While surveying a telegraph line in 1861, Western Union engineer Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is severely injured in an accident. He is discovered by Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott), an outlaw on the run from a posse. Forced to travel on foot after his horse was hurt, Shaw at first considers stealing Creighton's horse, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life.
Sometime later, following his recovery, Creighton returns to Omaha, Nebraska and plans the construction of a telegraph line from Omaha to Salt Lake City, Utah. Facing considerable opposition to the line from Confederate soldiers, Indians, and outlaws, Creighton elicits the help of his sister Sue (Virginia Gilmore), foreman Pat Grogan (Minor Watson), and assistant Homer Kettle (Chill Wills).
Looking to put his outlaw past behind him, Shaw arrives at Creighton's Western Union office looking for honest work and is hired as a scout by Grogan who is unaware of his past. Creighton recognizes him among the men and allows him to stay despite his suspicions. Creighton also hires tenderfoot Richard Blake (Robert Young), a Harvard-educated engineer as a favor to Blake's father. Shaw and Blake are both attracted to Sue and vie for her attention, but their romantic rivalry is cut short when construction of the telegraph line starts on July 4, 1861.
After work commences on the line, one of the men is killed apparently by a mysterious band of cattle-rustling Indians. Unconvinced that Indians are to blame, Shaw rides out to investigate and follows the rustlers' trail to the camp of Jack Slade, a former friend and cohort, whose gang committed the killing disguised as Indians—the gang Shaw left following his last bank robbery. Slade reveals that they are working for the Confederacy to disrupt Western Union because they believe the telegraph service will help the Union. Shaw rides away and returns to the line. Not wanting to turn in his former friends, Shaw tells Creighton that a large band of Dakota Indians stole the cattle, and recommends that they simply replace the herd and not risk a fight with the Indians.
Sometime later, a confrontation takes place between men working on the forward line and a band of drunken Indians. When one of the Indians tries to steal some equipment, a nervous Blake shoots him, ignoring Shaw's order to remain calm. After word arrives that the main camp is under attack by other Indians, the Western Union men rush back to help with the defense. At the main camp, Slade's men, who are again disguised as Indians, steal the Western Union horses. The company discover the ruse when one of the wounded Indians turns out to be a white man. Forced to buy back their stolen horses from Slade, Creighton becomes suspicious of Shaw's involvement, especially when he admits to knowing the gang.
Soon the U.S. Army arrives and announces the Indians have now refused to allow the telegraph lines to go through their territory in response to Blake's shooting of the drunken Indian. Creighton, Shaw, and Blake ride out to convince Chief Spotted Horse to allow them to build the line through Indian territory, even though the man Blake wounded was Spotted Horse's son. Creighton is finally able to persuade the Indians to allow them passage, and work continues until the company approaches Salt Lake City.
Sometime later, Shaw receives word that Jack Slade wants to meet with him. On the way to see Slade, Shaw is captured and bound by Slade's men. Slade says his group is going to burn down the Western Union camp and they don't want Shaw to interfere. After Slade and his men ride off, Shaw escapes from his ropes but arrives back too late to prevent the fire. He helps rescue some of the Western Union men from the flames and burns his hands in the process.
After the fire, Creighton confronts Shaw for an explanation, but Shaw does not reveal what he knows and is fired by Creighton. As Shaw leaves the camp, he tells Blake that Slade is actually Shaw's brother and that he, Shaw, will find Slade's gang and stop them from interfering with the telegraph project. Shaw rides off and finds Slade and his men in a nearby town. At the barber shop, Shaw confronts his brother, whose gun is concealed under the barber's sheet. Slade shoots Shaw through the sheet. Shaw fights back in spite of his wound, killing some of the gang members, and then dies. Blake arrives and continues the fight with Slade who dies from his wounds. Soon after, the Western Union line is completed and the workers celebrate. When Sue laments the absence of Shaw, Creighton tells her that Shaw can hear them.
《麦琪的礼物》埋藏的线索。当失而复得的无意义，也不过虚惊一场，人生最美好的成语。韩寒自己说过的。
偶尔还挺搞笑的，故意拍一部烂片就是这副模样。★★☆/5.3
好浅好浮啊，韩寒能不能抛弃那些没有必要的段子，从初二用到现在，功力都不见长，这几个演员也是，不知道的还以为是什么爱好者给这个电影在配音着玩。电影本身小镇青年的故事还不错，行动线总结出来很吸引人，也是一个好的文本雏形，但拍出来尤其失真，拍到第四部电影对影像的使用仍然如此，有些诧异。还有就是能不能不要在南方全员北方话，这一点更为失真。
看完之后呢，就和没看一样。
导演是怎么把刘浩存拍的这么俗气让人认不出来的呢。这么多年了，我们都长大了，韩寒还是在上初中，就像柯南一直在上小学一样。
而且最致命的是犯了一个只会在处女作才会犯的毛病：想讲的太多了——亲情 爱情 城市化 物化 赛车 女性求职 理想与现实……单拿出一个着重讲一下片子就改观很多
啊这个剧本零散成这个样子，我都无法控制我的不忍心不去责备了。韩寒这是践行了男人至死是少年的格言，电影写成了新概念未入选作文的水平——语句优美，辞藻华丽，词不达意——你看，我认识的字你不会组合。
“曾梦想仗剑天涯，因为高速限摩被拦下。”没有想象得那么糟糕，现实主义与理想主义的纠葛消磨。但是缺点也很明显。刻意而零星的笑点，刻意制造的转折与死亡，刻意的慢镜头…
没想到的是我才意识到我和韩寒的音乐品味有相似。。。。
我们热爱电影 是因为我们可以花费个把钟头 得到无数个生活的可能 看见他们到青春 也看过他们到别离 灯光亮起 电影散场 观众奔赴各自到人生 依然有对生活到憧憬 不是指想从电影中得到嘻嘻哈哈
看完电影，唯一值得说的一句话是“刘昊然真好看啊”
也许某天，它的评分会慢慢上来
韩寒的海岛情节什么时候过去或者说他什么时候能不拍电影了 类似《头文字D》的感觉但真的很土 刘浩存不仅恐怖还很惊悚这两个形容词分别描述她的面部表情和眼神 刘昊然带着自己的气质在这部电影里就很怪异 显然每个人代表的不是角色而是明星他们自己
韩寒的现在最大问题是太多没有任何逻辑的无厘头打断故事节奏和整体质感，最后就是四不像，故事太不合理，人说死就死...
拜托韩老师你不要再拍这类片了，拍一个烂一个。
一个心中满是诗和远方的渔村青年，无论如何这个角色都很悬浮。总是刻意又慢半拍的笑点，刘浩存的夹子音和扭捏又不知所谓的演技，就想说一个字：Ga…而且又尬又长，女主挂了或成本片最大快人心的高光时刻。韩寒这把年纪了，拍的电影反而有青春疼痛文学那味了。另外不知道南方人看着电影里一群操着北方口音的人演南方人什么感想～
年轻的时候我也以为自己是风，到后来才知道其实我们都是草。相比飞驰人生，我更喜欢这一部。四海为家并不见得好 only fools rush in 心中的孤岛才是永远的家。
刘浩存的表演有点做作，和刘昊然感觉不在一个情境中。沈腾离场后整体就掉下来了，一直在让观众落空，桥段老套，韩寒老了。
韩寒最好的电影。说三点：
他们是游了多远，能碰到那么大的船，整死人。
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