Plot
On the way to meet his former boss, railroad tycoon Ben Kimball (Jay C. Flippen), Grant McLaine (Stewart) rescues a young boy, Joey Adams (Brandon deWilde), from Concho (Robert J. Wilke). Ben informs Grant that his payroll has been robbed several times already by a gang led by Whitey Harbin (Dan Duryea) and the Utica Kid (Murphy). If Ben's workers don't get paid soon, they will all leave. Grant accepts the job of taking $10,000 to them by train.
When the train is held up again, Grant hides the money in a shoebox carried by Joey. The ploy works, but the young boy turns out to be friends with the Utica Kid, who takes him along with him. When the robbers cannot find the money, they take Ben's wife Verna (Elaine Stewart) to hold for ransom. Concho, a member of the gang, knocks out Grant for revenge, and the train leaves without him.
When Grant wakes up, he trails the gang to a ghost town. He boldly asks to join up, revealing that he is the Kid's older brother . Utica is suspicious of his heretofore honest sibling, so Whitey (who dislikes the Kid) accepts him. Concho tries to shoot Grant unexpectedly, but Grant is faster to the draw. Afterwards, he tells the Kid where the money is, in an attempt to reform his brother. It doesn't work. The Kid gives Grant ten minutes to leave before he tells the gang, but Grant calls his bluff.
Then, railroad employee Will Renner (Herbert Anderson) shows up to collect his share of the loot. He had been Whitey's informer. He recognizes Grant (by the song he sings and plays on his accordion) as the man assigned to deliver the payroll, and a gunfight ensues. Grant, Verna and Charlotte "Charlie" Drew (Dianne Foster), the Kid's girlfriend, are pinned down in a building. Grant sends Verna to safety in a tram, but Charlie refuses to leave. Meanwhile, the Kid is planning to quietly leave with Joey and the money.
However, Joey rushes to Grant's side, and the Kid reluctantly joins forces with his brother. They kill all the gang members except Whitey. When Whitey sneaks up and shoots at Grant, the Kid steps in and takes the bullet, and Grant kills Whitey.
Read more about this topic: Night Passage (film)
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