The Violent Men is a 1955 American Western film directed by Rudolph Maté and starring Glenn Ford, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Dianne Foster, Brian Keith, and May Wynn. Based on the 1955 novel Smoky Valley by Donald Hamilton, its storyline involves a ranch owner (Glenn Ford as John Parrish) who comes into conflict with the land grabbing tactics of the big local rancher (Edward G. Robinson as Lew Wilkison), whose own tense marriage (with Barbara Stanwyck as Martha Wilkison) threatens his family's stranglehold over the region.
Plot
John Parrish, a former Union Army cavalry officer, has been living out west to facilitate his recovery from an old war wound on his lung. Known for foolishly not carrying a gun and avoiding trouble, now that he has a clean bill of health, he plans to sell his land to Anchor Ranch and move back east with his fiancée of three years, Caroline Vail. However, he is disturbed when he witnesses the town sheriff being gunned down by Wade Matlock, one of the cowardly henchmen working for the Anchor Ranch. Later, Anchor's crippled owner, Lew Wilkison, who has almost completely taken over the valley and who resents farm settlers moving in on the range, presents a low ball offer for Parrish's ranch, telling him he has 24 hours to respond. After thinking about it, John decides to meekly sell out on account of his nagging fiancée's insistence. Then in a violent play to push the deal, one of Parrish's ranch hands, the son of a 'nester' or local farm settler, is murdered by Wade Matlock.
Parrish's men ride into town for revenge, but he orders them back to his ranch and tells them that the new town sheriff, who works for Lew, is waiting to arrest them if they confront Wade. Then left alone, Parrish approaches Wade in the town saloon, surrounded by Lew's men. After meekly coming in Parrish asks Wade to give himself up for the killing. As Wade begins to laugh, Parrish suddenly slaps his face, grabs his gun hand, while pulling his own gun and killing Wade after he fires his gun. Parrish quickly exits the saloon before Lew's men can react.
The next day, Parrish rides to the Anchor Ranch and tells Lew that his ranch is not for sale. Further, as he rides out, Parrish tells Lew, "Don't force me to fight, because you won't like my way of fighting." This riles everyone at the Anchor Ranch, except Judith, the disgruntled daughter of Lew and Martha. Not all is well at Anchor with Martha carrying on with her husband's brother, Cole, who also has a Mexican girl friend in town. Caroline Vail gives back her ring when Parrish refuses to sell.
Led by Cole, Lew's men burn down Parrish's ranch. Unbeknownst to Cole, Parrish expected this and he and his men are watching. It gives Parrish the justification to fight within the law and using his military experience, he and his men ambush Cole and Lew's men, killing eight of them, and then taking to the hills.
Back at the Anchor ranch, Cole and Lew argue and Cole decides to pull out, going into town to see his Mexican girl friend. That evening, Parrish and his men cause Lew's horses and cattle to stampede, forcing all of Lew's men to leave the ranch to deal with the livestock. With the ranch unguarded, Parrish men set fire to the Anchor ranch house. Still at the ranch, Lew and Martha are caught in the fire. Lew asks Martha for his crutches and she throws them into the fire before running from the burning house, leaving him to die. However, Lew survives.
Martha finds Cole and tells him that Lew is dead and together, they can rebuild Anchor. The naïve Cole agrees to help Martha and assembles a small army of men, with help from the sheriff, who also believes that Lew is dead. They begin burning out and killing the 'nesters' as likely allies of Parrish and as an excuse to clear the valley. Back at the ranch, Judith finds Lew, who has crawled from the burning house and is hurt, but far from dead. Judith takes Lew to the hills where Parrish and his men are hiding.
Cole and Martha return to the Anchor ranch with the army of men but are confronted by Parrish and Lew, who ride in with Judith. All three have come to realize Martha is the real villain. The sheriff is shocked to see Lew alive, who then orders the small army to leave his property. Parrish, seeing Cole in the distance, rides toward him and dismounts for a final showdown. Martha smiles, expecting Cole to kill Parrish. They approach one another and start shooting. Cole is shot in the chest and falls to the ground, dead. Martha runs to him and as she kneels down she sees Lew and Judith approaching her. In a panic, she runs from the ranch, only to be gunned down by Cole's Mexican girlfriend out for revenge.