Thunder at the Border (1967)

Best movie ever!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

It's only from reading other reviewers here that I've become aware of a series of films featuring the character of Winnetou as a principal with actor Pierre Brice in the lead role. Though this is titled "Winnetou and Old Firehand", I caught it on the Encore Western Channel as "Thunder at the Border", and it seemed to me that the Apache Chief was merely an ancillary character. Actually, he and his sister Nscho-tschi (Marie Versini) almost seemed out of place in the story to me, appearing as if they had just stepped off an Indian fashion runway while the rest of the cast was suitably attired for the Mexican desert.Regarding Old Firehand, that would have been actor Rod Cameron using yet another name, Jason Waade, a fur trapper sidelined in a Mexican village about to come under attack by an outlaw who's brother winds up dead after killing a villager in a card game. Quite coincidentally, Waade's old flame (firehand/flame?) Michelle (Nadia Gray) resides in the village along with their son who Waade never knew. This is all quite comical actually, as Waade offers enough hints for the viewer to figure things out, but young Tom (Todd Armstrong) is quite clueless. Going by 'Jace', he can't seem to figure out that they both have the same first name, even after Waade reveals that he knows his mother and knows how old the boy is.At least there's a fairly intriguing element introduced in the story when the bandido Silers (Harald Leipnitz) sends a Mexican wagon train back to town planted with explosives. They're set off in a fiery display that provides about the most excitement the film has to offer.With the eventual reconciliation between Waade and Michelle, Tom/Jace finally makes the connection, while proceeding to help the villagers defeat Silers' bunch. Now I don't know about you, but it sure seemed to me that Silers had a smile on his face when Old Firehand put him away with the second arrow. It was as if he signaled his pleasure to get things over with while the good guys had to stick around to mop things up.

I don't understand these negative reviews. No doubts, "Winnetou and Firehand" isn't very great masterpiece like Sergio Leone's "Once upon time in the West", but it's interesting, dynamic action with very effective battle scenes, with splendid soundtrack by Peter Thomas - one of the greatest music in movies about native Americans '(like Trevor Jone's - "The Last of the mohicans", 1992, and Martin Bottcher's - other Winnetou films). Alfred's Vohrer's direction is energetic. photographs of Croatian landscape is impressive. The cast is professional, characters are well characterized. Especially I like beautiful, romantic brother and sister - Pierre's Brice's Winnetou and Marie Versini's Nscho-tschi, Nadia Gray as Michelle (convincing drama of lonely woman), Harald Leipnitz as fanatic avenger Silers, Aleksander Gavric as Derks. The humor and seriousness are well balanced in this film. It's pleasant to see it. To my mind, one of the best movies about Winnetou.

¨Winnetou und sein Freund Old Firehand ¨(original title) is a thrilling and moving story about Old Firehand and Winnetou , respectively performed by Rod Cameron and Pierre Brice. This is an entertaining but mediocre film based on Karl May trilogy novels , it starts with Old Firehand in an exciting opening sequence when he rides onto the screen and soon rescues a group led by Winnetou attacked by bandits commanded by Silers (Harald Leipnitz) . On the way Old Surehand and Old Wabble are involved in the running conflict between outlaws and Mexican villagers who have taken prisoner the Siler's brother . Old Surehand can count on the support of his new friend Winnetou, the amiable chief of the Apaches . Later on , the bandits raid the village and a Mexican old man goes out as peacemaker but he's treacherously murdered . Old Firehand, Winnetou , Tom (Todd Armstrong)and others protect the Mexican village from a gang of bandits who use dynamite , bombs and treason to defeat them . There is also an Officer (Rick Battaglia) from the Army helping the besieged village . There's an emotional love story between Tom and Winnetou's sister named Nscho-Tschi (Marie Versini) . Firehand set on pursuit of the bandits and prepares them a trap . Old Firehand and his faithful new friend Old Wabble are on the trail of the cold-blooded killer and another band of nasty Mexicans .This is a passable episode about one of the series of popular German made Western , featuring the duo formed by valiant ¨Old Firehand¨ and immortal ¨Winnetou¨ , they repeat their same noted roles as dignified as always . This enjoyable saga benefits from sensational adventures , shootouts , explosions , larger-than-life characters and spectacular scenarios shot in Atelier, Spandau, Berlin, Germany ,Solin, Split, Croatia ,Strobec, Split, Croatia ,Vrlika, Yugoslavia . Here Winnetou-Pierre Brice plays a secondary role , chemistry between stuffy Cameron and Brice is inexistent . However , in the films starred by Stewart Granger the enjoyable relationship is quite match , Granger scores especially high marks ,as he plays with mirth and liking manner . Stewart Granger took the role in two occasions , ¨Among vultures¨ and ¨Winnetou and Surehand¨ and Pierre Brice starred all the series and he went on filming television episodes .His predecessor was the serious Lex Barker who starred a diverse character but the roles are pretty similar , he played the most part of series : ¨Apache gold(1963)¨ by Harald Reinl, ¨Apaches last Battle(1964)¨ by Hugo Fregonese, ¨Last of renegades(1964)¨, ¨The desperate trail¨, ¨Old Surehand¨ (1965) also directed by Alfred Vohrer ¨Old Shatterland(1966)¨ by Harald Philipp, ¨In the valley of death(1968)¨ by Harald Reinl , besides Rod Cameron starred only one : this ¨Old Firehand¨ . The film displays a colorful cinematography and a catching musical score ,though excessive synthesizer , by Peter Thomas replacing the usual series , Martin Bottcher . The motion picture produced by Rialto Productions is regularly directed by Alfred Vohrer who directed various Karl May titles , besides he was a German thriller expert called Krimi ( Edward Wallace adaptation ) . Rating : 5 , average though in some moment here and there is entertaining .

The Moviemaker tried to make a Combination of the Winnetou Movies and the successful Spaghetti-Western. It didn't work well and there are several reasons why. First the Story wasn't made for Winnetou. We will never find out what Winnetou and his sister are really doing in this Mexico. It's obvious that they wrote his part into the Movie. The same is with his sister Nscho-Tsi, played by the beautiful actress Marie Versini. To give her some reason to be in the movie, the scriptwriter developed a Love Story. But the Love Story also doesn't work. After Lex Barker as Old Shatterhand and Stewart Granger as Old Surehand, you find a new hero next to Winnetou: Old Firehand. Old Firehand is played by Rod Cameron. There is no good Chemistry between Winnetou and Old Firehand. Maybe his second name is Old Sweathead because he is wearing a fur cap which he never takes off in hot sunny Mexico. Some elements seem to be taken from the magnificent 7. Old Firehand, Winnetou and others protects a Mexican Village from a gang of bandits. The public never really find out why, because there is also an Officer from the Army in the town. So why they just don't ask the army for help? There are many plot holes in this movie and you'll find bad scripted characters. One guy is an Englishman (or Scottish) Gentleman, and there you can find a good example of bad overacting on a bad scripted figure.There are many things which a viewer can complain on this movie, but the only good about it: watching Marie Versini as Winnetou's sister and Winnetou himself Pierre Price. In my opinion it is the worst Winnetou Western and maybe the worst Karl May Movie ever.