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20 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
CULT MOVIE!, 14 February 2003
7/10
Author: Bryce David

To understand the failure of WHITE BUFFALO, one has to explain what moviegoers and critics were expecting when the film was released back in 1977.

WHITE BUFFALO was released in the late 1970s, in between KING KONG and ORCA, which were all produced by Dino de Laurentiis. WHITE BUFFALO was seen then as part of this unofficial "Big Animal on the Rampage" trilogy de Laurentiis produced. This is unfortunate because amongst the three movies, WB is the best and, clearly, the most misunderstood movie of the bunch, and one of the most misunderstood movies ever made. Timing is everything and in WHITE BUFFALO's case, everything went against it.

After the spat of spaghetti westerns made during the 1960s and early 1970s, audiences grew tired of them. They wanted something else. By the early 1970s to mid 70s, the number of westerns was dwindling fast and western stars like Charles Bronson needed to make a transition away from the tired genre. In 1974, Bronson starred in DEATH WISH, which became a huge hit all over the world. Bronson was suddenly seen as a contemporary action hero (Clint Eastwood also made the same transition from western star to action hero with the Dirty Harry series around the same time).

By the time WHITE BUFFALO was released, Charles Bronson had made a couple of modern-day action movies and his new audience (that made DEATH WISH such a smash) expected to see the Charles Bronson they knew and liked in contemporary action roles and were disappointed with what WHITE BUFFALO had to offer in terms of action, violence and sex.

But then the people who still remembered Charles Bronson as a western movie star were also disappointed with WHITE BUFFALO because the role Charles Bronson played, the legendary Wild Bill Hickok, was so different from the type of roles he did in his previous westerns that they didn't warm up to this strange shoot 'em up.

And then there are the horror/sci-fi fans, who went to see KING KONG or JAWS, and expected to see another type of "Big Animal on the Rampage" film, and were clearly disappointed with WB because it is NOT a JAWS-like movie (even if there are some scary JAWS-like moments in WB). This is due mainly to the terrible advertising from the studio, which had NO idea how to sell this odd western, and decided to sell WB as a "Big Animal on the Rampage" film because of the theme present in the title and story.

So, when one looks at all of this in hindsight, one can clearly see that WHITE BUFFALO simply had NO chance of succeeding, with critics or at the B.O., regardless of how good or bad the movie was in itself. There were too many misleading and conflicting factors outside of the film itself for anyone to have a clear and objective view of it. This is why it's always good to look at a movie decades after it was made when all the hype and/or expectations are by now forgotten or gone and one can (hope to) view a movie for what it was, not necessarily for what people, critics or even movie studios and stars expected it to be. So when I watched WHITE BUFFALO recently (I had already seen it back in the 80s and always remembered it), I was pleasantly surprised by it. It is much better than what anyone thinks of it.

I'm the first to say that Dino de Laurentiis is a hack. And that director J. Lee Thompson is not a very good director. And that Charles Bronson is not the best actor in the world. But even with all these seemingly negative elements, WHITE BUFFALO is pretty good. It's obvious that Bronson and Thompson saw an opportunity to create something that was close to their hearts and basically created an "artsy" kind of western, most likely without Dino being aware of this. Yes, there are several problems with WHITE BUFFALO but the good qualities of the movie overshadow the bad ones. And watching the movie today, one can clearly see that the film is supposed to be seen, first and foremost, as a MYTHICAL ALLEGORY (It's no wonder United Artists had no idea how to sell this movie. How do you promote an allegorical film?) The white buffalo; the meeting of Wild Bill Hickok and Crazy Horse, etc. The dream-like atmosphere is what makes WHITE BUFFALO so memorable. The conflicting narratives, between the standard western and the one with allegorical elements, give the latter even more power because as we watch the movie, one sorta forgets that the film has a white buffalo in it and when it finally arrives, the whole thing seems even more unreal. Imagine a western directed by David Lynch.

Aside from the couple of shots where you can clearly see the track on which the mechanical buffalo is mounted on, the buffalo itself is okay. There isn't any scene in WB that last long enough with a clear view of the mechanical animal to have a really good idea how it looks like. The scenery is beautiful and the music by John Barry is excellent. And there is a strange, foreboding claustrophobic mood that permeates the whole film. And Jack Warden gives an excellent performance as Bill's partner. His performance anchors the dream-like film. WHITE BUFFALO is NOT the disaster that everyone claims it to be. And it definitely has a cult following.

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14 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
I disagree with most who criticize the special effects., 12 December 2004
Author: (ericfurrer) from California

Although I can't find any information on what the budget for White Buffalo was, I suspect that the Dino de Laurentiis Corporation provided a reasonable amount of money considering they were 1977 dollars. I mention this because the most typical comments state that the laughable buff effects were due to low budget constraints.

But consider this. 2001: A Space Odyssey's effects were set to screen nine years before 1977 and Star Wars was released the same year as White Buffalo.

So special effects, although not CGI, were certainly advanced enough to satisfy those who have commented negatively here. So ... why were more advanced effects not used?

My theory is that the makers wanted to create a surreal, dreamlike feeling, much like it might have been to listen to an Indian storyteller around a village campfire a hundred and fifty years ago. In those times, human imagination could not have constructed the special effects images that we take for granted in our present-day monsters. Modern effects would detract from the misty, myth-like ambiance of this movie ... the myth of James Butler Hickok, the myth of Crazy Horse, the myth of the white buffalo.

When combined with John Barry's haunting score, this movie really has an effect on me. I give it an 8 out of 10 and hope to see it on a 1.85:1 widescreen DVD soon. I also hope the sound will be remastered better than the bloody mono track many of these cheap disk production companies are passing off on us!

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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
A strange, mythical and murky film., 21 April 2001
Author: hegstad9 from Norway

In september 1874, Wild Bill Hickcok (Charles Bronson) returns to the old West under the alias James Otis. He is haunted by the image of a buffalo that symbolizes his fear of death. He awakens every time he tries to sleep from the same nightmare. He knows he must face his nightmare, or go insane.

Oldtimer (and Indian hater) Charlie Zane (Jack Warden), also known as "Oneye" - the great white warrior of Sand Creek - himself an famous Indian hunter in his younger days, go with Wild Bill Hickok to hunt down the White Buffalo.

The old Indian warrior, Chief Crazy Horse (Will Sampson), is looking for the White Buffalo for different reasons. For him, the hunt is sacred, and if he doesn't succeed, he cannot live with himself. His dead little daughter (killed by the White Buffalo) will be "forever tortured in the other world," until he has avenged his child's death. This he must do in the old way.

The realistic locations makes the film chilling indeed. It was filmed on scenic locations in Canon City, Colorado, with interiors at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lot. The scenes showing mountains of bleached white buffalo bones are harrowing, as are the cruelty by both whites and Indians.

Great supporting roles by Slim Pickens as a vocal stage driver, Stuart Whitman as a slimy gambler, Cara Williams as the gambler's loumouthed girlfriend, John Carradine as a undertaker, the monstrously big Clint Walker as the murderous trapper "Whistling Jack Kileen," Bert Williams as a barkeeper who helps Wild Bill Hickcok from being killed and finally, Kim Novak made an outstanding return to the screen as Wild Bill Hickcok's old love, and one-time hooker Poker Jenny, now turned respectable.

This is a strange, mythical and murky film. Forget the bad special buffalo effects, and the bad monster. The screenplay in this movie is the thing. The language in this movie is very realistic. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the way the tough, hard people up in the Black Hills really talked back in the 1870s.

I'm proud to call this my favorite western of the 1970s. Not because it was the best, but simply because of it's dark, mythical tone. I've had this on video for a very long time, and have seen it numerous times.

When you see a film over and over again, you notice all the little details, missed by the ones who saw it only once.

In the 1970s, only Sam Peckinpah's westerns were as, or more, interesting. Not to forget Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone. A matter of taste, of course.

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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
I have to say for some reason I love this film...., 11 February 2000
10/10
Author: Darrell1969 (tiararebel@optusnet.com.au) from Australia

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.

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14 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Under-rated, 9 March 2004
10/10
Author: egrorian

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.

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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
White Buffalo Not A White Elephant, 9 March 2000
9/10
Author: whynotwriteme from Canada

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.

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10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Authentic sounding language, 18 March 2000
Author: (fruee@earthlink.net) from Rialto, Ca.

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.

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
like the song by Ted Nugent, this movie rocks!, 16 January 2006
10/10
Author: Raegan Butcher from Raincity, Pacific Northwest

I like this movie a lot; I wish I had seen it when I was younger, I'm sure it would have an even firmer place in my heart. As it is, I still admire this odd, surreal western monster movie. It has elements of Moby Dick more than JAWS or anything else, with its various characters pushed onward by fate, following nightmares and omens to their respective destinies, which is what attracted me to it in the first place. It also features some of the greatest western slang I have ever had the pleasure to hear.The script by Richard Sale is a marvel of cowpoke linguistics: Admittedly Charles Bronson is best silent and here he is as verbose as you will ever hear him but he seems to really shine thru in an oddly human and likable way when he is acting opposite Will Sampson. Jack Warden seems to take extra special delight in handling his dialog with a curmudgeonly precision and its delicious;I grew up in a rural Pacific Northwest Town--I know my redneck and cowboy talk and their attendant mannerisms--so trust me when I say that the dialog alone in this film makes it worth viewing; Its as close to cowboy poetry as you'll ever hear. But you also get this giant monster buffalo that never manages to look like anything other than a big mechanical puppet--but that doesn't detract from the pleasure of this film one bit! I even would venture to praise some of the quick-cutting and crazy dolly shots used in conjunction with the animatronic beast, which comes across marvelously well in conjunction with the bellowing roar it is given by the sound effects department and John Barry's ominous score.I have seen this film several times and the buffalo always surprises me by its effectiveness; it has its place in my fond memories alongside the mutated bear in John Frankenheimer's unjustly lambasted PROPHECY.

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7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Revisionist, different western with mixed results., 19 November 2004
Author: Poseidon-3 from Cincinnati, OH

This unusual, allegorical western seems to disappoint as many people as it pleases, leaving its success to be a matter of taste. Bronson plays the legendary Wild Bill Hickok, traveling under an assumed name, on his way to confronting a mysterious and rare white buffalo which, though the creature is real, symbolizes his impending death. He's haunted by dreams of the creature and knows he must conquer it when the time comes or die. Sampson plays Crazy Horse, also going by an assumed name because of shame brought on by his reaction to the death of his daughter at the hooves of the title creature. These two men are both bent on being the one to kill the animal, yet are separated by their hatred of one another's race. Killing the creature is monumentally important to both of them. Clearly, there's a lot going on here psychologically than just two men hunting for a buffalo. Bronson is joined by a wily, one-eyed trapper (a nearly unrecognizable Warden.) On his journey, Bronson encounters an array of colorful characters enacted in cameos by various well-known film personalities. These include ever-reliable Pickens as a besieged stage driver, Whitman and Williams as unfortunate passengers, Novak as a reformed whore with one eye on Bronson, Carradine as the town undertaker and Walker as a steely-eyed outlaw. What works in the film is its colorful dialogue and attention to character (though Bronson has a little trouble early on wrapping his mouth around some of the more wordy dialogue. He's at his best when monosyllabic.) Some neat bar room tension exists during one sequence. There is also some striking Colorado scenery. What doesn't work is the uneasy mixture of outdoor locations and obviously fake indoor recreations. A soundstage is not an acceptable substitute for entire Indian villages or snow-covered valleys, at least not the way they're presented here. The title creature is also very badly handled and is never fully convincing. The opening sequence of a buffalo attack on a village is laughably bad. People keep running in the path of the animal without ever considering just moving to the side of it's rampage. It's poorly conceived, poorly shot and poorly edited. Somehow, the actors manage to convey fear and awe of it and help put the story across, even when Sampson hops on it and looks as if he's riding a new mechanism at some dive country-western bar. Bronson is solid in a role that's a bit of a departure for him. Sampson does well and has a believable rapport with Bronson. Warden provides a strong, authentic characterization.

None of the guest stars are given a lot to do, but Novak (despite her ridiculous hair) scores with an earthy and understated performance and Walker gets to play a bad guy which is a pretty rare occurrence for him. He does surprisingly well at it, his menacing gaze, six and a half foot frame and thick beard doing a lot of the work. This is not a standard western and some of it is awkwardly done, but it's got several memorable sequences (check out the mountainous heap of buffalo bones at the train station!) and some decent acting to recommend it.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Impressive touching performances, 18 March 2004
Author: jeremyisaac from London, England

I agree with other critics here about the very silly buffalo effects, which are poor, even for 1977 - perhaps they'd have done better in these days of CGI. I also agree that there are some great location scenes, although these are balanced by some very creaky 'indoor-outdoor' shots, such as those while Crazy Horse is stalking the stagecoach and in the final buffalo scene. And there are great supporting performances from Hollywood troopers Jack Warden, Kim Novak, Clint Walker, Stuart Whitman, John Carradine and Slim Pickens. But that's not what does it for me.

I went to see this film in 1977 because I'd seen newcomer Will Sampson in 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' a year or two earlier. For me what makes this film is the wonderful rapport between the virtually unknown Sampson as Crazy Horse and studio veteran Charles Bronson as Wild Bill Hickok. Their scenes together are impressive and sensitive and certainly are a very good reason to forgive the film's other flaws. While appearing in some very dodgy pictures such as 'Orca' and 'Poltergeist II', Creek Indian Sampson also gave great performances in movies such as 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' before his tragic death in 1987. His performance in 'The White Buffalo' sees him on top form as a true thesp and stands tall beside that of 'Cuckoo's Nest'.

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