Civil War is over. Texas cattle baron Cotten can't accept that loss, or the diminished remains of his empire when he returned. That makes him the flawlessly flawed rich a**hole who imposes his will on all, especially those damned Yankees on his turf. He even spurns the son who disagrees with his brutal tactics. Think of a psychotic Ben Cartwright, with most of his sons brainwashed into his dementia. Bonanza would have been far less popular. The movie is almost agonizingly slow, unless you get off on long looks at milling cattle.
On the plus side, James Mitchum gets one of his juicier roles ( a character who actually undergoes a few major changes) and nails it. Franco Nero gets a well-earned nod. And the inevitable climactic fight sequence contains all the action and emotional charge the runup was lacking. That adds up to a decent, if not noteworthy, genre entry.