The Hi-Lo Country

At the centre of The Hi-Lo Country is the strong friendship between two young cowboys, Pete Calder and Big Boy Matson. Another central character is Mona Birk, a married woman, whom both men love. Even though the love affair between Big Boy and Mona hurts him deeply, Pete stays loyal to his friend and worries about him because the illicit affair along with Big Boy's provocative style make him many enemies.

The story unfolds in New Mexico in the late 1940s, and the most interesting aspect of the film is neither the theme of male bonding nor the love triangle, but the accurate depiction of a dying way of life, the cowboy way of life.