The five savage men of the title are Keenan Wynn and his band of cutthroats who rob a stagecoach and murder everyone but the schoolteacher, Alice(Michele Carey), taking her captive, raping her with relish. They leave her to rot in the blistering sun, but she is rescued and nursed back to health by a brooding Apache named Chatto(man of few words, Henry Silva in a rare heroic role akin to Charles Bronson in Chato's Land). Alice desires revenge for taking her virginity from her and degrading her in such a fashion, not to mention slapping her around. Chatto will teach her how to shoot a shotgun and ride a horse, with them hunting down each and every member of Pudge's(Wynn)crew. Meanwhile, Phoenix sheriff Alan Pierce(John Anderson, excellent in an understated role, playing his posse leader subdued and patient)and a group of locals he rounded up follow the trail to find Alice, and those who killed citizens (on the stagecoach) he knew in coldblood. A constant throughout the movie is how Alice and Chatto always beat Pierce and his men to the punch, gunning down Pudge's men before they can get any worthwhile information to help them in their search. Very much a 70's western, the story reverses a trend set in classic westerns, the hostile and cruel savages are white, and the civilized are the Apaches.
Wynn, in a small role, is superb at really getting under the skin, his vicious outlaw laughing in Alice's face towards the end even though his goose seems cooked. I wish I could say "Five Savage Men" was a great western, but the story's just too threadbare, with some very noticeable logical problems such as how Chatto and Alice could so easily find and kill the men they seek after. Despite shooting people out in the open where capture is a possibility, they always seem to escape with little fanfare. Joe Turkel also has a memorable performance as Wynn's buddy Peyote, in it for very little screen time, but is effective as a sleazy dirtbag. Following Pierce and the posse is intriguing because they only want to secure Alice and find those who have caused such human suffering but she and her "Injun" lover often make their efforts a difficult task(they even have one of the boys in a noose, interrogating him, and before he could spill the beans, Alice blew a hole in him!). I'd have to say that the highlight for me would have to be when Alice gut-shoots one of the bastards while having him cornered in an outhouse dropping a load! Like many westerns during the late 60's/early 70's, "Five Savage Men" has a downright troubling conclusion, quite heartbreaking in how things get so out of hand due to racism and uncontrollable emotions(interesting how the one character who seems to have his emotions in check commits to repeatedly shooting an innocent man, in turn sealing his, and those along with him, fate). Michele Carey, as soft-voiced Alice, a flower caught in a hellish inferno, favors a suburban housewife in Apache garb..the image of Carey gunning down outlaws with a steely resolve can be quite surreal. Accolades in order to Silva who rarely utters a word, using other means of communication as a way to talk with Alice. A definite asset to the movie are the locations which look uncompromising and inhospitable.
Wynn, in a small role, is superb at really getting under the skin, his vicious outlaw laughing in Alice's face towards the end even though his goose seems cooked. I wish I could say "Five Savage Men" was a great western, but the story's just too threadbare, with some very noticeable logical problems such as how Chatto and Alice could so easily find and kill the men they seek after. Despite shooting people out in the open where capture is a possibility, they always seem to escape with little fanfare. Joe Turkel also has a memorable performance as Wynn's buddy Peyote, in it for very little screen time, but is effective as a sleazy dirtbag. Following Pierce and the posse is intriguing because they only want to secure Alice and find those who have caused such human suffering but she and her "Injun" lover often make their efforts a difficult task(they even have one of the boys in a noose, interrogating him, and before he could spill the beans, Alice blew a hole in him!). I'd have to say that the highlight for me would have to be when Alice gut-shoots one of the bastards while having him cornered in an outhouse dropping a load! Like many westerns during the late 60's/early 70's, "Five Savage Men" has a downright troubling conclusion, quite heartbreaking in how things get so out of hand due to racism and uncontrollable emotions(interesting how the one character who seems to have his emotions in check commits to repeatedly shooting an innocent man, in turn sealing his, and those along with him, fate). Michele Carey, as soft-voiced Alice, a flower caught in a hellish inferno, favors a suburban housewife in Apache garb..the image of Carey gunning down outlaws with a steely resolve can be quite surreal. Accolades in order to Silva who rarely utters a word, using other means of communication as a way to talk with Alice. A definite asset to the movie are the locations which look uncompromising and inhospitable.