The Big Sky

Set in the mid-19th century, this adventure follows a group of men who travel from St. Louis up the Missouri River. The expedition aims to trade whiskey for furs with the Blackfoot Indians, but the journey requires crossing hostile territories and facing harsh natural elements. Tensions rise among the men, specifically between Jim Deakins and Boone Caudill, after they encounter a beautiful Indigenous woman.

Directed and produced by Howard Hawks, the film is the 13th of 19 movies he directed, released after Monkey Business and before Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The screenplay was written by Dudley Nichols. The cast features Kirk Douglas as Jim Deakins, Dewey Martin as Boone Caudill, and Elizabeth Threatt as Teal Eye, alongside Arthur Hunnicutt, Buddy Baer, and Steven Geray.

Produced by RKO Radio Pictures and Winchester Pictures Corporation on a budget of 2 million USD, the movie has received generally positive feedback. It holds a 6.9 rating on IMDb from 5,300 votes and a 6.6 rating on TMDB from 104 votes. These audience scores are closely aligned with the film critics' rating of 6.7 from 9 reviews.