Johnson County War (2002)

Steeped in the harsh realities of the Old West, "Johnson County War" unravels a gripping saga of conflict, courage, and survival. In the rugged terrains of Johnson County, Wyoming, between 1889 and 1893, a range war as brutal as the landscape itself unfolds, etching its mark as the War on Powder River or the Wyoming Range War. The fierce conflict ignites when powerful cattle companies, driven by greed and dominance, begin a relentless crusade against alleged rustlers. These supposed outlaws are none other than settlers, striving to etch out their existence on the land, their lives intertwined with the livestock they rear and the scarce water they share. As these settlers find themselves at loggerheads with their formidable adversaries, the tension escalates, and the state becomes a battleground. On the lush plains of Powder River Country, the simmering feud reaches its boiling point. With a ruthless audacity, the cattle barons employ mercenaries to seize control of the county, their actions stoking the flames of rebellion among the small-time ranchers and farmers, and awakening the state lawmen from their slumber. A formidable posse of 200 men forms, setting the stage for a grueling standoff. The relentless siege reaches its dramatic climax with the intervention of the United States Cavalry, dispatched on the orders of President Benjamin Harrison. However, the cavalry's arrival doesn't quell the discord entirely, and the echoes of gunfire continue to reverberate across the county in the months to follow. "Johnson County War" paints a vivid picture of a time when law and order were as wild as the West itself, a time of heroes and villains, where survival was the only justice.

Johnson County War is a western movie featuring Tom Berenger.

Johnson County War is currently streaming on History Vault.