Synopsis

Clint Eastwood stars as Walt Coogan, an Arizona deputy sheriff who has been sent to New York City to extradite escaped killer James Ringerman, however on arrival he discovers that his prisoner will be harder to transport than expected.

Walt Coogan (Clint Eastwood) is a modern day primitive. An instinctive hunter, he rarely fails to track down his prey -- animal or human. This makes him invaluable as a deputy sheriff in the badlands of Arizona's Piute country. Coogan is also a loner, a trait which often gets him in trouble with his superior, Sheriff McCrea (Tom Tully).

Coogan, tall, trim, tanned by the desert sun, has no lack of female admirers. One of them, Millie (Melodie Johnson), is helping him take a bath when McCrea appears. The sheriff gives his deputy a special assignment. He is to go to New York City to extradite James Ringerman (Don Stroud), escaped Arizona killer, now in custody.

Accustomed to direct action, always willing to make his own decisions, Coogan finds the machinations of the law in New York quite unlike Arizona procedures. To begin with, Detective Lieutenant McElroy (Lee J. Cobb) informs him that he will have to cool his heels. Ringerman is not ready to be returned. He has taken an overdose of LSD and is under treatment at Bellevue Hospital. Not until doctors release him can he be moved. Coogan's dismay is slightly diminished when, in McCrea's office, he meets lovely Julie Roth (Susan Clark), a probation officer.

Restless over the unforseen delay in extraditing Ringerman,Coogan decides to take matters into his own hands. He bluffs his way into the hospital and fast talks attendants into releasing the prisoner into his custody. Before leaving with Coogan, Ringerman whispers a message to his visitor, a mini-skirted swinger, Linny Raven (Tisha Sterling). The nature of the message becomes apparent at the airport where, awaiting departure, with Ringerman manacled to his wrist, Coogan is knocked unconscious by Ringerman's henchman, Pushie (David F. Doyle), who frees Ringerman from the handcuffs.

Regaining consciousness, Coogan is severly reprimanded by McElroy, however he is now more determined to get his man. From the escaped prisoners mother, he gets a lead on Linny, but in doing so ruins a stakeout organised by McElroy. This time his actions cannot be ignored and McCrea sends him a telegram informing him that he is off the case.

Julie, feeling sorry for Coogan, invites him to dinner at her apartment. While she is preoccupied in the kitchen, Coogan discovers the address of Linny, one of her probationers, in a file cabinet. Coogan leaves and finds Linny at a nightclub where he fights off her two would be protectors armed with knives. Linny takes Coogan to her apartment where the two make love and Linny promises to lead him to Ringerman.

Instead she takes him to a pool hall where he recognises Pushie, the man who knocked him out and helped Ringerman to escape. Coogan manages to fight off Pushie and eight of his friends, however the encounter makes him bloody and beaten. Coogan returns to Linny's apartment where, in fear of her life, Linny agrees to take him to the cloisters in Ft. Tryon Park where Ringerman is hiding. Ringerman tries to escape on a motorcycle but Walt runs him down.

The police arrive on the scene lead by McElroy where Coogan proclaims with a grin that he has made a citizen's arrest. Shortly thereafter, Coogan and Ringerman prepare to board the plane back to Arizona with Julie coming to see Walt off. The two exchange words under the roar of the jet engines and it is clear from the smile on Julie's face that the two have by no means seen the last of each other.