Tom Horn
A renowned former army scout is hired by ranchers to hunt down rustlers but finds himself on trial for the murder of a boy when he carries out his job too well. Tom Horn finds that the simple skills he knows are of no help in dealing with the ambitions of ranchers and corrupt officials as progress marches over him and the old west.
The film earned $9.0M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Tom Horn (1980) reveals precise narrative design, characteristic of William Wiard's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 34 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.2, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Tom Horn
Glendolene Kimmel
John C. Coble
Joe Belle
Sam Creedmore
Walter Stoll
Main Cast & Characters
Tom Horn
Played by Steve McQueen
A legendary frontier scout and gunman hired to track down rustlers, who becomes a scapegoat for powerful cattle barons in the changing Old West.
Glendolene Kimmel
Played by Linda Evans
A schoolteacher who becomes romantically involved with Tom Horn, representing civilization and domesticity.
John C. Coble
Played by Richard Farnsworth
A wealthy rancher who employs Tom Horn and becomes his friend and advocate.
Joe Belle
Played by Billy Green Bush
A deputy and friend to Tom Horn who struggles with loyalty and the law.
Sam Creedmore
Played by Slim Pickens
A U.S. Marshal who pursues Tom Horn with determination.
Walter Stoll
Played by Geoffrey Lewis
A prosecutor determined to convict Tom Horn regardless of the truth.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Tom Horn rides into Wyoming Territory as a legendary tracker and shooter, a man of the Old West whose skills are still valued in the waning frontier days of 1901.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when The Wyoming Stock Growers Association hires Horn to stop rustlers "by any means necessary." This job will force Horn to become an assassin rather than just a tracker and lawman.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Horn accepts the stock growers' assignment and commits to hunting down and killing rustlers. He crosses into a darker role, becoming a hired killer rather than a lawman., moving from reaction to action.
At 47 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Horn kills a fourteen-year-old boy (Willie Nickell) who was mistaken for his rustler father. This false defeat transforms Horn from hero to pariah, and the stock growers begin to see him as a liability., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 71 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Horn is arrested and jailed for the murder of Willie Nickell. His confession (possibly coerced or fabricated) is used against him. The world he knew is dead, and he faces execution., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 76 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Horn accepts his fate with stoic dignity. He realizes he cannot escape into the new century—he belongs to the Old West and will die with it. He stops fighting the inevitable., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Tom Horn's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Tom Horn against these established plot points, we can identify how William Wiard utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Tom Horn within the biography genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional biography films include After Thomas, Taking Woodstock and The Fire Inside.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Tom Horn rides into Wyoming Territory as a legendary tracker and shooter, a man of the Old West whose skills are still valued in the waning frontier days of 1901.
Theme
A rancher tells Horn, "Times are changing, Tom. A man like you... there ain't much call for what you do anymore." The theme of obsolescence and a dying way of life is established.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Horn's world: his reputation as a tracker, his relationship with schoolteacher Glendolene Kimmel, the cattle barons' rustling problems, and the tension between the old frontier justice and new civilized law.
Disruption
The Wyoming Stock Growers Association hires Horn to stop rustlers "by any means necessary." This job will force Horn to become an assassin rather than just a tracker and lawman.
Resistance
Horn debates accepting the morally ambiguous work. Glendolene represents civilization and a different path. He wrestles with what this job will make him, but his skills are obsolete elsewhere.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Horn accepts the stock growers' assignment and commits to hunting down and killing rustlers. He crosses into a darker role, becoming a hired killer rather than a lawman.
Mirror World
Horn's deepening relationship with Glendolene represents the civilized future and the possibility of leaving his violent past behind. She embodies the new world that has no place for men like him.
Premise
Horn successfully tracks and eliminates rustlers, becoming feared and effective. His legendary skills are on full display, but each killing distances him further from civilized society and Glendolene.
Midpoint
Horn kills a fourteen-year-old boy (Willie Nickell) who was mistaken for his rustler father. This false defeat transforms Horn from hero to pariah, and the stock growers begin to see him as a liability.
Opposition
The forces that hired Horn now turn against him. A U.S. Marshal investigates the boy's murder. Public opinion shifts. The stock growers set Horn up to take the fall, and evidence mounts against him.
Collapse
Horn is arrested and jailed for the murder of Willie Nickell. His confession (possibly coerced or fabricated) is used against him. The world he knew is dead, and he faces execution.
Crisis
Horn sits in jail awaiting trial and execution. He reflects on his obsolescence, his lost chance with Glendolene, and how the men who used him have abandoned him. The old code means nothing now.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Horn accepts his fate with stoic dignity. He realizes he cannot escape into the new century—he belongs to the Old West and will die with it. He stops fighting the inevitable.
Synthesis
Horn's trial, conviction, and final days. He faces execution with the same quiet courage he showed throughout his life. A brief escape attempt fails, reinforcing that there is no place for him in the modern world.
Transformation
Horn is hanged. In death, he is finally at peace, a relic of the Old West who could not adapt to the new century. The closing image shows him as a tragic figure, betrayed by the changing times.