Talion (Lansing) is a retired bounty hunter. He returns home to find his house burned to the ground and his wife and son murdered. He sets off to track down the killers, Ike Slant (Pickens) and the Beetson brothers. Along the way, he meets up with bounty hunter Benny Wallace (Wayne), who is also tracking Slant and the Beetson brothers. They come to a trading post, run by Brian Quince, his daughter Bri and son "Jo-Hi". Brian gives them directions to Slant's camp, where they ambush the gang. During the ambush, Wallace shoots both Beetson brothers, Slant shoots both Talion and Wallace while escaping, crippling Talion's gun hand and blinding Wallace.
The two wounded bounty hunters are thus forced to rely upon each other. After claiming the bounty on the Beetson brothers, they train together. Wallace, who cannot see but can still shoot straight, visualizes a clock in his head so that Talion can guide his aim using clock numbers as directions. They head back to the trading post for a final showdown with Slant.
Not to be confused with the 1996 film Eye for an Eye starring Sally Field, Ed Harris, and Kiefer Sutherland, or the 1981 film An Eye for an Eye starring Chuck Norris, Christopher Lee, and Richard Roundtree.
This film provides examples of:
- Bittersweet Ending: Slant and his gang are dead, and Talion survives, but Wallace is killed in the final shootout and Talion leaves to Walk the Earth lest anyone he cares about be killed like his late wife.
- Bounty Hunter: Both Talion and Wallace, although Talion was retired until Slant and his gang killed his family and burned his house.
- Cycle of Revenge: Talion sets out to kill Slant and his gang after they kill his family and burn his house. Slant did that because Talion had previously killed his younger brother.
- Did Not Get the Girl: Talion leaves so that Bri (or anyone else he cares about) won't be killed like his late wife.
- Due to the Dead: Talion makes sure that Brian will give Wallace a proper burial.
- Famous Ancestor: Wallace's father is the famous sheriff Pat Garrett, Sr., who took down Billy the Kid.
- Historical Domain Character: Talion discovers that Wallace is actually Pat Garrett, Jr., son of the famous sheriff Pat Garrett, Sr., who took down Billy the Kid.
- Motive Misidentification: Brian assumes that Talion and Wallace are law enforcement, commenting that they're smart to keep their badges hidden.
- No Full Name Given: We never learn Talion's full name.
- Please, Don't Leave Me: Bri asks Talion to stay, but he leaves so she won't be killed like his late wife.
- Price on Their Head: $500 each for the Beetson brothers. Slant has one on his head too.
- Retired Gunfighter: Talion was a retired bounty hunter until Slant and his gang killed his family and burned his house.
- Situational Hand Switch: Talion's gun hand is crippled during the ambush of Slant and the Beetson brothers, leading him to guide Wallace's aim using clock numbers as directions. But in the final showdown, he is forced to shoot with his off hand.
