While surveying a telegraph line in 1861, Western Union engineer Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is severely injured in an accident. He is discovered by Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott), an outlaw on the run from a posse. Forced to travel on foot after his horse was hurt, Shaw at first considers stealing Creighton's horse, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life.
Sometime later, following his recovery, Creighton returns to Omaha, Nebraska and plans the construction of a telegraph line from Omaha to Salt Lake City, Utah. Facing considerable opposition to the line from Confederate soldiers, Indians, and outlaws, Creighton elicits the help of his sister Sue (Virginia Gilmore), foreman Pat Grogan (Minor Watson), and assistant Homer Kettle (Chill Wills).
Looking to put his outlaw past behind him, Shaw arrives at Creighton's Western Union office looking for honest work and is hired as a scout by Grogan who is unaware of his past. Creighton recognizes him among the men and allows him to stay despite his suspicions. Creighton also hires tenderfoot Richard Blake (Robert Young), a Harvard-educated engineer as a favor to Blake's father. Shaw and Blake are both attracted to Sue and vie for her attention, but their romantic rivalry is cut short when construction of the telegraph line starts on July 4, 1861.
After work commences on the line, one of the men is killed apparently by a mysterious band of cattle-rustling Indians. Unconvinced that Indians are to blame, Shaw rides out to investigate and follows the rustlers' trail to the camp of Jack Slade, a former friend and cohort, whose gang committed the killing disguised as Indians—the gang Shaw left following his last bank robbery. Slade reveals that they are working for the Confederacy to disrupt Western Union because they believe the telegraph service will help the Union. Shaw rides away and returns to the line. Not wanting to turn in his former friends, Shaw tells Creighton that a large band of Dakota Indians stole the cattle, and recommends that they simply replace the herd and not risk a fight with the Indians.
Sometime later, a confrontation takes place between men working on the forward line and a band of drunken Indians. When one of the Indians tries to steal some equipment, a nervous Blake shoots him, ignoring Shaw's order to remain calm. After word arrives that the main camp is under attack by other Indians, the Western Union men rush back to help with the defense. At the main camp, Slade's men, who are again disguised as Indians, steal the Western Union horses. The company discover the ruse when one of the wounded Indians turns out to be a white man. Forced to buy back their stolen horses from Slade, Creighton becomes suspicious of Shaw's involvement, especially when he admits to knowing the gang.
Soon the U.S. Army arrives and announces the Indians have now refused to allow the telegraph lines to go through their territory in response to Blake's shooting of the drunken Indian. Creighton, Shaw, and Blake ride out to convince Chief Spotted Horse to allow them to build the line through Indian territory, even though the man Blake wounded was Spotted Horse's son. Creighton is finally able to persuade the Indians to allow them passage, and work continues until the company approaches Salt Lake City.
Sometime later, Shaw receives word that Jack Slade wants to meet with him. On the way to see Slade, Shaw is captured and bound by Slade's men. Slade says his group is going to burn down the Western Union camp and they don't want Shaw to interfere. After Slade and his men ride off, Shaw escapes from his ropes but arrives back too late to prevent the fire. He helps rescue some of the Western Union men from the flames and burns his hands in the process.
After the fire, Creighton confronts Shaw for an explanation, but Shaw does not reveal what he knows and is fired by Creighton. As Shaw leaves the camp, he tells Blake that Slade is actually Shaw's brother and that he, Shaw, will find Slade's gang and stop them from interfering with the telegraph project. Shaw rides off and finds Slade and his men in a nearby town. At the barber shop, Shaw confronts his brother, whose gun is concealed under the barber's sheet. Slade shoots Shaw through the sheet. Shaw fights back in spite of his wound, killing some of the gang members, and then dies. Blake arrives and continues the fight with Slade who dies from his wounds. Soon after, the Western Union line is completed and the workers celebrate. When Sue laments the absence of Shaw, Creighton tells her that Shaw can hear them.
最近的美国科幻片越来越不尊重人类智商了，连机器人都能造出来，却不知道听收音机，连别的地方没有臭氧层空洞这个简单的消息都不知道……
疫情之下断断续续看汤姆•汉克斯《芬奇》，这是他本人《荒岛余生》的世界末日版，同样是一个人支撑了一部电影。世界只剩一人，支撑一个人活下去的是求生的本能、希望、责任感和爱，人类对小狗的爱，机器人对小狗的爱（对动物的爱，机器的爱映射的其实是人间的爱），世界终究还是有美好，阳光空气和自由都很好。伤感的是美好刚刚到来，人生有未竟之愿，遗憾之事，芬奇就离开了世界，如同一句歌词：我在刚开始的瞬间毁灭。毕竟意难平。
—最后杰夫和good year完成最后的旅程，是升华的部分。
9分。人类永远是最可怕的，即使是在末日。机器人却是最温暖的，虽然杰夫才被创造出来几天，但芬奇身体状况堪忧，他不得不快速成长，细腻的他在学习的时候还能细心地体会到情感的变化，真是厉害，不由地让我想起最近在看的《克拉拉与太阳》里的克拉拉。芬奇为了自己的狗伙伴创造了一个智能机器人，可见人类对情感的依赖始终不变。末日虽可怕，但情感弥足珍贵，不管是哪种形式的。
末日只是背景，一个简单，悲伤，温暖的公路片。
3.5 汉克斯的表演至少将本片的高度拉了一层。最后演绎的真是太悲伤了。
一个人、一部半机器、一条狗的公路片，伴随着生存、回忆、信任、救赎式的历程，外景很美，情节缺乏渐进式的层次而显得寡味。
狗勾真好！好莱坞工业体系香死了！
一个不那么黑暗的末世题材，崩坏与希望，一人一狗一机器。末世里免不了的道德崩溃，人之间的信任不再存在，但是按照剧中的设定，主人公似乎在末世之前就不怎么信任其他人。除了在一段回忆的画面有那么几秒钟有其他人类角色的出现，就没别的角色了。
2、《芬奇》可以看做是《荒岛求生》《我，机器人》《火星救援》的结合体，它讲述了一个孤独的工程师带着一只狗狗和一个机器人艰难求生的故事。在本片中，汤姆·汉克斯再一次一个人撑起一部电影，钦佩。
2021.11.15
当人类灭亡时，当人工智能变成人类时，当狗知道人工智能就是人类时。
一人一狗一AI，符合我對末日的想像。 2021.12.4 in.Tokyo
末日版绿野仙踪公路片。一部很独特的美国科幻片。没有特别激烈的冲突和孤胆英雄拯救世界的桥段，对因是美国大片而抱有这种期待的观众来说可能要失望了。其实是一部讲述当人类彼此失去信任后，机器和狗子对人类的治愈的故事。大漠之上，巨岩之下，支起一把红色遮阳伞，白色俏西装的男人和瘦高人形的红脸机器人共进午餐，旁边是摇着尾巴等待玩扔球游戏的棕色长毛狗，还颇有童话美感。对喜欢治愈故事的观众可能是惊喜。但全片节奏还是稍显单一。
开局一条狗，世界任我走！
从芬奇穿上西装那一刻开始直至结束，影片完全走向升华，这不再仅仅是一部简单的灾难片而已了，它在向我们诉说爱的伟大，它在告诉我们一定不能放弃对所有美好事物的期待。ps：那张画有他们仨儿的大桥照片真是直接让我破防。
移动版《You Will (not) Remain》。从absent开始的分离焦虑，印证之前倒也颇多波折。公路、惊悚、逃杀、幽默、温情元素雨露均沾，是打动人的故事。会想起看《夏娃的时间》和汤浅短片《造梦机器》的感觉。人类因为懦弱、害怕、孤独或者别的原因和其他生物，或者非生物，建立联系，从无到有的过程很动人。最后的落点整的芬奇和杰夫有些如父如子。但我会想，如果哪天Goodyear也“不在”了，杰夫会怎么办呢？
芬奇给杰夫的设定是帮助Goodyear，死前的愿望也是一样他们能友好相处。
汤姆汉克斯依旧发挥的很出色，但狗狗演技超棒。
如果被问到“信任是什么？” 最直接的回答或许是“关于对方的一种稳定信念”。但信任其实并非基于预测的准确性，反倒是源于怀疑的悖论，而信任是那股推动我们的心抵御不安的力量。
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