The White Buffalo (1977)

Directed by J. Lee Thompson - starring Charles Bronson, Jack Warden, Will Sampson and Kim Novak

A weary and somber Charles Bronson plays Wild Bill Hickok as he returns to the west to hunt a giant white buffalo that haunts his dreams. Along for the hunt are 'One Eye' (Jack Warden) as an Indian hater, and Chief Crazy Horse aka 'Worm' (Will Sampson), an Indian who's daughter was killed by the buffalo.

A fantastical wild west take on Moby Dick, the film has a lurid kinda dreamlike quality. The buffalo itself is a large mechanical monstrosity with limited movement. All it can really do is buck and glide on a rail. But if you're keyed in it can be a lot of fun. Filmed on location in Colorado the snow swept mountains are majestic and the towns are dirty and muddy with a gritty realistic quality. When Bronson's train pulls into town we see a giant wall made of buffalo bones. Kim Novak plays an ex prostitute and friend of Bronson's named 'Poker Jenny' who wants to take care of Bronson, wink-wink. But Bronson shuns her advances, with only the hunt of the buffalo on his mind. Bronson's dreams haunt him so bad he continually wakes up with guns blazin' scaring everyone around him to death. So he heads out into the mountains to kill the great white buffalo once and for all!

The movie opens like a filmed dream with the beast destroying an Indian village. It feels more like a horror fantasy than any kind of western. It has cameos galore but nobody gets much to do. Jack Warden and Will Sampson are fun as the they exchange pleasantries, weapons and glass eyeballs! Slim Pickens plays a stagecoach driver who probably gets the most dialogue in the whole movie. John Carradine is a creepy undertaker. Clint Walker is a brutish trapper. Ed Lauter is great as Tom Custer looking to take down Hickok in a brief saloon fight. Even Martin Kove shows up!

I love this movie way more than I should. For fans of westerns, Bronson and buffalo. Makes a good double feature with TERROR IN A TEXAS TOWN (1958) where Sterling Hayden brings a whaling harpoon to a gunfight.

Breakheart Pass (1975)

Directed by Tom Gries - starring Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Ben Johnson, Richard Crenna, Charles Durning, Ed Lauter and Robert Tessier as 'Levi Calhoun'

Based on a novel by Alistair Maclean, this Charles Bronson western plays out like an action packed Agatha Christie story. Set on a train racing through a snowy mountain landscape on it's way to deliver much needed medical supplies for an outpost brought down with diphtheria. But the medicine turns out to be rifles?! And before you know it Charles Bronson is boxing Archie Moore on top of the speeding locomotive, for real!

An excellent supporting cast full of fun character actors. Ed Lauter is great as the straight arrow cavelry Major that assists Bronson in his quest. Richard Crenna is hissable as a crooked governor kissing up on Jill Ireland. Robert Tessier is a brutish beast of a man and steals every scene he's in with his large untamed beard. Although it appears he might have been dubbed, and by Paul Frees no less! But it works, really well. For those that have seen Tessier with Bronson in HARD TIMES know that his real voice sounds closer to that of Curly Howard.

There's tons of scene chewing and everyone acquits themselves nicely, even Jill Ireland. Lot's of fights, espionage, flip-floppin' and adventurous spills! Jerry Goldsmith produces a rousing score that gets the audience properly hopped up and roarin' to go. Beautiful locations and some dangerous real life stunts make this one of my favorite movies of any genre. Not deep or artry or life changing, just a straightforward action/mystery yarn done with great craft and lots of gusto. ALL ABOARD!