Rockwell takes a named historical figure as the center of a western story, inviting attention to how reputation becomes drama. A screen portrayal has to choose between the legend of an exceptional gunman and the ordinary negotiations that allow a person to live within a community. Watch how entrances, confrontations and the reactions of bystanders establish authority before any shot is fired. The useful question is what the film asks the viewer to admire, fear or question about a man associated with violence.