough for me.
I don't ever remember
having to fight no woman.
That's because mom whooped
you a long time ago.
Well, maybe I should show
these people how I curbed
your teens over my knee.
I don't fight my subordinates,
Deputy Breaker.
Deputy Breaker, Deputy...
What's in a title?
Just a word made up by some
man sitting behind a desk.
Besides...
What better company
for my compromise?
And of course they
are all led by Virgil.
"The Saint."
"We must extinguish
our resentments...
if we want harmony and union."
Your newspaper's outdated.
Where's the gold?
I don't know what
you're talking about.
We were only transporting
food and supplies
to the starving in St. Louis.
Kansas supplies
for Missouri rebels.
I swear.
There's no money!
I don't trust bushwhackers.
I'm not a bushwhacker!
I'm an officer of
the Union army.
I serve Bates Guard, sixth
Missouri volunteer infantry!
Bates Guard? Yes sir!
I... I'm sorry, sir.
Untie him.
Have a seat.
Have a seat, c'mon.
You have any children?
I got three boys.
I had two sons.
They used to help me run
my spread, not too far
from here actually.
One of them decided he
didn't like farming.
Wanted to try his luck
on the Mississippi.
I condemned it, naturally.
But I woke to find he took my
best horse and my favorite gun
and ran off, leaving me and
my other son to run the place.
On the eve of the war,
he came back to me.
Robbed, beaten, half starved.
He came back to me with an
apologetic grin, a smirk.
He said...
"I'm sorry, daddy.
You were right."
And I said, "I know."
And shut the door in his face.
George... OFFICER: Wait!
Wait! We have to stomp
out the rebellion.
Please! Smite it.
No! Shut the door on it.
George, okay.
Wait!
It's in the wagon!
Under the seat.
Welcome to The Saint's
restoration of the Union
and the final annihilation
of the Confederacy.
Saddle up, boys!
George, the door.
John...
I finally get to fix my mistake.
This is a mistake.
My two against all of them?
Well, four.
There's four, actually.
My boys... both of you?
Well, trouble halved
is trouble shared.
Don't sally me, John.
I'm not your deputy.
Look me in the eye.
You've been dodging
bullets your whole life.
And now I can't help but feel
you're stepping right into one.
When you show a man mercy
it becomes your responsibility.
Surely there's someone
else who can do this.
No.
I have to do this, Bonnie.
No, you don't.
You want to.
And if you fail, that'll be why.
Bonnie...
Go back, retreat!
Retreat, that's it boys,
keep it moving!
We've got 'em on the run!
I got one!
That's enough for today, son.
Cal...
Hold up, son.
Stand guard.
Jackpot.
This gold watch will
fetch a pretty penny.
Maybe I'll even give
it to you, son.
Come on, dad, stop.
What?
You've taken enough.
No!
Perkins.
Cal, stand guard.
Virgil, I'm so sorry.
I never should've brought him.
He fought for
a good cause, Virgil.
With honor.
He fought because I made him.
He's dead because I brought him.
It should've been his brother.
But he was there.
And that's what matters.
The cause was affected
for the good because
your son was part of it.
And history will remember.
The cause... History...
He came for the adventure.
I came to kill traitors.
I'll bring you home, boy.
Lay you next to your
mother soon enough.
As soon as I get that gray
back that murdered you.
I'll kill him, boy.
I'll...
I'll have justice.
Virgil...
that ain't justice.
Red feather in his cap.
Cocky, taunting red feather.
I'll... find him.
I'll find him if I have to
pillage the whole rebel army.
Grieve him, Virgil,
fight for him.
But don't dishonor
him with revenge.
Who up and made you preacher?
Look who you're talking to.
Look where I'm standing!
Your boy knew what was right...
he would've killed that Johnny.
But you stopped him.
My boy's dead because
you stopped that bullet.
His blood cries for revenge!
Maybe it's yours that
should be taken.
Hold it, Buge.
Virgil...
Dad...
It's alright, Cal.
I'm sorry boy.
Take it.
He'd want you to...
keep practicing.
You're pretty good at
that tin sandwich.
You think if Perkins was
still alive The Saint
would've turned out the same?
I think The Saint was broke
before the war even started.
There was bad brewing
in him for a long time.
I think when his son
died, that dam broke.
No, I don't think
The Saint's son was bad.
But I think the father would've
forced him there eventually.
You see, daddies have a way
of doing those things.
Shaping a thing.
So you shaped me, huh?
Well, not to the
caliber that you've become.
But I think mama and me,
we lit some kindling.
But you stoked that fire
all by yourself, senator.
Oh, I know. Come on...
Oh, well, war hero.
Law school, marshal.
Going after the number one
criminal this side of the Ohio.
Dad. You haven't shown
any interest in.
The Saint till it caught
the eye of Washington.
I ain't condemning you,
I get it.
Small potatoes.
But let this be a lesson to you.
Small things, grow.
Let's just worry about
getting The Saint.
We'll think about
the becomings, after.
I can't help but wonder
what it would've been like
if I hadn't let him go.
Well, he was your friend.
No, he wasn't.
Just because you know a man
doesn't make him your friend.
What was the story
with that fence post?
Good night, Cal.
Good night! Good night.
I will be back.
Both of you.
Hyah, hyah!
The Saint stole
our food, stole our lives.
And this reward will
give it all back!
I want you to think of your
wives; Think about your sister.
Think about your children.
This time tomorrow,
our problems are over!
This time tomorrow there'll be
justice for our fallen brothers.
That's right!
This time tomorrow
we'll be rich!
Kill him, hang him dead.
Somebody gets between
you and The Saint...
They're standin' between
you and your family,
you and your lives!
Let's fight for the fallen!
Let's ride!
Let's make some money.
Alright, let's get him.
Saddle up boys!
Yeah, let's go!
What you readin'?
Nothin'.
Uh-huh.
Sonnets. Who?
Shakespeare.
Shakespeare?
Poetry.
Oh... Huh.
You know...
I wrote a poem once.
What, you? JOHN: Uh-huh.
When I first met your mama.
Wow, I am surprised
I was even born.
Yeah, I can be artistic
too when I want to be.
Yeah.
With a fence post.
You're lucky I'm layin' down!
Yeah, yeah.
My watch.
Sleep tight, boys. Night.
Mama know?
What, about the sonnets?
About the girl.
I would feel like picking with
the barrage of questions
she would come at me with.
No, I have not told anybody.
You know, new canteens
are cheap.
So is life.
Yours was almost bought
with a tiny piece of lead.
Old things like this always
remind me to pray
for the better angels.
Get some sleep.
Nothing gets past ol' Buge.
I don't think I've ever
seen him sleep a wink.
I bet he would stay out there
all night if you asked him to.
Looks all quiet to me.
Shanks, how long have you
been marshaling for?
Since the war.
What made you choose this
line of work?
Best legal way to
keep the juices flowing,
I suppose.
It's kinda hard to go back to
being a clerk
once you've dealt in bullets,
know what I mean?
Yeah.
I suppose I do.
My dad did.
He went right back behind the
counter selling
pickled eggs and candy sticks.
I couldn't though.
You know there are two types of
men who come in and out of war.
Those who fight because
it's their duty like your daddy.
Then go home and shed the
memories with their uniform.
And then there are those who
fight because they're fighters,
and there's always something
that needs to be fought.
It takes both types.
Good night boys.
Hyah! Hyah!
We're getting pretty deep
into Kansas now boys.
Are you sure you know
where The Saint is?
Just relax back there, old man.
The trail leads that way.
But that's towards the
Abington place.
Why would they go through
the Abington place?
Something ain't right.
I'm gonna go check it out.
- Cal!
- Hyah!
Ah... stubborn.
Something wrong, Sheriff?
Your daddy used to
get these feelings
before a battle or a march,
you know about those?
Yeah, I get 'em at
home too when something's off,
or about to happen.
How are you feeling?
Like we're being watched.
Uh-huh... yeah.
I missed your daddy the last
couple of years.
Yeah, I miss him too.
He talked about you all
the time during the war.
It was hard for him
fighting against ya.
Every prisoner we'd catch, he'd
always ask them if they knew ya.
It's an honor ridin' with ya.
I hope I don't
disappoint you, sir.
Nah, you won't.
They're there.
And the Abingtons?
Fresh graves in the back.
There's a girl.
Abby?
She was running water from the
well... she's alive.
So, this is it.
You hang a man for
avenging his son?
What's the plan, Marshal?
Ride around the tree line
and come around back,
and you cut their horses loose.
If you see them run out,
give them light.
Bugle, stay just out of
the line of fire.
If there's trouble,
run and get help.
Sheriff.
Or we deliver the warrant.
Hup! Hyah!
Company.
My name is Cal Breaker,
and I am a U.S. Marshal.
Howdy.
Is Mr. Abington here?
Yeah, he's around.
One of the...
twins could take you to him.
Heh.
Easy, Cal.
You ever grab a
rattler by the nose?
Grab those reins,
and you'll find out.
That's right.
You're in no position to
make threats, law dog.
Virgil!
Virgil, come on out!
John Breaker.
Virg.
It always makes me smile
to see you, John.
I wish I felt the same, Virg.
The last time I saw you,
you were fitting me for a noose.
If memory serves,
you deserved it.
Are you here to see the uh...
Abingtons.
Yeah, are you here to see them?
Because they ain't here.
Hmm.
Looks like you made
yourself at home.
I know you ain't here on
official business,
because last time I checked,
the state line ended over yonder
and so does your jurisdiction.
Mine did...
his didn't.
Cal?
Virgil.
Well...
this boy he...
he was friends with
my boy during the war.
It's good to see you, Cal.
It's "Marshal" now.
Marshal?
Good for you, good for you, heh.
What can I do for you, Marshal?
We have got a warrant
for your arrest.
Yeah?
I don't think so, Cal.
It's nice of you
boys to stop by.
Goodbye, John.
We ain't goin' without ya, Virg.
Trouble's coming and it's
got your name all over it.
Wouldn't you rather see this
through with some friends?
Are we still friends, John?
We can do this easy, Virg.
Ain't nothin' easy.
Bugle still fighting
your wars for you?
Holt!
She makes a mean cobbler.
Are you okay, Abby?
What are the odds
of you knowing them?
They used to live just
north of Linn Creek.
- Well, then...
- Get, get, get!
I guess you already
know all about the cobbler.
Now as much as I like
cobbler, Virg...
you know how Bonnie gets
if I ruin her dinner.
Pace you're marchin, ya gonna
miss more than supper.
It's more than you'll get hangin
from a bushwhacker's tree.
Their trees or your gallows,
it makes no difference to me.
Listen, Virg-
No you listen, John!
You take your Marshal-boy,
and you go across that line.
And you forget you ever knew me!
Not his call, it's mine.
Back a bear in his own den,
boy...
you'll find out what happens.
I know what happens...
you smoke him out.
We were brothers once.
I'm gonna give you
one last chance.
Take your boy home.
Don't make the same
mistake I did.
Holt!
Tucker!
Hey. JOHN: Cal.
Hey! Hey!
- Cal, don't.
- - Hey!
Everybody stop.
Aw, heck.
Hyah!
Yah!
Fence post!
Yah!
Gentle justice.
They got Bugle!
Did he hit the ground?
- What?
- Did he fall from his horse?
No.
Ah!
Cal!
Cal, go! Go!
Go, Cal! Go!
Go, go! Get in! You ain't gonna
bring 'em back
doing stuff like that!
They got Shanks.
Ain't nothin' you can
do about that right now.
They killed him.
We all knew the risks.
What kind of excuse is that?
Cal!
He died fighting for a cause.
That's all any fighter
can ever ask for.
You going back out there and
getting yourself killed
ain't gonna help him now.
How about Bugle?
He was your friend.
You said he didn't fall off
his horse, right?
Yeah.
I know my friend.
You should have killed
Virgil when you had the chance.
Well let me
tell
ya what redemption looks like...
I never found you,
and I never see you again.
You go West and start yourself
a new life, Virgil.
You ready to move?
We gotta hold up until
we get reinforcements.
How long is that gonna be?
Well, it'll take Bugle 2 hours
to get to town;
2 hours to posse up and about 5
hours to get back in the dark.
So until dawn?
I ain't waitin' that long.
- Hey Breaker... Breaker.
- Yeah?
We've got trouble.
Yeah.
He left last night
right past the pickets.
They're calling him a deserter.
We both know what he went to do.
The Captain's looking for him.
They'll want me to
bring him back.
He who walks with the wise
becomes wise,
but a companion to fools
suffers harm.
They're gonna hang him,
aren't they, dad?
I know why me, but why you?
Foolish or wise...
I'm your companion.
Here's to harm.
I'm comin' with ya.
Not this time.
Dad?
You're staying. It's safer here.
But it's not safe anywhere,
and I wanna be with you.
I said you're staying.
If you die for your country,
so be it.
But I'm not letting you die
for The Saint.
Let's go.
They got us pinned, Cal.
Looks like we're staying
here tonight.
Heya... do you think
they'll run?
No.
Do you think they'll
hurt the girl?
I don't know.
Shh.
- What are you doing?
- Shh.
Hey!
I hit him, you cuff him.
This is that
jayhawker Jeremiah's outpost.
I'll see who sneaks up on
who this time.
Turn back. Go home.
Under whose authority?
Mine.
The Marshal done warned you
with his mouth.
Now I'm warning you with my gun.
It's just you, huh?
Look at you sittin' there all
fancy pointin' your pistol
at me while The Saint
runs free starving my kids.
Raiding my land.
I'm gonna count to three.
One...
Two...
Three.
Grab his horse.
We'll get to the Abington Ranch
before sundown.
There ya go.
The Saint's gonna get you!
No, he's not.
Watch her.
Make sure she doesn't move.
Hey, John!
What?
I'm giving you the one last
chance you once gave me.
You can leave here now,
and I'll let you go.
With you in tow?
You're a stubborn man.
Yep.
So what'll it be?
I'll wait.
To meet your maker?
Maybe.
If we're gonna meet our maker...
it's not gonna be
from starvation.
We've got their provisions,
take a look.
Looks like a dadgum
general store in here let's eat!
John Breaker.
Look, why don't we just run?
They ain't gonna catch us!
Because of what's in the barn.
There's always more loot, boss.
Not the loot... Breaker!
We can get away and
regroup and gather more men.
This ends today.
I don't see no point in going
out there to die.
Do you wanna spend your life
lookin' over your shoulder?
You ready?
Aye.
If she moves, kill her.
You got it, boss.
Hey, hey... what is that?
Uh-huh.
Is she pretty as your mama?
She's beautiful.
You live a dangerous life son,
is she okay with that?
Yeah, she's fine.
Well.
We both know that mom
is a strong woman...
but my life and my choices
haven't always been easy on her.
A lot of late nights wonderin'
if I was comin' home on a saddle
or in a box.
She's fine.
Cal!
Are you alright?
Yeah, no holes.
Desperation?
Diversion.
Anvil's on the run.
You take the back,
I'll take the front.
Ready? Go!
John Breaker...
the only man alive who could
give my boss the quickstep.
Tucker Macready...
don't make me shoot a musician;
The world needs as
many as it can get.
I believe I got you-
There's always another way.
Really?
Always?
How've you been?
I've been busy.
Come here.
The Saint is gonna kill you.
I heard that one already.
Is this your idea
of gentle justice?
Dad, hey this is the girl
I was telling you about.
Stacey Snyder.
I've heard a lot about you, sir.
She works for the government.
Her intel is what helped us get
the warrant.
And you're...
you're okay with her being a...
Spy?
No offense, sheriff-
Deputy.
No offense.
I've been working southern
celebrations
and Confederate inaugurations
since before Sumter.
Your mama's gonna love her!
What if I had shot her?!
Now come on,
you're not gonna shoot a girl.
You can hardly look at her.
Alright, you two
lovebirds... let's end this.
The Saint's not getting
away this time.
Alright...
I'll busy him in the front.
You go around left,
and come in through the back.
It'll be just like Bull Run.
You ready, Miss Snyder?
Yep. JOHN: Ready, son?
Ready.
Good.
The odds have shifted, Virgil.
You're outnumbered.
How do you wanna play it?
I'm glad it's you, John...
but you're gonna have to
kill me this time.
Oh! Morning, boys.
Was it worth it, Virg?
I'm glad it's you
they sent, John.
I'm not.
I lost my boy, John.
It's got to count for something.
You've got a boy.
You understand.
They'll understand.
You disobeyed orders.
You left without leave.
You put yourself above the Army.
That's called desertion.
It was justice!
It was war!
How many sons did you take
in Petersburg?
How about Bull Run?
While you were out there
trying to even the score,
you put a price on all of us.
Oh, it's easy for you
to talk like that.
Your boy is still breathing.
And you stayed the bullet
that killed mine.
If it had been your boy
that had been buried,
I'd have understood.
Help! Someone shot Timmy!
I guess I was followed;
Your choice... fight or flight?
They've gotta be close.
Over here! I see them!
Go!
Go, Cal! Go!
You're late.
I thought you said
like Bull Run?
You were late then too.
I'm coming out!
It's over, Virg... let her go.
You're in no position
to negotiate.
You're gonna kill
an innocent girl?
I'll do what I have to
to protect the Union.
No, you'll do what you have to
for revenge.
Their treachery is unforgivable!
No, you think
your son abandoning
you is unforgivable.
You think the war taking your
other boy is unforgivable.
Put your guns down!
- I'll shoot her.
- You're not gonna shoot her
Virg.
She doesn't deserve it.
You're broken...
and you're bad...
but you ain't evil, Virg.
Let her go.
You're right.
I won't shoot her.
Drop it! Drop it!
The traitor too!
Good girl.
Put your gun down.
Put your gun down!
A son for a son.
Now you know what it feels like.
Cal!
Take it easy... easy.
Are you okay?
Howdy.
We's here for a reckonin'.
Ah, ah, ah... drop it.
Cal, keep your finger in it.
We don't want ya to bleed out.
Dad, I'm fine.
Stay with him.
What?
I said stay with him.
Where is he?
Ah!
Whoa now.
That man is ours, sheriff.
I've got a warrant
for this man's arrest.
Oh, that had to hurt!
Oh!
Alright, let's wrap it up, boys.
I said he's ours, sheriff.
Do it!
Kill me.
Dead or alive,
it don't matter to us.
You heard 'em...
kill me!
John, kill me.
I shot your son.
So this is it?
Hang a man for avenging his son?
Well, from where I'm
standing you get two
choices... the reckoning,
or the redemption.
The reckoning?
The reckoning is what that Reb
got for murdering my boy.
Well let me tell you what
redemption looks like...
I never found you,
and I never see you again.
You go West and you start
yourself a new life, Virgil.
I'll give it to ya
if you'll take it.
So you're judge and jury?
And executioner.
They told me don't bother
bringing you back,
just find a tree and drop you.
But I know something
they don't...
you deserted,
but you're not a deserter.
You're just selfish.
So... there's two roads.
The easy one is the reckoning.
The right one is redemption.
What's it gonna be, Virg?
You're under arrest.
The court will decide your fate.
Mercy?!
I spared you once because of
pity... mercy?
Ain't nothin' gentle
about mercy.
Go on, I'm taking him in.
You're outside your
jurisdiction, sheriff.
You ain't nothin' but
a man outgunned.
You're on the wrong side
of justice, boys.
Don't test me; Not today.
Oh yeah?
Whatcha gonna do?
Huh? Forgive us if
we don't oblige... come on.
Oh, I'll forgive ya...
after I'm done with ya.
Heh... us versus you?
Andthem.
I got no problem taking you too.
The choice is yours.
- Hyah!
- That's what I thought.
It's about time.
Most men wouldn't
make it 'til dawn.
Well thankfully,
you ain't most men.
They shot a Deputy Marshal
on the road.
Do you want me to ride
after them?
Send the boys.
Cal's been hit.
Get up.
Whoa.
Hold off.
Move!
Not like this.
I said not like this.
My father... my brother...
Abby-
You spared him!
Shh, he's going to court, Abby.
And this time he'll hang.
Not this time.
Take him away, boys.
He deserved to hang.
I know.
Then why didn't you?
If it were my son who
were shot and killed...
I'd probably have done the same.
No, you wouldn't.
Look at you all gussied up
from your court date!
Bugle told me the verdict.
Umm-hmm.
I got you this as a reminder...
it's a little less morbid.
I like it.
You sure you don't wanna
stay a while longer?
Well, I gotta get back to
Washington,
and report on The Saint's trial.
Back to Washington.
We're proud of you.
We did it.
Yes we did.
And it was a pleasure
getting to know you.
The pleasure was mine, sheriff.
- Dad.
- What?
Wait what?
- Keep us posted!
- A wedding?
Don't wait too long.
Campaign season's coming.
What are you gonna do?
Run against me?
Oh, I ought to just to have the
pleasure of ordering
you around again.
Dad, you'll always be above my
rank in this county.
You take care of him.
We take care of each other.
BUGLE, V/O: There's a fight
inside of men as well.
A fight against a reckoning.
A reckoning of all the
things we've done...
or didn't do.
My granddaddy...
he called it a warrant.
And he warns that
at some point...
it hunts after us all.
Sometimes to reckon...
always to redeem.
Each of our lives is a story.
And every story is
about a struggle.
A fight.
A fight against sickness...
poverty...
each other.
Some fight for big things.
Ideas...
freedoms...
rights.
Some fight for little things.
A name, a piece of land...
Or for a friend.
The little liberties.
There's a fight
inside men as well.
A fight against a reckoning.
A reckoning of all
the things we've done.
Or didn't do.
My granddaddy...
He called it a warrant.
"Dear Bonnie,
today marks four years.
Four years of fightin'.
Feels like 400.
At the time of this letter,
our son's still safe and well.
As well as can be expected.
He's become close with
Virgil's boy, Perkins.
I know you don't
approve of "The Saint"
as we've come to call him.
Let's go. Ironic, I know.
But his son is a good kid.
When I get back-
When we get back...
We'll have stories
to tell, Bonnie girl.
No joy?
He won't check his gun
and he won't tell me
why he's here.
Boar headed bounty hunter.
I'll go in and get him out.
You know what
happened last time.
Assault and battery,
aggravated assault, attempt to-
Well what about him?
Murderin', robbin',
horse thievin'.
Be careful is all I'm sayin'.
Careful?
All these years we've
been ridin' together,
I've never heard you talk like-
Don't get all mushy
on me, Sheriff.
I ain't talkin'
about your health.
I'm thinkin' about
your job, my job.
Just because some black-eyed...
Black-eyed?
Bloody-nosed jay hawker...
Bloody-nosed?
Jack Swanson came at me
with a blade and weren't
no butter-knife neither. Break,
you used a fence-post on him.
He had more than a black
eye and a bloody nose.
What was I supposed to
do, let him stick me?
Tread gently is all.
Bonnie said you had it in you,
lands and lovers and such.
And such.
You go around the back just
in case he makes a run for
it when the tickling starts.
The tickling ain't
what makes me nervous.
Well, it should!
Hello Bobby.
Your mama teach ya how to fight?
Don't you talk about my mama!
What?
He insulted my mother.
You didn't even know your mama.
All the more, Buge,
all the more.
Who sent ya?
Nobody.
Never heard of him.
You ever heard of him?
A Mr. Nobody. Hard to say.
Oh heck, Buge, they say you're
the brains of the outfit.
I thought I was the looks.
Up!
You are the third
tight-lipped bounty-hunter
we've had to move
out this month.
There's something
cookin' around here Buge.
And it's making me hangry.
You heard that carpetbagger.
He's offering good,
hard coin for The Saint.
Dead or alive.
Where's the Union now?
Where's their promises?
They ripped our world apart!
Where's their promise of mercy?
The Saint's been
stealin' those promises.
Breakin' it while they sit
back gettin' fat on victory.
My farm's in ashes.
My kids is hungry.
The Union's failed us again.
It's on us, to take what's ours.
Are you boys
talkin' about The Saint?
What's it to ya?
Well, a friendly piece of
advice, I would stay clear.
Let the law work for ya.
Not against ya.
The law ain't feedin' my family!
Neither are you, if you're dead.
What'd you say?
Is that a threat boy?!
Come on down here and face us
like a man or I'll shoot you-
I'd lower that hammer
before I drop mine.
Uh-uh. DEPUTY SHANKS: You heard
the deputy marshal, now drop it.
Steer clear, boys,
you've been warned.
Jeremiah.
Stay safe, fellas.
No.
Hmph.
No.
It's more like this.
My son never had many friends.
War will make 'em brothers
before it's all over.
Want any of this?
Got it off a Georgia boy.
I don't suppose that
was an even trade?
Spoils of war, brother.
John? Hmm?
I've seen you stare
down a bear with only a round
left in your chamber.
I've seen you crack more
skulls and break more bones
than any man in the territory.
I mean, you're as
tough as they come.
But when it comes to
these gray backs...
your sympathy concerns me.
Well...
that bear had it coming,
he killed my dog.
As for cracking and breaking
something, I'd rather
put something in a sling
than in a grave.
As for them...
I believe in what
we're fighting for.
Doesn't mean I have to hate
who I'm fighting against.
Mm.
Sound any good?
Yeah.
Keep it simple.
Good guys in blue,
bad guys in gray.
Well, that's not how I see it.
When this is over...
If Davis and Lee and the rest
of these guys aren't dancing
at the end of a rope...
I'm gonna pay old Honest
Abe a visit myself.
That talk brings trouble, Virg.
Trouble can find me.
John?
You make 'em out?
Too far. Oh.
It's the marshal.
Guess he heard
about the fence post.
Fence post?
You sure it's him?
Of course, I'm sure.
Look at how he sits
in that saddle.
He rides like you.
I look that good?
What's that on his head?
Is that a new hat?
And a new deputy.
Huh...
How do you do, marshal?
Mom, Sheriff.
This is Deputy Shanks.
Afternoon, ma'am.
Deputy Shanks, call me Bonnie.
It's a pleasure.
And this is Sheriff Breaker.
His daddy.
Well, it's an honor, Sheriff.
Shanks.
You wouldn't happen to be kin
to a Colonel Williford Shanks,
would ya?
Yes sir, that's my daddy.
You're Willy's boy!
I'll be.
How is old guts n' glory doing?
Uh, well...
He actually passed
last spring sir.
Caught pneumonia.
But he told me plenty
of stories about you.
Mostly from the war.
He was a good man.
You look a lot like him.
Thank you, sir.
Bugle.
Marshal.
You boys hungry?
Can I put on a chicken? M'm...
You've slaughtered enough
chickens on my account.
Whatever the Sheriff's
having, that'd be fine.
No, no, no; Those
chickens have been
thrivin' under my
shadow too long.
The only time I get a
treat is when you show up.
Bonnie, slaughter
the fatted hen.
The prodigal has returned.
Fried chicken, then.
M'm.
I uh... suppose you heard
about the whole fence post
thing and Jack Swanson and all?
I did.
And I suppose
that's why you're here.
It's not.
That lawyer had all the facts
all twisted, he's making
this whole stink about it.
That guy had himself a knife.
- Didn't he have a knife on him?
- Sheriff...
That is between you,
him and the fence post.
I am here on more
prudent matters.
He called me Sheriff again.
Listen, son...
If you're gonna stand on
my property with that belly
growlin' for one of
my chickens, you'll call
me dad, pa, father...
Or if you're feeling
especially tender, daddy.
Done!
I'm here on matters other than
your fence post escapades.
Escapades?
He's back.
Now have you seen this?
No.
If I knew where he was,
I would've hunted and
found him a long time ago.
I know where he is.
You think you do. I do.
Even if you think you
do, he's not gettable.
Not just the two of you.
Well, someone has to try.
I have a warrant for his arrest.
That's just a piece of
rollin' paper to him.
It is my duty to deliver
that warrant and
to bring him back.
A warrant for The Saint?
Well, whose boot did he spit
on, because jayhawkers like
that are small potatoes
to the likes of Washington.
There have been whispers...
and rumors that have made it
all the way to Washington.
Rumors rubbed together
don't make a warrant.
We have information
that him and his crew...
they have been hitting
reconstruction supply lines,
raiding encampments,
profiteering, leaving a mess
wherever they hit!
Taking supplies,
women, leaving bodies!
Now all that intel,
that leads here.
Kansas?
You start flipping rocks
over in Kansas, you're
gonna find more desperate
deserters than rattlesnakes.
You're better off asking Grant
for a regiment of expendables.
The president?
The government asked me.
And now, I'm asking you.
Wha-
What?
Well, why didn't you say
that in the first place?
I was trying to.
The only thing is you would
need to become my deputy.
A deputy, Break.
A deputy?
Well, we would have
to cross state lines.
John...
The Saint has been stirring
up all kinds of trouble.
Pickin' fights with
deserters, bushwhackers,
any southerner...
that's paths he cross.
The bounty is unwarranted
and unsanctioned but...
it is backed by rich
investors and carpetbaggers.
Bounty hunters from all over
have been winding up dead.
Everybody wants this reward
but nobody can claim it.
Carpetbaggers,
banking bushwhackers.
Trespassing bounty hunters.
Bobby the bear.
I told you somethin'
was cookin'.
You warned me, 100.
This man wants war.
If he can light a fire, he will.
Now if the bushwhackers
get him, then...
But this man is living as
if the war is still on.
If he keeps going on the
way that he is then...
he could reignite the Civil War.
Now hold on.
The Saint's a slippery one.
He's not gonna be stopped with
a smile and a piece of paper.
Then we bring him
inthe hard way.
Cut from the same cloth.
Like wool, in summer.
Alright...
Show me something about
his little group here.
I'm not used to The Saint
having a gaggle with him.
This is Anvil.
He can and will shoot
you dead in a heartbeat.
But he prefers to
fight more personal.
They say his fists might
as well be horse hooves.
Weapon of choice:
Brass knuckles.
I got it, don't get close.
Easier said than done.
Meet Holt.
A hunter.
You'll hear his gunshot
before you see him comin'.
Franklin York.
We're being ambushed!
Go, go, ride for help!
One of the best
snipers in the business.
If he can see you in the
distance, he can hit you.
Claims that he's shot
more than a dozen officers
off their horses.
Says he doesn't miss.
Everybody misses.
Who's next?
George Washington, Jr.
Claims he's the direct
descendant of the president.
Says if America was a
monarchy he'd be king.
Washington didn't have any kids.
He didn't?
Well, don't tell him that.
Tucker Macready.
He will kill anyone he
sees as a rebel sympathizer.
Aah!
They say he's the
musician of the group and.
The Saint's right hand man.
And he is mean.
Music, the great equalizer.
Stacey Snyder.
A girl.
An unknown,
a mystery, a liability.
Pretty, but you'll hit the floor
before you can say, "Miss."
They say she holds
her own though, against
the rest of the bunch.
Makes her scary enough for me.
I don't ever remember
having to fight no woman.
That's because mom whooped
you a long time ago.
Well, maybe I should show
these people how I curbed
your teens over my knee.
I don't fight my subordinates,
Deputy Breaker.
Deputy Breaker, Deputy...
What's in a title?
Just a word made up by some
man sitting behind a desk.
Besides...
What better company
for my compromise?
And of course they
are all led by Virgil.
"The Saint."
"We must extinguish
our resentments...
if we want harmony and union."
Your newspaper's outdated.
Where's the gold?
I don't know what
you're talking about.
We were only transporting
food and supplies
to the starving in St. Louis.
Kansas supplies
for Missouri rebels.
I swear.
There's no money!
I don't trust bushwhackers.
I'm not a bushwhacker!
I'm an officer of
the Union army.
I serve Bates Guard, sixth
Missouri volunteer infantry!
Bates Guard? Yes sir!
I... I'm sorry, sir.
Untie him.
Have a seat.
Have a seat, c'mon.
You have any children?
I got three boys.
I had two sons.
They used to help me run
my spread, not too far
from here actually.
One of them decided he
didn't like farming.
Wanted to try his luck
on the Mississippi.
I condemned it, naturally.
But I woke to find he took my
best horse and my favorite gun
and ran off, leaving me and
my other son to run the place.
On the eve of the war,
he came back to me.
Robbed, beaten, half starved.
He came back to me with an
apologetic grin, a smirk.
He said...
"I'm sorry, daddy.
You were right."
And I said, "I know."
And shut the door in his face.
George... OFFICER: Wait!
Wait! We have to stomp
out the rebellion.
Please! Smite it.
No! Shut the door on it.
George, okay.
Wait!
It's in the wagon!
Under the seat.
Welcome to The Saint's
restoration of the Union
and the final annihilation
of the Confederacy.
Saddle up, boys!
George, the door.
John...
I finally get to fix my mistake.
This is a mistake.
My two against all of them?
Well, four.
There's four, actually.
My boys... both of you?
Well, trouble halved
is trouble shared.
Don't sally me, John.
I'm not your deputy.
Look me in the eye.
You've been dodging
bullets your whole life.
And now I can't help but feel
you're stepping right into one.
When you show a man mercy
it becomes your responsibility.
Surely there's someone
else who can do this.
No.
I have to do this, Bonnie.
No, you don't.
You want to.
And if you fail, that'll be why.
Bonnie...
Go back, retreat!
Retreat, that's it boys,
keep it moving!
We've got 'em on the run!
I got one!
That's enough for today, son.
Cal...
Hold up, son.
Stand guard.
Jackpot.
This gold watch will
fetch a pretty penny.
Maybe I'll even give
it to you, son.
Come on, dad, stop.
What?
You've taken enough.
No!
Perkins.
Cal, stand guard.
Virgil, I'm so sorry.
I never should've brought him.
He fought for
a good cause, Virgil.
With honor.
He fought because I made him.
He's dead because I brought him.
It should've been his brother.
But he was there.
And that's what matters.
The cause was affected
for the good because
your son was part of it.
And history will remember.
The cause... History...
He came for the adventure.
I came to kill traitors.
I'll bring you home, boy.
Lay you next to your
mother soon enough.
As soon as I get that gray
back that murdered you.
I'll kill him, boy.
I'll...
I'll have justice.
Virgil...
that ain't justice.
Red feather in his cap.
Cocky, taunting red feather.
I'll... find him.
I'll find him if I have to
pillage the whole rebel army.
Grieve him, Virgil,
fight for him.
But don't dishonor
him with revenge.
Who up and made you preacher?
Look who you're talking to.
Look where I'm standing!
Your boy knew what was right...
he would've killed that Johnny.
But you stopped him.
My boy's dead because
you stopped that bullet.
His blood cries for revenge!
Maybe it's yours that
should be taken.
Hold it, Buge.
Virgil...
Dad...
It's alright, Cal.
I'm sorry boy.
Take it.
He'd want you to...
keep practicing.
You're pretty good at
that tin sandwich.
You think if Perkins was
still alive The Saint
would've turned out the same?
I think The Saint was broke
before the war even started.
There was bad brewing
in him for a long time.
I think when his son
died, that dam broke.
No, I don't think
The Saint's son was bad.
But I think the father would've
forced him there eventually.
You see, daddies have a way
of doing those things.
Shaping a thing.
So you shaped me, huh?
Well, not to the
caliber that you've become.
But I think mama and me,
we lit some kindling.
But you stoked that fire
all by yourself, senator.
Oh, I know. Come on...
Oh, well, war hero.
Law school, marshal.
Going after the number one
criminal this side of the Ohio.
Dad. You haven't shown
any interest in.
The Saint till it caught
the eye of Washington.
I ain't condemning you,
I get it.
Small potatoes.
But let this be a lesson to you.
Small things, grow.
Let's just worry about
getting The Saint.
We'll think about
the becomings, after.
I can't help but wonder
what it would've been like
if I hadn't let him go.
Well, he was your friend.
No, he wasn't.
Just because you know a man
doesn't make him your friend.
What was the story
with that fence post?
Good night, Cal.
Good night! Good night.
I will be back.
Both of you.
Hyah, hyah!
The Saint stole
our food, stole our lives.
And this reward will
give it all back!
I want you to think of your
wives; Think about your sister.
Think about your children.
This time tomorrow,
our problems are over!
This time tomorrow there'll be
justice for our fallen brothers.
That's right!
This time tomorrow
we'll be rich!
Kill him, hang him dead.
Somebody gets between
you and The Saint...
They're standin' between
you and your family,
you and your lives!
Let's fight for the fallen!
Let's ride!
Let's make some money.
Alright, let's get him.
Saddle up boys!
Yeah, let's go!
What you readin'?
Nothin'.
Uh-huh.
Sonnets. Who?
Shakespeare.
Shakespeare?
Poetry.
Oh... Huh.
You know...
I wrote a poem once.
What, you? JOHN: Uh-huh.
When I first met your mama.
Wow, I am surprised
I was even born.
Yeah, I can be artistic
too when I want to be.
Yeah.
With a fence post.
You're lucky I'm layin' down!
Yeah, yeah.
My watch.
Sleep tight, boys. Night.
Mama know?
What, about the sonnets?
About the girl.
I would feel like picking with
the barrage of questions
she would come at me with.
No, I have not told anybody.
You know, new canteens
are cheap.
So is life.
Yours was almost bought
with a tiny piece of lead.
Old things like this always
remind me to pray
for the better angels.
Get some sleep.
Nothing gets past ol' Buge.
I don't think I've ever
seen him sleep a wink.
I bet he would stay out there
all night if you asked him to.
Looks all quiet to me.
Shanks, how long have you
been marshaling for?
Since the war.
What made you choose this
line of work?
Best legal way to
keep the juices flowing,
I suppose.
It's kinda hard to go back to
being a clerk
once you've dealt in bullets,
know what I mean?
Yeah.
I suppose I do.
My dad did.
He went right back behind the
counter selling
pickled eggs and candy sticks.
I couldn't though.
You know there are two types of
men who come in and out of war.
Those who fight because
it's their duty like your daddy.
Then go home and shed the
memories with their uniform.
And then there are those who
fight because they're fighters,
and there's always something
that needs to be fought.
It takes both types.
Good night boys.
Hyah! Hyah!
We're getting pretty deep
into Kansas now boys.
Are you sure you know
where The Saint is?
Just relax back there, old man.
The trail leads that way.
But that's towards the
Abington place.
Why would they go through
the Abington place?
Something ain't right.
I'm gonna go check it out.
- Cal!
- Hyah!
Ah... stubborn.
Something wrong, Sheriff?
Your daddy used to
get these feelings
before a battle or a march,
you know about those?
Yeah, I get 'em at
home too when something's off,
or about to happen.
How are you feeling?
Like we're being watched.
Uh-huh... yeah.
I missed your daddy the last
couple of years.
Yeah, I miss him too.
He talked about you all
the time during the war.
It was hard for him
fighting against ya.
Every prisoner we'd catch, he'd
always ask them if they knew ya.
It's an honor ridin' with ya.
I hope I don't
disappoint you, sir.
Nah, you won't.
They're there.
And the Abingtons?
Fresh graves in the back.
There's a girl.
Abby?
She was running water from the
well... she's alive.
So, this is it.
You hang a man for
avenging his son?
What's the plan, Marshal?
Ride around the tree line
and come around back,
and you cut their horses loose.
If you see them run out,
give them light.
Bugle, stay just out of
the line of fire.
If there's trouble,
run and get help.
Sheriff.
Or we deliver the warrant.
Hup! Hyah!
Company.
My name is Cal Breaker,
and I am a U.S. Marshal.
Howdy.
Is Mr. Abington here?
Yeah, he's around.
One of the...
twins could take you to him.
Heh.
Easy, Cal.
You ever grab a
rattler by the nose?
Grab those reins,
and you'll find out.
That's right.
You're in no position to
make threats, law dog.
Virgil!
Virgil, come on out!
John Breaker.
Virg.
It always makes me smile
to see you, John.
I wish I felt the same, Virg.
The last time I saw you,
you were fitting me for a noose.
If memory serves,
you deserved it.
Are you here to see the uh...
Abingtons.
Yeah, are you here to see them?
Because they ain't here.
Hmm.
Looks like you made
yourself at home.
I know you ain't here on
official business,
because last time I checked,
the state line ended over yonder
and so does your jurisdiction.
Mine did...
his didn't.
Cal?
Virgil.
Well...
this boy he...
he was friends with
my boy during the war.
It's good to see you, Cal.
It's "Marshal" now.
Marshal?
Good for you, good for you, heh.
What can I do for you, Marshal?
We have got a warrant
for your arrest.
Yeah?
I don't think so, Cal.
It's nice of you
boys to stop by.
Goodbye, John.
We ain't goin' without ya, Virg.
Trouble's coming and it's
got your name all over it.
Wouldn't you rather see this
through with some friends?
Are we still friends, John?
We can do this easy, Virg.
Ain't nothin' easy.
Bugle still fighting
your wars for you?
Holt!
She makes a mean cobbler.
Are you okay, Abby?
What are the odds
of you knowing them?
They used to live just
north of Linn Creek.
- Well, then...
- Get, get, get!
I guess you already
know all about the cobbler.
Now as much as I like
cobbler, Virg...
you know how Bonnie gets
if I ruin her dinner.
Pace you're marchin, ya gonna
miss more than supper.
It's more than you'll get hangin
from a bushwhacker's tree.
Their trees or your gallows,
it makes no difference to me.
Listen, Virg-
No you listen, John!
You take your Marshal-boy,
and you go across that line.
And you forget you ever knew me!
Not his call, it's mine.
Back a bear in his own den,
boy...
you'll find out what happens.
I know what happens...
you smoke him out.
We were brothers once.
I'm gonna give you
one last chance.
Take your boy home.
Don't make the same
mistake I did.
Holt!
Tucker!
Hey. JOHN: Cal.
Hey! Hey!
- Cal, don't.
- - Hey!
Everybody stop.
Aw, heck.
Hyah!
Yah!
Fence post!
Yah!
Gentle justice.
They got Bugle!
Did he hit the ground?
- What?
- Did he fall from his horse?
No.
Ah!
Cal!
Cal, go! Go!
Go, Cal! Go!
Go, go! Get in! You ain't gonna
bring 'em back
doing stuff like that!
They got Shanks.
Ain't nothin' you can
do about that right now.
They killed him.
We all knew the risks.
What kind of excuse is that?
Cal!
He died fighting for a cause.
That's all any fighter
can ever ask for.
You going back out there and
getting yourself killed
ain't gonna help him now.
How about Bugle?
He was your friend.
You said he didn't fall off
his horse, right?
Yeah.
I know my friend.
You should have killed
Virgil when you had the chance.
Well let me
tell
ya what redemption looks like...
I never found you,
and I never see you again.
You go West and start yourself
a new life, Virgil.
You ready to move?
We gotta hold up until
we get reinforcements.
How long is that gonna be?
Well, it'll take Bugle 2 hours
to get to town;
2 hours to posse up and about 5
hours to get back in the dark.
So until dawn?
I ain't waitin' that long.
- Hey Breaker... Breaker.
- Yeah?
We've got trouble.
Yeah.
He left last night
right past the pickets.
They're calling him a deserter.
We both know what he went to do.
The Captain's looking for him.
They'll want me to
bring him back.
He who walks with the wise
becomes wise,
but a companion to fools
suffers harm.
They're gonna hang him,
aren't they, dad?
I know why me, but why you?
Foolish or wise...
I'm your companion.
Here's to harm.
I'm comin' with ya.
Not this time.
Dad?
You're staying. It's safer here.
But it's not safe anywhere,
and I wanna be with you.
I said you're staying.
If you die for your country,
so be it.
But I'm not letting you die
for The Saint.
Let's go.
They got us pinned, Cal.
Looks like we're staying
here tonight.
Heya... do you think
they'll run?
No.
Do you think they'll
hurt the girl?
I don't know.
Shh.
- What are you doing?
- Shh.
Hey!
I hit him, you cuff him.
This is that
jayhawker Jeremiah's outpost.
I'll see who sneaks up on
who this time.
Turn back. Go home.
Under whose authority?
Mine.
The Marshal done warned you
with his mouth.
Now I'm warning you with my gun.
It's just you, huh?
Look at you sittin' there all
fancy pointin' your pistol
at me while The Saint
runs free starving my kids.
Raiding my land.
I'm gonna count to three.
One...
Two...
Three.
Grab his horse.
We'll get to the Abington Ranch
before sundown.
There ya go.
The Saint's gonna get you!
No, he's not.
Watch her.
Make sure she doesn't move.
Hey, John!
What?
I'm giving you the one last
chance you once gave me.
You can leave here now,
and I'll let you go.
With you in tow?
You're a stubborn man.
Yep.
So what'll it be?
I'll wait.
To meet your maker?
Maybe.
If we're gonna meet our maker...
it's not gonna be
from starvation.
We've got their provisions,
take a look.
Looks like a dadgum
general store in here let's eat!
John Breaker.
Look, why don't we just run?
They ain't gonna catch us!
Because of what's in the barn.
There's always more loot, boss.
Not the loot... Breaker!
We can get away and
regroup and gather more men.
This ends today.
I don't see no point in going
out there to die.
Do you wanna spend your life
lookin' over your shoulder?
You ready?
Aye.
If she moves, kill her.
You got it, boss.
Hey, hey... what is that?
Uh-huh.
Is she pretty as your mama?
She's beautiful.
You live a dangerous life son,
is she okay with that?
Yeah, she's fine.
Well.
We both know that mom
is a strong woman...
but my life and my choices
haven't always been easy on her.
A lot of late nights wonderin'
if I was comin' home on a saddle
or in a box.
She's fine.
Cal!
Are you alright?
Yeah, no holes.
Desperation?
Diversion.
Anvil's on the run.
You take the back,
I'll take the front.
Ready? Go!
John Breaker...
the only man alive who could
give my boss the quickstep.
Tucker Macready...
don't make me shoot a musician;
The world needs as
many as it can get.
I believe I got you-
There's always another way.
Really?
Always?
How've you been?
I've been busy.
Come here.
The Saint is gonna kill you.
I heard that one already.
Is this your idea
of gentle justice?
Dad, hey this is the girl
I was telling you about.
Stacey Snyder.
I've heard a lot about you, sir.
She works for the government.
Her intel is what helped us get
the warrant.
And you're...
you're okay with her being a...
Spy?
No offense, sheriff-
Deputy.
No offense.
I've been working southern
celebrations
and Confederate inaugurations
since before Sumter.
Your mama's gonna love her!
What if I had shot her?!
Now come on,
you're not gonna shoot a girl.
You can hardly look at her.
Alright, you two
lovebirds... let's end this.
The Saint's not getting
away this time.
Alright...
I'll busy him in the front.
You go around left,
and come in through the back.
It'll be just like Bull Run.
You ready, Miss Snyder?
Yep. JOHN: Ready, son?
Ready.
Good.
The odds have shifted, Virgil.
You're outnumbered.
How do you wanna play it?
I'm glad it's you, John...
but you're gonna have to
kill me this time.
Oh! Morning, boys.
Was it worth it, Virg?
I'm glad it's you
they sent, John.
I'm not.
I lost my boy, John.
It's got to count for something.
You've got a boy.
You understand.
They'll understand.
You disobeyed orders.
You left without leave.
You put yourself above the Army.
That's called desertion.
It was justice!
It was war!
How many sons did you take
in Petersburg?
How about Bull Run?
While you were out there
trying to even the score,
you put a price on all of us.
Oh, it's easy for you
to talk like that.
Your boy is still breathing.
And you stayed the bullet
that killed mine.
If it had been your boy
that had been buried,
I'd have understood.
Help! Someone shot Timmy!
I guess I was followed;
Your choice... fight or flight?
They've gotta be close.
Over here! I see them!
Go!
Go, Cal! Go!
You're late.
I thought you said
like Bull Run?
You were late then too.
I'm coming out!
It's over, Virg... let her go.
You're in no position
to negotiate.
You're gonna kill
an innocent girl?
I'll do what I have to
to protect the Union.
No, you'll do what you have to
for revenge.
Their treachery is unforgivable!
No, you think
your son abandoning
you is unforgivable.
You think the war taking your
other boy is unforgivable.
Put your guns down!
- I'll shoot her.
- You're not gonna shoot her
Virg.
She doesn't deserve it.
You're broken...
and you're bad...
but you ain't evil, Virg.
Let her go.
You're right.
I won't shoot her.
Drop it! Drop it!
The traitor too!
Good girl.
Put your gun down.
Put your gun down!
A son for a son.
Now you know what it feels like.
Cal!
Take it easy... easy.
Are you okay?
Howdy.
We's here for a reckonin'.
Ah, ah, ah... drop it.
Cal, keep your finger in it.
We don't want ya to bleed out.
Dad, I'm fine.
Stay with him.
What?
I said stay with him.
Where is he?
Ah!
Whoa now.
That man is ours, sheriff.
I've got a warrant
for this man's arrest.
Oh, that had to hurt!
Oh!
Alright, let's wrap it up, boys.
I said he's ours, sheriff.
Do it!
Kill me.
Dead or alive,
it don't matter to us.
You heard 'em...
kill me!
John, kill me.
I shot your son.
So this is it?
Hang a man for avenging his son?
Well, from where I'm
standing you get two
choices... the reckoning,
or the redemption.
The reckoning?
The reckoning is what that Reb
got for murdering my boy.
Well let me tell you what
redemption looks like...
I never found you,
and I never see you again.
You go West and you start
yourself a new life, Virgil.
I'll give it to ya
if you'll take it.
So you're judge and jury?
And executioner.
They told me don't bother
bringing you back,
just find a tree and drop you.
But I know something
they don't...
you deserted,
but you're not a deserter.
You're just selfish.
So... there's two roads.
The easy one is the reckoning.
The right one is redemption.
What's it gonna be, Virg?
You're under arrest.
The court will decide your fate.
Mercy?!
I spared you once because of
pity... mercy?
Ain't nothin' gentle
about mercy.
Go on, I'm taking him in.
You're outside your
jurisdiction, sheriff.
You ain't nothin' but
a man outgunned.
You're on the wrong side
of justice, boys.
Don't test me; Not today.
Oh yeah?
Whatcha gonna do?
Huh? Forgive us if
we don't oblige... come on.
Oh, I'll forgive ya...
after I'm done with ya.
Heh... us versus you?
Andthem.
I got no problem taking you too.
The choice is yours.
- Hyah!
- That's what I thought.
It's about time.
Most men wouldn't
make it 'til dawn.
Well thankfully,
you ain't most men.
They shot a Deputy Marshal
on the road.
Do you want me to ride
after them?
Send the boys.
Cal's been hit.
Get up.
Whoa.
Hold off.
Move!
Not like this.
I said not like this.
My father... my brother...
Abby-
You spared him!
Shh, he's going to court, Abby.
And this time he'll hang.
Not this time.
Take him away, boys.
He deserved to hang.
I know.
Then why didn't you?
If it were my son who
were shot and killed...
I'd probably have done the same.
No, you wouldn't.
Look at you all gussied up
from your court date!
Bugle told me the verdict.
Umm-hmm.
I got you this as a reminder...
it's a little less morbid.
I like it.
You sure you don't wanna
stay a while longer?
Well, I gotta get back to
Washington,
and report on The Saint's trial.
Back to Washington.
We're proud of you.
We did it.
Yes we did.
And it was a pleasure
getting to know you.
The pleasure was mine, sheriff.
- Dad.
- What?
Wait what?
- Keep us posted!
- A wedding?
Don't wait too long.
Campaign season's coming.
What are you gonna do?
Run against me?
Oh, I ought to just to have the
pleasure of ordering
you around again.
Dad, you'll always be above my
rank in this county.
You take care of him.
We take care of each other.
BUGLE, V/O: There's a fight
inside of men as well.
A fight against a reckoning.
A reckoning of all the
things we've done...
or didn't do.
My granddaddy...
he called it a warrant.
And he warns that
at some point...
it hunts after us all.
Sometimes to reckon...
always to redeem.