In the aftermath of a violent robbery, a vigilante mob resolve to clean up the small mining town of Poker Flat - and they begin by kicking four undesirables out of town! They are Anne Baxter who is guilty by association with bandit Cameron Mitchell, Miriam Hopkins, a past her prime saloon floozy, Billy Lynn, career drunk and simpleton, and Dale Robertson, dapper card shark. The reluctant leader of the pack, Robertson, leads the others in exile and locates a desolate, isolated cabin, affording only the most basic refuge from a brutal incoming winter storm. From this point everything that could go wrong, does! Amidst deepening snow and plunging temperatures, the blocked chimney creates a serious smoke hazard, their horses escape, food runs low, and worst of all is the appearance of sadistic, gun toting Cameron Mitchell, keen to lay hands on 'his' money and his girl! But as blizzard conditions grow more severe, the last morsel of food disappears along with any likely chance of escape...

Bill Everson declared that most versions of Bret Harte's 1869 story were "strong on talk and dramatics, decidedly weak on visuals", which is a bit hard on Joseph LaShelle's atmospheric work on this installment which resembles a film noir as much as a western. The starkly beautiful black and white cinematography perfectly captures the bleak, sombre mood of this gritty, atmospheric, noirish western, with its pervading themes of rejection, isolation and confinement. Unusual and unappreciated, 'Poker Flat' is a minimalist classic of its genre. The tension comes from a combination of the elements, the isolation and then the return of Cameron Mitchell’s imposing villain. Mitchell does a fine study in villainy here, coming across as genuinely sadistic and dangerous and with just enough insecurity to add a layer of frightening realism. Although Robertson is often top-billed, it is actually Anne Baxter who is the principal lead. She does an outstanding job as the conflicted and abused wife who can't quite figure out how to get out of her mess of a life to start over. Dale Robertson is always reliable as a good western lead, and that's exactly what he does here where his unflappable stoicism keeps the tension manageable and the melodrama in check.