White Buffalo
The actual, real life Wild West has somehow become so mythical that sometimes it becomes difficult to tell what is (historically) true and what is merely the stuff of legend, a situation which is not helped by the glut of Western movies (of which some are legitimately great) which serve to mostly further the mythos of a slew of real life figures both good and evil for whom many of their exploits and subsequent trips down Immortality Lane came mostly because they caught the gleaming eye of an eager newspaper writer. One such example of this was Wild Bill Hickok, considered by reputation to be at one time the leading badass gunslinger in the untamed West whom it was said had been responsible for the deaths of âhundredsâ of men (when according to historians it was probably only seven at the most), considered to be neither a lowly outlaw nor an upscale lawman but rather something in between, more of a Doc Holliday type guy whom many reportedly wanted to challenge to a gunfight (keeping in mind that back then most gunfights were considered to be fair and legal forms of self defense) just to be able to say that they were the MAN who had put down a legend. Hickok went down in 1876 at age 39 at the hands of a drunken and failed gambler whom he had offered a spot of kindness to (offering to buy him breakfast after cleaning him out at a game of cards), catching an unexpected bullet in the back of the head when he wasnât looking while his murderer was rightfully hanged for the crime (not at all getting to enjoy the period of notoriety that Robert Ford did for taking out Jesse James). But the creators of legends and tall tales had already weaved their magic with him (notwithstanding the countless and nameless figures of that era who went pretty much unnoticed despite most likely deserving some notoriety as well) and soon enough Hickok was joining Wyatt Earp and Billy The Kid in having his own movies made about his life and times, noneso probably more interesting than this obviously fictionalized 1977 Western which paired up Hickok in a fantasy scenario with legendary Indian warrior Crazy Horse (both of them using aliases for most of the film out of necessity) in order to bring down a common foe, a monstrous killing machine from whom the film derives its title, with Crazy Horse pursuing it for having killed his own kin while Hickok simply has been having crazy dreams about the creature, compelling him to go back to his old stomping grounds (and risking his own life in the process when it comes to those who still remember him with revenge on their minds) and hunt the animal down in order to in some symbolic, spiritual way reaffirm his own desire to continue living his life the way he always had. Thankfully, casting Charles Bronson (in his last Western) as Hickok was damn near a masterstroke as Bronson (in real life much older than Hickok was at the time of his death) was able to play a world weary gunslinger better than anybody really, regardless of if it was a famous one or not, not to mention being a guy who was proven to be able to put butts into seats (even today given how obscure this film is and Bronsonâs own acting legacy as popular as ever). But the real interesting casting came with the role of Crazy Horse as here we get Will Sampson, having just come off his forever remembered turn as Jack Nicholsonâs hulking Indian friend in Cuckooâs Nest and then picking up as much featured acting work as he could during this time while still advocating for Native American rights, finally tragically falling at the hands of the infamous Poltergeist curse when he was unfortunate enough to be cast in Part 2 of that series. Outside of Jack Warden playing Bronsonâs old buddy and sidekick on his quest to kill the buffalo, the rest of the main cast consists mostly of cameos, including Clint Walker as a grizzled gunslinger looking for that killing Wild Bill fame, Stuart Whitman as an obnoxious stagecoach passenger who annoys Bronson enough that he gets tossed out on his ass, Slim Pickens as the embattled driver of said stagecoach, John Carradine in a blink and youâll miss it bit as the town undertaker, Ed Lauter as General Custerâs Army Captain brother who needs his own lesson in manners and best of all legendary screen siren Kim Novak still looking good at 44 (and still alive today!) as Wild Billâs favorite old prostitute turned respectable widow who nonetheless welcomes her most famous client warmly back into her arms. Warden as the ornery companion to Bronson for most of the film erratically alternates between goofball comic relief and then being a legitimate threat to Sampson, constantly motioning and hinting that he wants to kill him despite Bronson always having to tell Warden not to since he realizes that Crazy Horse (who is using the alias âWormâ to hide his own very well known identity) is on the exact same mission that they are, watching each otherâs backs before camping together and engaging in some philosophical debate that (while stilted) still shows off the wonders of reasonable discourse even with those whom you disagree with. Bronsonâs Wild Bill is first shown using the fake name âJames Otisâ and firing off his guns as soon as he awakes from any nightmare where the buffalo appears to him (much to the chagrin of others), as he deftly moves from place to place hoping that it is only his old friends who recognize his famous face. The white buffalo of his dreams is a terrifying creation (and looks to have been created with some animatronic technology of the time) with a bone chilling roar and (much like the lions of The Ghost And The Darkness fame) seemingly adept at targeting humans (white man and Indians alike) when thereâs no real logical reason for it to do so, but it does elevate this picture (no surprise since producer Dino De Laurentiis was just coming off of his 1977 King Kong) into the status of being a full blown monster movie, one for whom the metaphorical and metaphysical elements do manage to enhance rather than hinder it, likening it in many ways to being an Old West version of Moby Dick (or even Spielbergâs Jaws) while using real life historical figures of that era to tell the tale at hand. The early sequence with the creature stampeding through Crazy Horseâs village is pure rampaging horror at its finest even as it becomes more relegated to the shadows for much of the rest of the way. The screenplay does stumble at times when it comes to certain dialogue and storytelling techniques (like having a completely random and insignificant character suddenly take up offscreen narrating duties for a short period of time), but the decision to cast Bronson at the helm proves to be a winning one despite the misconception that many have about the film that Bronsonâs Hickok was somehow âdyingâ over the course of the story, leading many to believe that this was more about the character finally settling down to die in a more dramatic fashion when in reality Hickok (whom as stated died violently at age 39) is played by Bronson with good energy and plenty of decent action setpieces and shootouts that keep things moving along even as the creature itself takes on the metaphorical role of Death Incarnate, leading one to wonder if either Bronsonâs Hickok is meant to have some sort of psychic intuition with his dreams about the monster or maybe instead senses that if he doesnât face down the creature for real that Death will shortly overtake him in a more quieter, subtle fashion (something that might even be considered worse than getting speared by the demonic horns of this animal in all out combat). Either way, itâs a fascinatingly mystical dynamic which despite having the phrase âobvious metaphorâ hanging on a sign in the background at all times is carried well enough by the quality acting to keep the viewer invested most of the time as Bronson and Sampson (with both characters maintaining their aliases around each other since they are both leery of one trying to kill the other if they knew the truth) make for a fine teamup with good chemistry (while Wardenâs Gabby Hayes style schtick could have been tempered down greatly or just eliminated entirely), and since being a fan of Charles Bronson has never gone out of style, this remains for many an undiscovered but still worthwhile gem containing one of his most fascinating performancesâŚ
7/10