"There's things a man has to know and has to do,
and it's best that he does them alone."
— Jim Slater (Richard Widmark)
Howdy! Ready for a haul on the Spoiler Express? OK, let's get to it, then. Mind you, I'm not going to tell you the entire story, that would be boring for both of us.
Finally got the chance to see
Backlash, with Richard Widmark (1956, there are several other movies by that title around). Although the movie spreads itself a bit thin by trying to do several things at once, overall, I say it's worth watching.
Jim Slater (Richard Widmark) goes to Gila Valley in Arizona to find his father. He had not seen his father for many years and did not remember him. It turns out that the Apaches had massacred five men who were there. Slater is interested in a sixth man who had escaped, but many people did not know about that. This sixth man could have gone for help and saved the men, but he had a motive for not helping them.
People do not believe that Jim wants to avenge his father. Instead, they think he's after the $60,000 in gold that the murdered men were hoarding and that the sixth man wanted for himself.

Slater meets Karyl Orton (Donna Reed) at Gila Valley. She is looking for some sign of her husband, who was probably killed in the attack and buried. But she is interested in the gold, and Jim does not trust her. They are able to clearly identify three of the dead men, so the search for answers continues.
|> Fast forward. Karyl tells Jim that her husband was a Confederate soldier (as was Jim) who did not return to her after the war, and yet still sent her a letter when he "came into money". When Slater fell asleep, Karyl found a letter from his father, telling Jim's mother to send him out to Gila Valley.
The search for information takes them to the Diamond C ranch, because Slater was told that the sixth man had a horse with the Diamond C brand. They had a discussion with Major Carson and learned that his son was one of the ones killed at the Valley by the Apaches. Also, Major Carson is getting ready for a range war with ranchers on the side of Bonniwell. Slater turns down an offer to ride with Carson as one of his guns.
Karyl and Jim have most of the people identified, except two: His father, and her husband. She makes Slater think of something that was unthinkable to him, that perhaps the sixth man, the traitor to the group that did not go for help, is his own father. He rides off, alone, and into town.
In the town, Bonniwell and Jim come face to face. Bonniwell is, in fact, Jim Slater, Senior. And he's a murderous criminal. Bonniwell says that Jim will be just like him because they are of the same blood. He wants Jim to join with him in their ambush of Major Carson's group when they ride into town, but he will have no part of it. Slater runs into the street and tries to shoot so he can alert the approaching riders in Carson's group, but "Bonniwell" had removed the bullets from his gun.
Slater is chased by Bonniwell, and Slater attacks one of of Bonniwell's gang that is waiting in ambush. In the fight, shots are fired and Slater's purpose is achieve of alerting Carson. When Carson's people begin circling the town, Bonniwell's gang decides that since it won't be an easy shoot-out, they ride off.
Bonniwell and Jim are hidden from each other, and Bonniwell wants a showdown with his son. He says that they should both holster their weapons and come out for a draw. But Bonniwell never holsters even though Slater does. When they both step out into the open, Bonniwell gets shot by Carson's riders before he can shoot his son. (Stupid! He knows what's going on and should have never been walking around, especially with a drawn weapon.) Slater throws away his gun, and he and Karyl leave the town.
"OK, Cowboy Bob, nice story, but what do you want me to get from all this?"
First, I believe that ancestry and genetics play a part in who and what you are. But another part of who and what you are comes from your environment and from what you make of it. You make your choices and you have a hand in how your character develops.
Second, I agree that sometimes, there are indeed things that a man has to know and has to do. Sometimes he has to do them alone. But not always. If you have someone who cares and is willing to help you through the rough patches, don't push them away.