ROUGH NIGHT IN JERICHO

A stagecoach bound for the town of Jericho is ambushed by Alex Flood, a lawman gone bad. Sharpshooting from a safe distance, Flood wounds the coach's driver, Ben Hickman, who is brought to town by the only passenger, a gambler named Dolan.

Hickman is a former Santa Fe lawman and Dolan was once his deputy. They now are partners in the stage line with Molly Lang, whom they have come to Jericho to meet. She was once Flood's lover when he came to Jericho to restore law and order, but now she hates the man who has seized power in the town.

Flood forms a lynch mob that hangs a man who dared confront one of his gang, then dynamites the home of general store owner Ryan, another townsman who tried to organize a secret meeting. While the wounded Hickman recovers from the gunshot, Dolan takes a liking to Molly and decides to help her when Flood's men try to take over her stagecoach line. He gets into a violent fight with Yarbrough, one of Flood's men.

Dolan begins to create havoc in Flood's empire, stealing his cattle and causing explosions at Flood's ranch house, mill and gold mine. He is assisted by Hickman, Molly, Ryan and by Jace, the town's former deputy. Flood returns to Jericho seeking revenge. He shoots Hickman in the back, killing him. Dolan sets out after Flood for a final showdown in the hills. After Flood shoots Dolan in the arm, Dolan manages to throw his knife at Flood and kill him.

Dolan confronts Flood in a final showdown after the loss of Hickman, ultimately killing Flood with a thrown knife.

The ending delivers classic Western justice as Dolan, wounded but resolute, dispatches the corrupt sheriff who terrorized Jericho. It’s a resolution that speaks to the genre’s enduring themes: standing up to tyranny, the price of loyalty, and the reclaiming of a town’s future from those who would rule it by force.