The Toll Gate

Eager to retire from his life of crime after eluding the law for years, outlaw Black Deering is persuaded by fellow bandit Jordan to undertake one last train robbery. During the holdup, Deering is arrested by army troops who have been tipped-off to the raid by the treacherous Jordan. He manages to escape and flees south across the border to Jordan's own hideout. Fate pushes him into the arms of Jordan's long-suffering wife and Black finds himself torn between his desire for revenge and his passion for the woman he loves.

Long established in "good bad man" roles, pioneering Western star William S. Hart eventually found himself challenged to vary his patented characterization, lest audiences grow weary of his frontier-based morality plays. The Toll Gate (1920) was adapted from his own story, which presented its protagonist with complex moral quandaries. Thematically more sophisticated than the horse operas of its contemporaries, The Toll Gate ranks among Hart's very best films. - Ed Hulse