Comic booky adult Western about – you guessed it – mountain men
Two bickering mountain men in 1838 (Charlton Heston and Brian Keith) are fun-loving best friends who haven't seen each other for a couple of winters and the former is disheartened to discover that the market for beaver pelts has gone sour. Together they trap, fight Blackfeet and party at a mountain rendezvous. When Tyler (Heston) acquires a Blackfoot woman named Running Moon (Victoria Racimo) her ex, a ruthless warrior named Heavy Eagle (Stephen Macht), wants her back and will kill to get her.
"The Mountain Men" (1980) has a bad reputation with critics, but is generally appreciated by Western fans. Due to its subject matter it's not a conventional Western. There are no saloons, quaint Western towns, Sheriffs, Marshals, cavalries, cattle drives or quick-draw shootouts. "The Mountain Men" takes the topic of 1972's "Jeremiah Johnson" and mixes it with the tone of 1953's "Hondo" and, more so, 1977's "Grayeagle." It's mostly like the latter two in the way the AmerIndians are depicted -- wild and savage. Their portrayal, albeit somewhat cartoony, is neither politically correct nor politically incorrect. It's basically just the way it was. They were either peaceable or brutally hostile depending on the people with whom they were dealing. For instance, the Crow are friendly toward the mountain men whereas the Blackfoot are hostile. In any case, if you favor the aforementioned Westerns, you'll probably appreciate this one.
I can understand the criticism of the film in that there are bits in that the first act that tempt the viewer to tune out. The very first scene wherein one aged mountain man on horseback tackles another just for fun is Exhibit A. There's no way anyone would risk breaking bones in the high country just for kicks, particularly the elderly. Exhibit B is when Tyler fails to immediately go back and apprehend his pack animals, which contained his only possessions on Earth and his very means of survival in a cruel wilderness. If you can get past these issues, however, the story really picks up when a certain character is savagely scalped at the beginning of the second act.
The score is initially a turn-off as well because it's dated and maudlin, but if you persevere, you'll get used to it and there are some surprisingly effective parts (e.g. the percussion piece right before the river duel and the part that plays during the hot springs scene).
So the story eventually becomes compelling enough and you feel involved in the lives of the characters until the end. While the two protagonists are gruff and unbecoming they have hearts of gold, sort of. Unfortunately, some people are so turned off by their gruffness that they can't look beyond it. I, for one, appreciated the realistic portrayal, as well as the humor, which is in contrast to "Jeremiah Johnson," where the tone was decidedly grim. Nevertheless, it is true that the redneck profanity gets annoying after awhile. I think the writer, Heston's son, and Charlton himself were shooting for a cutting edge appeal that would draw attention to the film.
Another highlight is Running Moon, who's a great character; the love she shares with Tyler is a potent story element. Heavy Eagle is also a quality antagonist.
It would've helped if the Indians spoke their native language in their sequences, but it's assumed that they ARE speaking their native tongue, just like Germans are speaking German in WW2 movies, even though they're shown speaking English.
A few other things impressed me. For instance, the Indians and their encampments look authentic even while one or two of them seemed to act too modern, e.g. Cross Otter. Also, there's a lot of muscular Western action with the mountain men fighting the Blackfeet. One scene in particular is notable: Heavy Eagle tackles Tyler and they land in a rushing river where they continue to (try to) fight. It's a pretty exhilarating outdoors sequence and the waterfall is awesome. Lastly, despite the comic book tone, the movie is adult-oriented and gives a good glimpse of what it must've been like to live in the high country during that era.
So, while it starts off weak, "The Mountain Men" gets better as you catch a grip with the characters and the tone of the movie. It's a unique Western and the effort that was put into it is obvious.
The film runs 1 hour, 42 minutes, and was shot entirely in Northwestern Wyoming.
GRADE: B-