Set in rural Australia, Jim Craig (Burlinson) must descend from the high-country farm of his birth when his father meets with a fatal accident. He goes to work for tough cattle baron Harrison (Douglas), and is drawn to his daughter Jessica (Thornton), a romance Harrison forbids. Meanwhile, Jim's old mountain man friend Spur bears an uncanny resemblance to Harrison, and it turns out they are long-estranged brothers driven apart by a tragic misunderstanding. Ultimately, Jim must prove himself worthy of Jessica by corralling the herd of wild horses that roam nearby, a nearly impossible task.

For lovers of horses and the outdoors, it’s hard to beat this title. Yes, old Kirk hams it up shamelessly as Spur, but hey, it’s still Kirk Douglas! Other performances are uniformly excellent, particularly Burlinson, Thornton, and Jack Thompson (the defense lawyer in "Breaker Morant") playing the leathery Clancy, a revered expert horseman who quietly mentors Jim. Grand, old-fashioned storytelling.