The White Buffalo (1977)

Afflicted by dreams of a white buffalo, Wild Bill Hickok (Charles Bronson) travels through the West in search of the beast with the intention to kill it and thus end his nightmares. Meanwhile, Chief Crazy Horse (Will Sampson, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST) also pursues the white buffalo that killed his daughter in the belief that her spirit will not rest until the buffalo is slaughtered. This is a rather odd mixture of western and horror with the white buffalo given a certain supernatural presence. However, the buffalo itself is rather cheesy looking and obviously fake. But the film's problems go beyond the tacky looking buffalo. The film's low budget gives it a schizophrenic look, bouncing between authentic New Mexico locales with obvious studio exterior sets. The screenplay by Richard Sale (who also wrote the source novel) can't make up its mind whether it wants to be JAWS out west or some mystical western. Well, it's not boring. I'll give it that. The John Barry score gives it some needed class. Directed by J. Lee Thompson. With Kim Novak, Clint Walker, Jack Warden, Stuart Whitman, Cara Williams, Slim Pickens, John Carradine, Ed Lauter and Eve Brent.