Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- grim
- foreboding
- mythic
- classic western night
- cult movie viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as a poorly realized and disjointed western, faulting its dialogue, motivation, editing, photography, and artificial creature effects.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Wild Bill Hickok and Crazy Horse separately pursue the legendary white buffalo across the snowy wilderness.
Hickok's repeated nightmares of the white buffalo directly motivate his journey and hunt.
Hickok's antagonism toward Indians and Crazy Horse's hatred of white men are complicated by their common pursuit of the beast.
The snowbound landscapes, fast editing, busy score, and mechanical white buffalo create a visibly stylized 1970s adventure texture.
Films like The White Buffalo, and why
The Searchers
mythic western landscapes, frontier violence, and a psychologically haunted gunslinger pursuing an almost supernatural quarry
Jeremiah Johnson
revisionist western themes, Native American and white frontier conflict, and a grim quest structure
The Missouri Breaks
stylized frontier adventure, legendary figures, and an ominous hunt shaped by racial hostility and reluctant respect
Chino
Charles Bronson-led western action with rugged landscapes, shootouts, and a hard-edged revenge atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- J. Lee Thompson
- Release Date
- 1977-05-01
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (150)
Cast
- Charles Bronson
- Jack Warden
- Will Sampson
- Kim Novak
- Clint Walker
- Stuart Whitman
- Slim Pickens
- John Carradine
- Cara Williams
- Shay Duffin
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The White Buffalo about?
- A haunted Wild Bill Hickok joins forces with Crazy Horse to hunt a legendary white buffalo through a brutal, snowbound frontier.
- What is The White Buffalo like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The White Buffalo as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The White Buffalo violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The White Buffalo as mild.
- What did critics think of The White Buffalo?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as a poorly realized and disjointed western, faulting its dialogue, motivation, editing, photography, and artificial creature effects.
- Which films are like The White Buffalo?
- Films with a similar feel include The Searchers, Jeremiah Johnson, The Missouri Breaks, and Chino.
- How long is The White Buffalo?
- The White Buffalo runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch The White Buffalo?
- In United States, The White Buffalo is available to rent or buy from Fandango At Home.
