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.
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.