The film begins with a group of townsfolk dragging John Cord (Joel McCrea) from a rope tied to a man's horse. Yes, their plan is to drag him to death. Apparently five years earlier, Cord and his gang of cowboys entered the town and tore the place apart and spread a lot of misery. Inexplicably, he's back as one of the leading citizens in the town has hired him to take the town's cattle to market. How could this be?! After all, he was convicted of standing by and doing nothing to stop his men from an orgy of destruction. And, why is Cord so angry?! After all, the dragging seems more than justified when year hear about all the hellish things his men did to the town! And, why does Cord agree to take the job?! None of this makes any sense....and that's okay. Just keep watching!! It will make sense by the end.This is a very good western...which isn't a surprise considering it stars Joel McCrea. Even the most ordinary of westerns were made better by his solid acting...and this is a decent film to boot. Well worth seeing...mostly because it is unique...and that's very rare with westerns.

***Spoilers Ahead, Maybe*** I mainly watched this movie because I was flipping through the movie channels looking for something to watch & I was lucky enough to catch it right when it started.The only time anything really happens in Cattle Drive is when what really happened when John Cord & his men shot up the town is revealed & the foiled ambush/shootout at the end.Those were the most exciting things to happen in the movie.Oh yeah, and when John Cord is dragged through town at the beginning.Nothing really happens in Cattle Drive except a...... cattle drive.Cattle Drive was boring at times but it's not a bad enough movie that I'd turn it off before it ended.It's definitely not a movie I'd recommend somebody go see even if you're a Western fan like I am.There are better Westerns or even better movies out there you could be watching

Widescreen, Color, Outdoor Western with Joel Mccrea Leading a Huge Herd of Cattle and a Bunch of Weak Actors on a Drive that We are Told Only He Could Make Happen. There is a Good Deal of Odd Hero Worship Combined with Loathing in the Overbaked Script.The Look of the Movie is Better than Average but its Short Running Time is Not Enough to Allow the Heavily Plotted Script to Become Believable or Very Exciting for That Matter. It All Ends Up Being a Rather Talky Tepid Affair.Alliances and Attitudes Turn Abruptly and the Action is Minimal. Not a Bad Movie but Not One of Joel Mccrea's Best. Gloria Talbott as a Now Grown Up "Niece" is Striking with Her Oddly Shaped Facial Features and a Shapely Body, but Doesn't Have Much To Do.Overall, Worth a Watch but it Doesn't Manage to Rise Above Average Despite Joel Mccrea, a Widescreen Template, Color, a Heavy Plot, and the Always Attractive Gloria Talbot.

I'm not usually too keen on cattle-drive Westerns ("Red River" excepted), but this one isn't bad at all. It's not too formulaic, and the love interest is muted - all too often it gets in the way of a good plot, which in this case rolls along nicely. McCrea comes over as a real anti-hero for the first part of the film, and there's an ironic twist to the plot towards the end. McCrea is fine in a role that Randolph Scott would also have done well in.My only quibble is the usual one I have when the hero gets dragged behind a horse - his clothes never come off too badly, though McCrea's shirt-sleeve does get ripped.