The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976)

Touches You

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Well reviewed here to date, I would like to give a different slant in the hopes it may give pause to reflect to one or two of you. I enjoyed the movie, however the experience was upgraded since it was with a gang of friends that piled into my semi-antiquated but proportionately generous 1964 Chrysler Imperial to see the movie previewed at the studio. As one of us was the proud ex- of one the the villains in the cast, we looked forward to a free night on the town. Meeting one of the producers, cast members, and an old favorite of my dear Mother-Gale Sondergaard making perhaps somewhat of a comeback after many years-added spice to the event for us humble non-industry types. Realizing this is a silly and non-conforming review, the point is: "If you're getting out, make a night of it!" Happy Hour before at Yamashiro, after hours at a private party, whatever, try not to give up too soon, even if the flick is less than stellar. Just a thought.The movie, by the way, was indeed a decent sequel, with reasonable production values throughout.

Lord John Morgan(Richard Harris)is an English aristocrat who was captured and enslaved by the Yellow Hand Sioux on a visit to the American west in the 1820s. Over time he fought to prove himself and eventually became a respected member of the tribe. The Sioux called him Horse. Years later, Morgan has returned to England and the Sioux are attacked by bloodthirsty trappers who massacre most of the tribe and destroy their sacred home. A jaded Morgan returns to the west to aid the Sioux in their fight against the trappers.I particularly enjoyed the first movie, A Man Called Horse(1970). It was a fascinating essay on life in a Sioux tribe that was colourful and inspiring too. This sequel however, is really just a forgettable potboiler which drags on. The characters are not allowed to develop and the plot looses itself in endless scenes of chanting, screeching and riding. The villainous trappers are barely seen and appear to be nothing but a bunch of dumb labourers. Geoffrey Lewis' head honcho had especially little to do, trying his hardest to be menacing but never really succeeding in doing so. The script feels as if it's been written by a 14 year old with several unnecessary scenes which are merely there to pad out the movie's 2 hour running time. The film is at least half an hour too long and several important plot points are tossed aside. For example the film did not delve deep enough into Lord Morgan's life at home in England with his wife and how he suffered when returned to civilised society. Also, his reason for returning to the tribe is explained so promptly that you are likely to miss it if you aren't paying attention. So much potential is wasted, the depth and atmosphere of the first movie is non-existent here .The purification ritual is featured in this film once again. In the original it was executed with professionalism, the end result being gorgeously psychedelic. Here it just looks outlandish and takes up too much time. I found it unintentionally humorous as well as corny. There isn't much action apart from the climatic attack on the fort which was pretty well shot but far too abrupt and rather anti climatic. The fact that some of the horse falls have been removed took away the tension thus making me enjoy the battle even less. Richard Harris just runs around the interiors of the fort trying not to get shot, but the special effects were really good. The final explosion of the hut was ruined by the fact that the adjacent watchtower did not come crashing to the ground. Again it was an action sequence that they could have done a lot more with by throwing in some hand-to-hand combat, ambitious stunts and maybe even Lord Morgan sacrificing himself for his Sioux brothers. Although the film did boast some fine scenery with beautiful vistas of sun kissed plains and lush forests and it at least sounded nice courtesy of Laurence Rosenthal's operatic score.Don't worry if you haven't seen this sequel, you're better off watching the original and leaving it at that. The sequel is one of those movies that is best enjoyed when one is intoxicated. 6/10.

Caught this by accident on a t.v. showing - and could hardly believe how utterly awful the whole experience was. By comparison, the original "A Man Called Horse" was spell-binding because it held one's interest throughout. But this piece of nonsense - words fail me. It was bad enough to have some kind of a "story" presented with all the impact of a wet loaf of bread, but that error was compounded by the obvious lack of subtitles throughout whenever the so-called "Sioux" spoke. For goodness sake, couldn't the film-makers have found enough North American Indians who were also actors and near-actors to perform as "Indians" in this farrago instead of the imposters they actually used? I also found it quite embarrassing watching Richard Harris cavorting all around the countryside at the obvious behest of the director standing just behind camera, telling him to run and jump from pointless Point A to pointless Point B just to make up film footage and minutes. Absolutely terrible in all respects!

I thoroughly enjoyed A Man Called Horse when it was released in 1970, but Return played like a typical sequel. Everything about it -- budget, script, plot, casting, and acting -- was inferior to the original. Gale Sondergaard as Elk Woman, an elder of the Yellow Hand tribe, looks nothing like an Indian, and neither do half of the other "Indians," who were played by Italians, Mexicans, and Latinos with cheap wigs. And the old guy who played the chief acted more like a fat old squaw than a fierce leader of warriors. He even used the bow like a woman! Finally, Richard Harris, who did such a superb job in the original, seems to be coasting this time around. I guess he couldn't resist the easy paycheck he got for reprising his role as Horse.To be fair, there are some interesting moments in the movie, such as Horse's undergoing a painful purification ritual to "find his vision" and rally the Yellow Hands against their Indian enemies and white oppressors, but on the whole, Return is uneven, boring, corny, and predictable -- just like most sequels.