The White Buffalo

source: The White Buffalo

Trailer—The White Buffalo

The White Buffalo

Charles Bronson plays real life figure Wild Bill Hickok, who in this story is suffering from nightmares where he is confronted by a huge(and charging) white buffalo. Bothered by these nightmares that even have him awakening shooting his guns in the air(!) he resolves to track this beast down. He travels with his friend Charlie(played by Jack Warden) through different frontier towns(meeting up with old flame Kim Novak) yet he plows on, eventually teaming up with real life Native American Crazy Horse, who is also out to kill the buffalo, who has decimated his village, killing many of his tribe. The three men eventually find the white buffalo, which is indeed huge, and no dream... Intriguing western is certainly offbeat but effective, with good acting and direction(J. Lee Thompson) that builds to an exciting climax. Good music score and epic feel to the story also help, even if the supporting apparatus holding the charging buffalo is visible if you freeze-frame the DVD!

The thing about the White Buffalo itself is pretty hokey, the buffalo is really not scary enough to give anybody nightmares. What makes this movie a standout are the supporting roles by Stuart Whitman, Kim Novak, Jack Warden, etc. Also it's great to see Will Sampson as Crazy Horse. However the best thing about this movie is the language. Words like "flummoxed" appear. It's how I imagine people in the 1870's would have talked in the American West. I cannot recall another Western where language has been put to better use.

My movie book rates this movie as a Turkey. The critic should have watched it for what it was rather than trying to classify it. It wasn't really a western even though it had a similar setting. Both the lead characters were caricatures and not real. They told a simple story with embellishments, i.e. salty language - "no more hard tongue from you, Mr. Coxie or you'll deal with me". Train conductor: You have a cold in your head, Mr Otis, that never goes away. Poker Gen, etc, etc. Scene by scene it was a treat to watch. One surprise after another. Characters were excellent - Jack Warden, Kim Novak, Stuart Whitman, Will Sampson "We Will both solve the great mystery". All in all one of the best and most enchanting movies I have seen.

'The White Buffalo' is one strange western. Some call it western version of the 'Jaws'. Anyway, this is not bad movie at all, far from greatness, but definitely entertaining. The buffalo itself isn't very scary as a monster, but rather hokey. The film is carried by star power of Charles Bronson who gives stellar performance as Wild Bill Hickok on the hunt of terrifying white buffalo. He is supported by wonderful cast with Will Sampson and Jack Warden, and Kim Novak, John Carradine and Ed Lauter making cameos. After magnificently directed opening scene rest of the film might feel little bit let down, but the atmosphere is held together by John Barry's haunting score. Nothing sensational or thought provoking, but still worth to watch when you want to see some different twist in the western genre.

I love this film and have done for going on 20 years - it was the film that first turned me on to Charles Bronson and I've been a fan ever since. First time as a youngster seeing it the suspense was almost unbearable and the buffalo really isn't that bad considering it was over 25 years ago. Buffalo scenes aside, the film scores for realism with believable characters, settings and dialogue. Bronson turns in a fine performance and although I love most of his films, this remains one of my favourites.

I was amazed that this film was on the bottom 20 IMDB list of westerns! Like Darrell1969, I too love this movie. Maybe Bronson was not the best choice for Wild Bill, (although he is a fine western star,) but the sets, dialogue, and the entire western/horror mood of this film are just great. If the buffalo is not 100% lifelike, well, just show me some CGI special effects that don't look fake! I would rather see the jerky robotic White Buffalo than some cartoon creature that looks like it hopped out of a Super Mario game! The frontier dialogue was the best and most realistic since 'True Grit', and the whole movie maintained a sense of wild west myth and strangeness. If you like westerns with a touch of dark, gothic mood, by all means watch The White Buffalo.

I know a lot of people are not too impressed with this film. However when i first saw this about 14 years ago the images and atmosphere and chilly locations made an impact on my mind. I have seen this film several times and agree it is not one of Charles Bronson's best efforts but I still love watching this film regularly. The hunt for the white buffalo in the Black Hills is presented as a psychological battle in the mind of Wild Bill Hickok (Bronson) and a spiritual one for Chief Crazy Horse (Will Sampson). Sure the creature itself may look unrealistic,but the concept of battling your nightmares and the teaming up of two racial enemies as well as the dark cold almost sinister locations make this an interesting experience in my view. I also feel the dialogue is extremely appropriate with the use of 'Gold Diggers slang'. I am sure I am in a minority when I say I like this film so much.