Hangman's Knot (1952): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1952, Hangman's Knot is an action and western film directed by Roy Huggins, running about 81 minutes. “It Happened When A Killer With A Rope Ruled Nevada!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. In 1865, a troop of Confederate soldiers led by Major Matt Stewart attack the wagon of gold escorted by Union cavalry and the soldiers are killed. The only wounded survivor tells that the war ended one month ago, and the group decides to take the gold and meet their liaison that knew that the war ended but did not inform the troop. The harsh Rolph Bainter kills the greedy man and the soldiers flee in his wagon driven by Major Stewart. When they meet a posse chasing them, Stewart gives wrong information to misguide the group; however, they have an accident with the wagon and lose the horses. They decide to stop a stagecoach and force the driver to transport them, but the posse returns and they are trapped in the station with the passenger. They realize that the men are not deputies and have no intention to bring them to justice but take the stolen gold.

Who’s in it. Hangman's Knot stars Randolph Scott as Major Matt Stewart, Donna Reed as Molly Hull, Claude Jarman Jr. as Jamie Groves and Frank Faylen as Cass Browne, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.9/10, Hangman's Knot has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Hangman's Knot page.

If you liked it. Fans of Hangman's Knot tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.