Back home

Tom Horn

126 votes

Producing House

A renowned former army scout is hired by ranchers to hunt down rustlers but finds himself on trial for the murder of a boy when he carries out his job too well. Tom Horn finds that the simple skills he knows are of no help in dealing with the ambitions of ranchers and corrupt officials as progress marches over him and the old west.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 1980-03-28

Runtime: 94 mins

Director: William Wiard

Spoken language: English

Genres: Western, Action, Drama

Original title: Tom Horn

Production Companies: First Artists, Solar Productions, Warner Bros. Pictures

Production Countries: United States of America

Reviews

W

Wuchak
_**The passing of the Old West with Steve McQueen**_ The legendary Tom Horn was a cowboy, a scout, a stage coach worker, a soldier assisting with the capture of Geronimo, a Pinkerton, a range detective and he fought at The Battle of San Juan Hill with Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. In 1901 he rides into the Wyoming Territory at 40 years of age where he is hired to kill rustlers, but is eventually accused of shooting a 14 year-old shepherd boy, a crime for which most authorities believe he was framed. "Tom Horn" (1980) was reportedly a troubled production. Steve McQueen in the title role had a passion for the project, which took three years to bring to the screen. He did much research, but was diagnosed with fatal mesothelioma in late 1979. McQueen wasn’t able to work with several directors, including Clint Eastwood’s mentor Don Siegel and “A Man Called Horse” director Elliot Silverstein; he ended up unofficially taking the reins, although William Wiard is credited in the position. While some critics say the movie comes across as a mess and base this on the fact that McQueen was working from two different scripts, I never felt lost watching it. The story’s pretty simple, really, with a few flashbacks to Tom’s relationship with a love interest (Linda Evans). The film’s fittingly funereal with flashes of great violence and a bit o’ low-key humor. It has authenticity in its favor, no doubt due to McQueen’s research. It just FEELS like the way it really was in the Old West at the turn of the century. Unfortunately, it wasn’t shot in Wyoming, but rather about 800 miles southwest of the real-life locations. In Jail, Horn wrote his autobiography “Life of Tom Horn: Government Scout and Interpreter,” which was published after his death in 1904. Horn was one the few people in the Old West to have been executed by a water-powered gallows, known as the "Julian Gallows,” which is depicted in the movie. The film runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot entirely in Arizona (Patagonia, Sonoita, Portal, San Raphael Valley, etc.). The cast includes Western notables like Slim Pickens, Richard Farnsworth, Geoffrey Lewis, Roy Jenson and Elisha Cook Jr. GRADE: B-/B
2020-11-17

J

John Chard
Someday, you're going to have to pay for your way of life, Tom. Tom Horn is directed by William Wiard and adapted to screenplay by Thomas McGuane and Bud Schrake from Horn's own autobiography. It stars Steve McQueen, Linda Evans, Richard Farnsworth, Billy Green Bush and Slim Pickens. Music is by Ernest Gold and cinematography by John A. Alonzo. Plot finds McQueen as legendary army tracker - turned hired gun - Tom Horn, who is hired by Wyoming ranchers to see off cattle rustlers, only to see them turn against him when his methods threaten their reputation. As a big fan of both Westerns as a genre and McQueen (in the process of getting the cancer that would kill him) the actor, it's tricky trying to review Tom Horn (and his final film "The Hunter") without the heart ruling the head. Fact is, is that Tom Horn is not the glorious hard hitting Tom Horn picture that the character demands. It looks fabulous, is very melancholic, and McQueen is genuinely affecting in his performance, but the production problems (various attached directors, rewrites etc) are evident and give us a film of what might have been. Nonetheless, this is no stinker, in fact, it's a very reflective piece dealing with a man out of his time - and he knows it. The narrative is strong on the end of the so called Wild West, a changing of the times, where law and order is about to finally become the dominant force. Horn was the man who helped bring in the mighty Geronimo, which gives the makers a chance to not only nod towards respect for the great Apache chief as a plot device, but to also let Horn, in McQueen's hands, show us a resignation of time being up for his kind. One dodgy "special effect" aside, when the violence is required for the story it is an adrenaline jolt, this is because the tone of the piece is ultimately sombre. The hazy romantic thread between Horn and Glendolene Kimmel (Evans is fine in a thankless role) is suffering from flashback overkill, but the tender feel to it sits comfortably within the pic's earnest intention. The political aspects strike the required chord for narrative worth, and the key aspect of Horn's ultimate fate being based on fact or otherwise? is deftly handled. Poor editing and a number of "time filling shots" grate a little, and if not prepared for a sombre pic then this will disappoint. Yet there's a lot of beauty here and if you be a fan of McQueen or not, his turn is brave, committed and very engaging. 7/10
2019-09-22

Recommendations

Spider-Man: No Way Home
4

Spider-Man: No Way Home

2021-12-15

Peter Parker is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of bein

Brothers in the Saddle
2.5

Brothers in the Saddle

1949-02-08

When he thinks his brother has let him down, a cowboy goes bad.

Thor: Love and Thunder
3.2

Thor: Love and Thunder

2022-07-06

After his retirement is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinct

The Last Duel
3.7

The Last Duel

2021-10-13

King Charles VI declares that Knight Jean de Carrouges settle his dispute with his squire, Jacques L

La Llorona
3.2

La Llorona

2019-07-25

Accused of the genocide of Mayan people, retired general Enrique is trapped in his mansion by massiv

Contract to Kill
2.2

Contract to Kill

2016-12-09

Harmon is a CIA/DEA enforcer investigating Arab terrorists captured in Mexico. With his team--seduct

Lakeerein
0

Lakeerein

2023-11-03

Lakeerein tells the powerful story of Kavya, who seeks justice against her husband for marital rape,

Blazing Six Shooters
0

Blazing Six Shooters

1940-04-10

The story revolves around a valuable silver deposit, located between two ranches. Villain Lash Bende

Atrapados
2.6

Atrapados

1995-01-01

A wild police officer attempts to rescue a child from the hands of kidnappers.

Sara, the force of the sea
4.3

Sara, the force of the sea

2023-11-27

Sara is a judge very committed to the cases she hears in her office. After meeting David, a young ar

Satria Heroes: Revenge of Darkness
3.8

Satria Heroes: Revenge of Darkness

2017-05-04

One year has passed since Satria Garuda Bima-X defeated VUDO and the earth is in peace again. Ray an

Day of the Badman
3.3

Day of the Badman

1958-01-29

Judge Jim Scott must contend with the vicious relatives of a murderer he's about to sentence...and h

Prairie Pals
0

Prairie Pals

1942-09-04

Two deputies go undercover to save a scientist from his evil kidnappers.

Run Hide Fight
3.3

Run Hide Fight

2021-06-17

A 17-year-old girl uses her wits, survival skills, and compassion to fight for her life, and those o

Luis
0.5

Luis

2017-12-21

Arizona Trail
2.5

Arizona Trail

1943-09-15

A young cowboy returns home to help his father fight off a gang trying to take over the family ranch

Cowboy in the Clouds
0

Cowboy in the Clouds

1943-12-23

A rancher who becomes a pilot staunchly defends the newly formed Civil Air Patrol from the cattle ba

The Tulsa Kid
3

The Tulsa Kid

1940-08-16

A protegee of notorious outlaw Montana (Beery), young Tom Benton decides to stay on the good side of

Cyclone on Horseback
2.9

Cyclone on Horseback

1941-06-13

Whopper, Stan Bradford, and Smokey are delivering a herd of pack horses to telegraph lineman Jeff Co

Dragged Across Concrete
3.3

Dragged Across Concrete

2019-02-21

Two policemen, one an old-timer, the other his volatile younger partner, find themselves suspended w