'Broken Lance' is a remake of 'House Of Strangers' (1949), which was also remade as 'The Big Show' (1961). All three are based, loosely, on Shakespeare's play 'King Lear'.

Tyrannical cattle baron Matt Devereaux (Spencer Tracy) has raised his older sons harshly, leaving them neglected and bitter, particularly Ben (Richard Widmark). Matt's youngest son, Joe (Robert Wagner), however, receives the most attention from Matt's wife, a Comanche Indian (Katy Jurado). Joe remains loyal, even taking the blame when his father gets hauled up on charges of launching a raid on the nearby copper mine. After spending three years in jail, Joe comes home to find his dad dead from a stroke, his mother back with her tribe, and his brothers running the ranch into the ground. Joe, understandably shocked and enraged, then plots his revenge...