This is going to pure and simple. Anyone who loves Sam Elliot and the western theme will love this movie!!!

The difference between Hondo and Con Vallian is that Vallian doesn't have a dog. Otherwise, they're both soft-talkin' straight-shootin' half-breeds who live outdoors but who like women. The mysterious stranger who appears in the nick of time is also kin to Shane, who is not only appealing to the Woman, but her small son. Also, akin to the plot of Shane, the husband is a real man...he's just outnumbered. A gang of theives has their eye on the "pilgrims," their horses, and the comely Mrs. McCaskell (Kate Capshaw). There is no law around to appeal to, they just have to keep riding through open country and hope they can outrun the gang that is pursuing the family. Vallian appears and dispenses pithy advice, and it's clear that his help is offered for the protection of the woman. If he shows the husband at a disadvantage, well, that's just too bad. Fortunately for the woman, her husband (Tom Conti) isn't an Eastern sissy, even though he's suspiciously well educated. He's a veteran of the Union Army and an abolitionist. Conti performs with dignity and good humor. He can't be more romantic than the rangy stranger, and he knows it - but he's banking on his wife's fidelity and the innate decency he senses in Vallian. Sam Elliott is nearly peerless at this kind of role; his excellence in a Louis L'Amour western is a given. I'll take a dozen, thank you. But this film owes a good deal of its tension and fascination to the contest between the two honorable men, thanks to Conti... We just know triumph over the bad guys is just a matter of time. The film really crackles at the moment the boy steps up to Vallian and says, "I want you to stop making my dad look bad in front of my mom." Top that, Shane!

I bought this film based on Amazon reviews and what a mistake that was! This film is not terrible or even bad but it's certainly nothing special, ho-hum average at best and the storyline is just plain silly...

If you really want to see this movie, my recommendation would be to rent instead of buying...