Starring Bill Pullman, who also makes his directorial debut, The Virginian ( three out of four), TNT, Sunday, 8 p.m. ET/PT) is the fourth major movie adaptation of the 1902 Owen Wister novel that helped create the Western genre. Though it's closer to the book than the TV series, it does have one TV connection; series star James Drury has a cameo as a rider who delivers the bad guy's final challenge.

Set in 1885, The Virginian opens with the arrival of prim Vermont schoolteacher Molly Stark (Diane Lane) to Medicine Bow in the Wyoming Territory. She's immediately caught between squabbling cattlemen, Judge Henry (Harris Yulin) and Sam Balaam (Dennis Weaver), and courted by the judge's new foreman, known only as The Virginian, who is direct in his intentions.

"You like me, Miss? I reckon you're going to love me before we're through."

What you have here is your classic American hero: proud, polite and bound by a strong sense of responsibility. Though he's basically peaceful, he's ready to fight when his code of justice demands.

He's soon put to the test. A range war breaks out, complete with switched allegiances and bitter betrayals (some of it, to tell the truth, a little tough to follow). Having punished men who cross the line, The Virginian must decide how far to pursue the man who enticed them over.

In this solemn saga, you can see the roots of a hundred other cowboy tales. The surprise is the love story, which is more tender, better developed and more convincingly acted than you often find in a Western.

The remarkably versatile Pullman, who has played everything from heroic presidents to hunky dolts, makes a suitably noble if not particularly imposing hero. As a director, he gives his film a stately pace, a lot of beautiful pastoral shots, and a few great Western cliches. Like this beloved classic: "When you call me that, smile. That way, Trampas, I'll know we're all still friends."

OK, pardner. I'm smiling.