Hollywood icon Burt Lancaster (The Devil"s Disciple, Valdez Is Coming) makes his directorial debut with this superb, action-packed western. Featuring a poignant, unconventional screenplay by A.B. Guthrie, Jr. (Shane, The Way West), and a powerful performance by legendary actor Walter Matthau (The Laughing Policeman, Kotch) in his first screen role, The Kentuckian is an unforgettable western adventure of the highest caliber. Big Eli Wakefield (Lancaster) and his young son are rugged Kentucky adventurers who long for an exciting life on the Texas frontier. They soon learn, however, that the greatest challenge to their progress lies not in the uncharted wilderness, but in the people they meet along the way. Thrust into the midst of a bitter family feud, Eli confronts both the deadly rage of a madman (Matthau) and the love of a beautiful woman (Diana Lynn, The Miracle of Morgan"s Creek). Eli is soon lured into a brutal showdown, but must stay true to his convictions, his honor and dreams to survive.