Legendary Stuff.
When you have great actors you don't need a lot of script.
If you're gonna build a railroad from the Atlantic to the Pacific, you're gonna need to solve a lot of problems. This was Henry Fonda's job.
Henry was cast against type in this film. He wants to be a businessman like Morton, the railroad tycoon, but unfortunately he's a blunt instrument hunted by a harmonica player from his past.
There are a lot of layers to this story, people trying to build America's future out in the sagebrush and the sand.
As Morton says, "Guns aren't the only weapon".