When the owner of a ranch dies, he surprisingly wills half of it to his daughter, Peggy and half to this foreman, Tex (Hoot Gibson). Unfortunately, each has very different ideas what they should do with the ranch....and both are incredibly stubborn. In addition, Peggy is downright dim in that she has never spent much time out west and begins making lots of assumptions without getting the facts. The worst example is the local man she trusts...he's obviously a total weasel who is trying to buy the ranch for a song. But she thinks he's swell and hates Tex....and never gives Tex a chance, as she believes everything the weasel and his men tell her.
Making Peggy this pig-headed and so easily influenced was a bit annoying. I think the notion of a liberated woman being a dummy was a popular notion back in the day...now it not only seems sexist but also shows poor writing. It's really hard to imagine a woman from out east arriving at the ranch and suddenly sizing everything up so quickly. This is a major weakness in "A Man's Land" and making Peggy less gullible and less assertive would have made for a better film. Now I am NOT saying she shouldn't be confident or competent...but a truly confident and competent woman wouldn't have been this rash. Fortunately, eventually she realizes this...but is it too late? See the film to find out for yourself.
This film is okay but no better mostly because the writing isn't great. It's not just the sexism but how gullible and silly the woman is. Plus, Hoot doesn't come off all that well either...and at times he, too, seems a bit dim. Add to that an incredibly obvious villain who no one seems to suspect!! Overall, not terrible...but not all that good.