Eagle's Wing (1979)

Released in 1979, "Eagle's Wing" is an English Western about a white trapper (Martin Sheen) circa 1830 who steals a white mustang named Eagle's Wing from a laconic Kiowa Native (Sam Waterston). The Native then pursues him to get his horse back. Harvey Keitel, Stéphane Audran and Caroline Langrishe are also on hand.This is a unique, professionally-made Western. The tone is thoroughly realistic, Waterston is impressive as the Native, the women are good-looking and the Mexican locations are magnificent, albeit thoroughly desolate. Unfortunately, the story isn't very absorbing. But the film's interesting in some ways and certainly worthy of your Western collection.The movie runs 111 minutes.GRADE: C+

It's not likely you'll catch a Western like this again, good guys and bad guys have little meaning here. Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston are pitted against each other as an ex-foot soldier versus a Kiowa warrior, and the mismatch is palpable throughout. There's a great innovative scene where White Bull (Waterston) emerges from a waterhole to ambush Pike (Sheen), in the tradition of your best horror film surprises. That's one of the highlights in a story that ofttimes meanders back and forth with little action. At one point, Waterston is featured in a great Iron Eyes Cody profile that attests to his regal bearing, which director Anthony Harvey uses to tease a possible romantic involvement between the Indian and his captive blonde beauty (Caroline Langrish). That story line goes nowhere, but draws on more than a single exchange of amorous glances between the two.Martin Sheen gets to inject some humor into the cat and mouse game with some of the few lines of dialog the film actually uses; for his part, White Bull remains entirely silent throughout. It complements his mysterious nature, and the ruse with the tricked out dagger that takes out the thieving Mexican was a nice touch. Sheen does a remarkable job convulsing from that arrow to the leg from White Bull, so much so that you feel his pain.In the set up for the horseback duel finale, one expects a decisive outcome without knowing who'll win, but again, your standard Western conventions don't bear out. White Bull acknowledges Pike's temerity and allows him to live, and his thundering dust cloud ride into the sunset sets both men free. The ending though, managed to elicit an unintended chuckle just like Vincent Price does in the closing sequence of "The Fly", when Judith and Pike separately plead their case to the heavens - "Please, help me".

On first viewing this movie seems to be some kind of fairy tale about a beautiful and significantly white horse once seen never forgotten. However viewed strictly within the context of the story the implication is that to survive in the immediate post-Civil War America, one had to have a horse, and not any old horse but a truly great one. And Eagle's Wing is such a horse. But for a man to be worthy of such a horse is another matter. Who should own it? The Native American or the AWOL soldier? The story throughout pits primitivism against civilisation. As has been said by other commentators it is ironic that it took an English director to perceive this fact, and then develop this simple theme into a western like no other you're ever likely to see again. The film is basically about this beast and the savage harshness of the environment and the people who scrape a living from it. The photography and the soundtrack are exquisite. Martin Sheen's performance is a revelation. This film, released in the same year as Sheen's other great performance as Willard in 'Apocalypse Now', hints at his abilities which somehow were never given such a free rein again. More's the pity. A comparison of the two stories throws up the surprising similarities between them - not least that both films chart a man's journey into his soul in order to find redemption. Whereas Willard is redeemed I will leave it to the viewer to decide if Pike is eventually. The ending is fabulous in the true sense of the word, and very moving; be warned. Altogether this is an extraordinary film.

I just saw "Eagle´s wing". I do not really know why this movie was made. What is the message of this story? Nevertheless I liked it. There are some exciting scenes in it. I appreciate a strong performance by Martin Sheen. Harvey Keitel is less convincing.