Film Review: Tom Horn (1980)

(source: tmdb.org)

The story of the Old West had a happy ending, at leats for United States, white settlers and Hollywood, which would milk the last drop of its mythology. Like in most such stories, ending wasn’t happy for all, and one of those unfortunates is titular protagonist of Tom Horn, 1980 film directed by William Wiard.

The plot is based on the posthumously published memoirs of Tom Horn (played by Steve McQueen), larger-than-life historical figure who was civilian scout for US Cavalry, law man, cowboy, rancher, Pinkerton detective and volunteer during Spanish-American War, but who is best known for taking part in surrender of famous Apache chief Geronimo. When the film begins in 1903, those glory days seems to belong to distant past and the Old West is being replaced by New West, a place with fewer and fewer opportunities for people who like open spaces and simple solutions to certain social problems. One of those rare opportunities is in Wyoming, where rich landowners are facing the seemingly unstoppable hordes of cattle thieves. John Coble (played by Richard Farnsworth), one of the ranchers, offers solution of that problem to fellow members of cattle owners’ association. Tom Horn is hired, nominally as a ranch hand, but he actually works as “stock detective” and begins to track and identify cattle thieves before telling them to stop with their activities. Some cattle thieves take Horn and his reputation seriously, while those who don’t are quickly eliminated thanks to Horn’s deadly skills with rifle. Horn proves to be efficient, but also a little too enthusiastic in his work, and the resulting bloodbath makes his employers squeamish and concerned about negative publicity. After 14-year old boy gets killed, Horn is conveniently accused for murder and arrested, with the outcome of trial all but guaranteed thanks to Horn being tricked into admitting the deed by the opportunistic and politically ambitious U.S. Marshal Joe Belle (played Billy Green Bush).

This film had its origin in the screenplay originally written by William Goldman and partly inspired by his historical research for popular 1969 western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. With the plot being set at the end of Old West era and protagonist who can’t adapt to the new ways, Tom Horn, if made with combination of nostalgia and slightly revisionist approach, could have been a western classic. Unfortunately, this film was made too late, in a time when audience began to finally fall out of love with the genre, and the problems with the production (including those that made Goldman’s abandon the project and use his script as basis for 1979 television biopic Mr. Horn) didn’t help either. Some of the problems were caused by McQueen, once the great Hollywood star who picked this project to end his retirement; his eccentric behaviour on the set led to five directors being changed before television veteran Wiard was being nominally credited and McQueen rumoured to actually directing film himself. As an actor, McQueen actually does the more than decent job, clearly displaying his age and portraying the titular character as tired and fatalistic. This isn’t that surprising, because McQueen was actually terminally ill with lung cancer during the production. The rest of the cast is more than solid and, in many ways keeps this film together, especially Farnsworth and western veteran Slim Pickens in the role of Sheriff Sam Creedmore, a man who has unenviable task of putting his friends to the gallows. On the other hand, Linda Evans seems miscast in the role of Horn’s obligatory love interest Glendolene Kimmel (apparently based on real character) and the romantic subplot is mishandled with the poor and confusing use of flashbacks in the second part. Tom Horn became McQueen’s penultimate film and it could have been easily been ultimate swan song for western, if not for Heaven’s Gate, which handled the similar subjects only to fail much more spectacularly.

RATING: 5/10 (++)