The White Buffalo (1977)

So much average

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

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

In my opinion - (Back in 1977) - If the genre of the Western wasn't already dead at that point, then, you can be sure that "The White Buffalo" permanently killed it.Featuring a totally laughable-looking (mechanical) albino buffalo (with a nasty mean-streak) who loves nothing more than to deliberately bulldoze straight into people (regardless of their race).....This Western/Horror/Fantasy film (set in 1874) also spotlights "Old West" legend, Wild Bill Hickok (in shades, no less) who's such an ace marksman that when he fires a single bullet from his trusty pistol - (get this!) - Three bad guys immediately fall dead on the spot.From start to finish - "The White Buffalo" (which stars a cast of worn-out looking actors) is an absolute embarrassment on all counts.The whole story is nothing but a 95-minute build-up to its climatic final showdown between Wild Bill and "you-know-who", which (unfortunately) quickly deteriorates into pure slapstick comedy.

Although Charles Bronson was somewhat uncomfortable with the adoration he received from his fans, he did try hard to please them in one aspect, by generally choosing movie projects that had his characters do things that his audience wanted to see. But every so often, Bronson would choose to do something different, "The White Buffalo" not only being one such film, but also being one of the strangest movies in his career. While there's action here and there, it is definitely not an action movie. It has a strange feel to it, almost surreal at times, due to many factors ranging from touches by director J. Lee Thompson to the eerie low key musical score by John Barry. I didn't know what to make of the movie for a while, but eventually its oddness won me over, and I was curious to see how things would be wrapped up. I will admit that while the movie does run only 97 minutes long, it is quite leisurely paced at times, and this slowness may turn off some viewers. But if you are in a patient mood, and you like both Bronson and westerns (and want to see those two things handled with a change of pace), the movie does manage to be captivating.

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!

What haunts the famous gunslinger of the West? A Native American who attacked the settlers? A group of Calvary soldiers who were fighting against the tribes? Well, it's none of them! The thing that haunts Wild Bill Hickok (Charles Bronson) is a white buffalo! Not only he was affected, Chief Crazy Horse (Will Sampson) has been too. When his daughter was killed by its stampede, he would give a mourning shout. For that, he was later reduced to the name, "Worm". This creature is far more elusive than Crazy Horse, himself. So Hickok goes by another name, James Otis. He does have one friend in the saloon, when Custer (Ed Lauter), and his Calvary confronted Hickok. But Hickok, took them out. After meeting Charlie Zane(Jack Warden), they go on the quest to find gold claims. Rather than finding the claims, they run afoul of Crazy Horse. Since they are enemies, they would bridge the gap between them to fulfill a quest: Hunt the White Buffalo. The Lakotas did have rivals back then, other Indian tribes who would want to take out Crazy Horse. Then it came the ultimate showdown: Men vs. Beast. And the nightmare was over for both. Of course, both of these enemies met a different fate later on. What did this animal do to this man? It's supposed to be a pure creature, however, this one is anything but that! Great, but weird movie of the Old West. 3 out of 5 stars