Tom Horn Reviews

• One Of Steve McQueen's Best Final Films!

  
  By ALR35EFI69S5R on 2000-08-05
  One of the final few movies Steve McQueen (along with the little watched film version of Ibsen's "An Enemy Of The People") made before succumbing to cancer was this fine and under appreciated movie based on the historical facts surrounding the exploits, exploitation, trial and hanging of a man who wound up being the comparatively innocent "fall guy" caught in the middle of a number of clashing and rapidly changing social institutions of the American West. Horn is a gunman, drifter and marksman with a considerable reputation, and when he moseys into town the cattle ranchers see him as the key to their otherwise insoluble problems in settling their long-standing dispute with the sheepherders. Tom rids them of their problems, and in doing so is neatly set up to take the fall for a murder he didn't commit. Yet for the sake of everyone but Horn, convicting him makes considerable sense. Thus, he is railroaded, and he never stands a chance of exoneration.

  This is a wonderful if disturbing true story well told, and the cast is absolutely superb and on-key with tone-perfect minimalist acting that avoids being coy or too traditional, and McQueen, for all his health problems, delivers a bravura performance as a man caught by time and circumstance in a world he neither understands nor appreciates, and he does a wonderful job in conveying the stoical resignation with which this simple man accepts his unfair fate with dignity and maturity. The cinematography is absolutely breath-taking, and the size and grandeur of the surrounding scenery helps the viewer to understand just how significantly the small people like Tom Horn were in wresting the West from the wilderness it was to become part of so-called civilized and "citified" America. This is one you don't want to miss. Enjoy!
  
  

• Brilliant Performance By McQueen

  
  By A1J2931UBBJPXM on 2000-06-14
  A dramatization based on the true story of a legendary frontiersman, "Tom Horn" depicts the final years in the life of this tracker, interpreter and hero of the Apache Wars. Steve McQueen portrays Horn, who drifts into Wyoming Territory in 1901. There he makes the acquaintance of cattle rancher John Coble (Richard Farnsworth), who brings Horn's presence to the attention of the "Cattlemen's Association." There's been an ongoing problem with rustlers, not to mention the encroachment of sheep ranchers, and the association has been endeavoring to find a solution. In Horn, whose reputation precedes him, they see the answer to their problems, much to the consternation of Marshall Joe Belle (Billy Green Bush), who feels slighted in the matter; his ego, it seems, is even more pronounced than his own reputation. They hire Horn as a "Stock Detective," and give him free rein as to how he must deal with cattle rustlers; whether to shoot, or bring them in, is entirely up to him. In little more than a year's time, the rustling has stopped; Horn has done his job well. Too well, in fact. It seems that he's become a bit too "high profile," and after an incident in town, during which Horn kills a man in self defense, the members of the association, as well as Joe Belle, conclude that Horn is now their biggest problem. The last thing they want is to have their names appearing in newspapers, connecting them in any way with Horn or any of the recent killings. They want to be rid of him, and for good, but they don't know how to go about it. Soon thereafter, on one of the nearby sheep ranches, a fifteen-year-old boy is shot and killed in cold blood, by a rifle shot from a distance of two hundred and thirteen yards. Though an obvious set-up, Horn is subsequently arrested, and put on trial, for the murder of the boy. McQueen gives a performance here that is nothing less than remarkable. He deftly captures the essence of the rugged, loner cowboy, with a subtle, somewhat subdued approach that gives total credibility to his character. Horn is a cowboy, a product of the old west who has spent a lifetime killing and avoiding being killed, and like so many others of his time, is merely trying to adapt to a new century, a new era. Just another guy looking for work; and this is the Tom Horn that McQueen delivers to the screen, perceptively avoiding any feigned heroics or superfluous contrivances that would have given him that sense of being larger-than-life. His Tom Horn is a proud man, without being steeped in ego; and it's that down-to-earth attitude that makes him real, and gives distinction to this film. Director William Wiard does an exceptional job of formulating an appropriate atmosphere, and maintaining it throughout the film, which underscores the stoic nature of the story. He's made a pensive, penetrating western, realistically integrating the necessary violence into the natural fabric of the story. There's nothing gratuitous here; another aspect for which Wiard should be commended, because it adds even more to the impact of the climax. With an excellent supporting cast which includes Linda Evans (Glendolene), Slim Pickens (Sam), Roy Jenson (Mendenhour) and Geoffrey Lewis (Walter Stoll), "Tom Horn" is an honest study of life during an era of change; of the politics and prevailing attitudes that contributed to the shaping of a new century. And of the individuals, who in the final analysis, made a difference.
  
  

• The last vestiges of the Old West

  
  By A39AWL2FKWDFK6 on 2005-09-19
  Steve McQueen is his pentultimate role before succumbing to cancer stars in the somber biographical film "Tom Horn". Horn, a legendary cowboy, Indian scout and wizard with a rifle rides his way into Wyoming territory near the turn of the 20th century.
  
  Cattle rancher John Coble played in an effective measured fashion by western veteran Richard Farnsworth recognizes his talent and hires Horn to work on his ranch. He introduces him to the local cattleman's association which was been plagued by rustling. They give him free reign and backing by the local marshall Joe Belle to rid the territory of the cattle thieves by whatever means deemed appropriate including death.
  
  The association soon tire of Horn's violent techniques and plan to get rid of him. They railroad him without the backing of Farnsworth by accusing him of the murder of an innocent local youth who had been herding sheep. A sham trial is convened to convict him of murder.
  
  The story of "Tom Horn" is representative of the transformation in our country from the days of the old west. Horn is symbolic of an era that no longer fits within the shrinking frontier. Horn love interest, a school teacher played by Linda Evans also forsakes him unwilling to be seduced into his now obsolete violent lifestyle. The movie serves as a sad commentary on society's unwillingness to allow freedom and equality for those that don't fit a prescribed mold in a changing world.
  
  McQueen and Farnsworth were naturals for their respective roles. Slim Pickens playing sheriff Sam Creedmore, as usual gives an authentic portrayal of a denizen of these times.
  
  

• A mesmerizing first hour, but then falters for the remainder of the film.

  
  By A315K47GRB024C on 2005-08-17
  This review is for the Warner Brothers DVD released in 2005.
  
  The movie is based on a true story. Western cowboy Tom Horn (Steve McQueen) has a well-known reputation as fearless fighter for just causes. The setting is circa 1901 in Wyoming and Horn rides into a small town. After displaying his toughness in several confrontations, a local rancher named John Coble (Richard Farnsworth) hires Horn to stop a cattle-rustling problem that has been plaguing his ranch for sometime. Horn agrees to work for him and carries out justice in his own way. He does a great job for Coble - almost too good and then Horn is faced with a different set of problems.
  
  The first hour of the movie is terrific with plenty of action and excitement. It's a stunning visual presentation of Steve McQueen in a beautiful Western setting, playing a character who enforces the law his way with excitement and skill. But then the last 35 minutes of the film is sedated and ambiguous when the story goes in a completely different direction. Furthermore in this last segment, the character Tom Horn appears punchless and apathetic. Since it is based on a true story, he may have really behaved this way, and that's fine, but that part of the story should have been condensed down to 3 or 5 minutes and stayed with the prior theme for a longer duration. The film has plenty of merits, but the screen writing for the last part was poorly done and cripples the mood of the entire movie.
  
  As for the DVD, it's a sharp and pristine widescreen color presentation. The audio is excellent. Only two bonuses: the trailer and a `Wanted Dead or Alive' promotion.
  
  Movie: B-
  
  DVD Quality: A
  
  

• One of McQueen's last movies

  
  By A2Q13PHEXGR48Q on 2003-08-26
  Tom Horn is a very good western along the lines of The Wild Bunch about the changing times in the west and how certain people are adjusting to it. Based on a true story, the movie is about fronteirsman and marksman Tom Horn. Famous for several reasons that are introduced early in the movie, Horn begins the movie drifting along in 1903 Wyoming. Known for his ability with a rifle, Horn is hired by an association of ranchers to drive out rustlers in whatever way necessary. Soon, he begins to call too much attention to himself causing the ranchers to take action. This movie is very good for several reasons. It seems very realistic with beautiful scenery, good characters(good and bad), and a well-told story.

  Steve McQueen gives a very believable performance as frontier hero, Tom Horn. His role as a man caught in a changing world who is not willing to change along with it is very well done. Richard Farnsworth plays rancher John Coble, one of the only men to remain loyal to Horn even when he is in trouble. Linda Evans gives a good, if somewhat short, performance as Gwendolene, a schoolteacher who Tom falls in love with. Slim Pickens is excellent as the sheriff who knows Tom from the past, but we never learn in what way. There are several other recongizable faces here, but their names escape, most notably the deputy who was a regular in John Wayne movies. I really hope they put this movie on DVD since it is vastly underrated as a western. Fans of McQueen will absolutely love Tom Horn even if it is not the most uplifting of movies.
  
  

• Interesting Film
  By ACQ8K8GTL5PQX on 2007-04-21
  I was lucky enough to be an extra in this film as a national guardsman and as a townsperson. I was one of the guys who escorted McQueen to the gallows. Steve McQueen was an amazing man who handled the shooting and riding to the amazement of the stuntmen and cowboys on the film. I recall him shooting cans with a six shooter while chewing a big wad of tobacco and drinking Old Milwaukee on ice. (His favorite drink). He was a gentleman and Dick Farnsworth and Slim Pickens hung out with us all the time. Slim even came by my fraternity. Geoffrey Lewis was great in this movie. Not much of a review but I love the film for all its great memories!
  
  
• western classic
  By AM47Z6LQCKEF6 on 2006-04-12
  This film, faithful to Horn's autobiography, is beautifully photographed.
  
  As a last gasp tribute to a vanished America (both the frontier west *and* the liberalism of the '60's) it is virtually flawless.
  
  McQueen, like Wayne, started in what were essentially B westerns except his medium was TV. His movie career, like Wayne's, econmpassed action roles in several genres. His macho image, like Wayne's, often overshawdowed his acting, and, finally, like Wayne in The Shootist, McQueen ended with this stunning performance.
  
  Farnsworth is excellent as Coble, Evans is true to the character of Glendolene Myrtle Kimmel, who was Horn's great champion, and Pickens is Pickens. Billy Green Bush's portrayal of US Marshall Joe Belle is sufficiently slimey that of the central characters in this tragedy, the producers did not find it prudent to use the actual name of Deputy US Marshall Joe LeFors' who bragged the rest of his life that he "slickered Tom Horn" and of his exploits.
  
  I'd say it was a must see.
  
  
• ONE OF MCQUEEN'S GREATEST ROLES
  By on 2003-08-30
  A classic western and one Steve McQueen's greatest roles, Tom Horn is a must for any serious western movie library. The movie tracks Horn's tracks from the Southwest into Wyoming and a career as a "stock detective." The career begins promisingly enough but soon takes a downward turn as Horn, the simple cowboy and tracker, runs head on into big business politics and scandals that jeopardize not only his freedom but his life.

  The cast also includes Linda Evans (Dynasty) and Richard Farnsworth (The Grey Fox).

  As a result of viewing this movie I was also lead to an excellent biography: Tom Horn: Blood on the Moon: The Dark History of the Murderous Cattle Detective by Chip Carlson and Larry D. Ball. Once you see the movie you'll want to read the book.
  
  

• A fitting epitaph to McQueen's career
  By A220FJEQNGMSRN on 2007-05-06
  Soldier, Indian tracker, lawman, outlaw, hired killer - there are about a half dozen movies that could be made about Tom Horn, so it's surprising that it wasn't until the Western was on its last legs that, aside from the odd fleeting appearance in B-movies, he finally made it to the big screen. In some ways it's amazing he made it at all. 1980's Tom Horn was a troubled picture, and that's putting it mildly. Sam Peckinpah was at one time tapped to direct, but he fell out with star and producer Steve McQueen before shooting started - possibly literally, since McQueen's alleged response to a furious argument they had in the car one evening led to McQueen insisting he get out without bothering to stop first. Neither Don Siegel nor Elliot Silverstein made it past pre-production. Electra Glide in Blue director James Guercio only lasted for the first three days of the shoot, and cinematographer John Alonzo and McQueen himself also had a hand in the finished film at one point or another, with credited director William Wiard apparently hired only to placate the Directors Guild when they wouldn't allow the star to direct himself. The screenplay went through many changes along the route as well, with Thomas McGuane's 450-page epic being constantly chipped away, Abraham Polonsky's rewrite being rejected and Bud Shrake's final script eventually alternating with McGuane's depending on which version the star felt like filming that day. And just to add to the good news, the picture suffered from major budget cuts due to studio politics and the threat of a William Goldman-scripted Robert Redford rival project (eventually made for TV with David Carradine as Mr Horn), shrinking from a three-hour $10m epic about the Indian tracker and interpreter's life to a $3m small-scale Western about its ignominious end.
  
  Under such circumstances it would be wildly optimistic to expect the film to be even watchable, let alone great, but somehow it bucked the odds to come out as a bona fide forgotten classic. While there's no shortage of action in the first half of the movie - certainly enough for the studio to somewhat misleadingly sell it as an action movie - this is really a much more elegiac Western about the end of an era seen through the fate of a man out of his time and trapped by a reputation he cannot really live up to anymore. "If you really knew how dirty and raggedy-***ed the Old West was, you wouldn't want any part of it," he tells Linda Evans schoolteacher, and the ailing McQueen makes no attempt to disguise just how raggedy he looks himself. When we first meet Horn it's not long before he's on the losing end of a fight with champion boxer" Gentleman Jim" Corbett, and after a brief and all-too successful career disposing of rustlers for the local Cattlemen's Association, soon finds himself set up for an even bigger fall when his ruthless efficiency becomes something of a public relations disaster for them.
  
  Taking its lead from Horn's own autobiography, dictated while on trial for murder, there is an element of print the legend to it: whereas the real Horn was undone by his own egotism (his claim to have captured Geronimo seems largely fantasy, though he was one of the trackers involved in the campaign), McQueen's Horn is a simple man, modest, inarticulate, awkward in social situations and only really good at killing, which he regards simply as his job. But there's a striking lack of vanity to the performance, with McQueen not afraid to look a shrunken figure long past his prime - even his futile escape attempt feels almost half-hearted, something he feels he's expected to do, and there's a sense of acceptance of his impending death as he makes his inevitable way to the water-triggered gallows that he springs himself because nobody else wants to pull the lever on him.
  
  (Curiously lawman Joe LeFors, whose dubious testimony sealed Horn's fate, is renamed LaSalle in the film, possibly because McQueen didn't want the audience to make any connections with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which was a one-time McQueen project that helped his rival Robert Redford become a superstar: McQueen certainly knew how to hold a grudge.)
  
  The scars of the troubled production do sometimes show, not least in a flashback so abrupt everyone in the theatres thought they'd got the reels in the wrong order, but the strengths more than compensate, not least among them an effortlessly superb supporting performance from Richard Farnsworth, who manages to create a convincing onscreen bond with McQueen despite their off screen history (the young McQueen had got Farnsworth fired from Wanted: Dead or Alive when the veteran was still a stuntman). The cold, stark look of the film, it's town either muddy or snowbound, its ranges barren and desolate, and Ernest Gold's brooding score also catch the mood of impending death all too well. The Hunter may have been McQueen's last film, but in many ways this is the more fitting epitaph.
  
  The only extras on Warners 2.35:1 widescreen transfer are the original theatrical trailer and a promo for Wanted: Dead or Alive.
  
  
  
  
• McQueen outstanding in reflective western
  By A191FN0R6069WX on 2001-08-12
  Knowing that Steve McQueen's health was deteriorating rapidly as this film was being made gives Tom Horn an added sadness. The story itself, of a slightly over-the-hill former frontiersman turned hired gun, framed for a murder he is innocent of, is engrossing. The viewer emapthises with the character of Tom Horn thanks to McQueen's superb understated performance. McQueen could achieve so much with a glance; as an actor he was most effective when he was quiet - he could deliver a great performance in a restrained manner, without hitting the audience over the head with unnecessary speeches or physical stunts. That's the sign of a quality actor. McQueen's failing health is largely hidden. He looks tired at times, which could be excused by his age (50), and avoids pity through the strength of his performance. Tom Horn was his penultimate film (the routine action movie The Hunter being his last) and was his last chance to take part in a high quality production. He didn't disappoint.
  
  
• ONE OF TOMMY LEE JONES' FAVORITES!
  By A1OTGBG66P6K5Y on 2005-06-01
  It goes without saying, really, that TOM HORN is one of Steve McQueen's greatest roles. More importantly, others in the movie industry and especially with the Western genre agree. In the June 2001 issue of COWBOYS & INDIANS magazine, when asked what he thought were the best ten Western movies of all time, Tommy Lee Jones named TOM HORN as one of the ten. And, given his experience with such Western classics as LONESOME DOVE and THE GOOD OLD BOYS, I think that most aficionados of Western films would agree with Mr. Jones' assessment. I certainly do.
  
  A classic western, TOM HORN is a must for any serious western movie library. The movie tracks Horn from the Southwest into Wyoming and a career as a "stock detective." The career begins promisingly enough but soon takes a downward turn as Horn, the simple cowboy and tracker, runs head on into big business politics and scandals that jeopardize not only his freedom but also his life.
  
  In addition to McQueen, a superstar cast includes Slim Pickens (The Cowboys), Linda Evans (Dynasty), Billy Green Bush (Lee Marvin's Monty Walsh) and Richard Farnsworth (The Grey Fox).
  
  It's likely that the debate about Tom Horn, the way he lived and, especially, the way he died-points very masterfully put forth in the film-will continue for years to come. There should be, however, no debate about this wonderful film.
  
  If you enjoy this movie you will also want to read an excellent biography: Tom Horn: Blood on the Moon: The Dark History of the Murderous Cattle Detective by Chip Carlson and Larry D. Ball.
  
  THE HORSEMAN
  
  
  
• A clumsily directed Steve McQueen Western...
  By A25AXWGBGJ5KBS on 2006-02-15
  I was a bit underwhelmed by this film.
  A frail McQueen plays the "legendary" Tom Horn, as a near-mythical heroic figure who lands in a small Western town. He is asked to clear up some trouble, honorably does so, and in the process is set up to take the fall for the townsfolk.
  McQueen's performance is fine...he's clearly ill so you instinctively give him a bit of leeway.
  The direction, however, is sloppy. It's unimaginative and pokey. Beautiful vistas yes, but the flashbacks are clumsy, many of the minor supporting actors are flat-out awful and the two-act structure makes for an awkward ending.
  Farnsworth, however, is perfect. Linda Evans has some absolutely horrible lines, but is supposed to look dreamy, and does.
  Fans of McQueen need to see this, but will be somewhat heartbroken while watching it.
  Seeing this after seeing "The Magnificent Seven", "Bullitt" and "The Getaway" is a bit of a letdown, but I'm glad I took the time to see it...
  
  
• MORE MCQUEEN THAN HORN
  By A2FLF8FFM506VM on 2003-01-22
  I SAW THIS MOVIE IN WIDE SCREEN LETTER BOX FORMAT WHEN IT PREMIERED IN MARCH OF 1980. I WAS FOURTEEN YEARS OLD AND LOVED IT.
  IT IS STILL KIND OF A CULT CLASSIC. IT IS A STRETCH THOUGH FROM THE WAY THINGS ACTUALLY OCCURRED. ENTHUSED BY THE FILM I BEGAN RESEARCHING "TOM HORN."
  I THINK MCQUEEN WAS MISCAST AS HORN. HE WAS THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND IT WAS HIS FILM, BUT SOMEONE LIKE ROBERT DUVALL, DENNIS WEAVER OR SAM ELLIOTT WOULD HAVE PHYSICALLY BEEN A MORE IDEAL CHOICE.
  FOR DRAMATIC EFFECT IN THE FILM HORN USES A WINCHESTER 1876 .45-60 RIFLE. IN REALITY HORN USED A WINCHESTER 94 IN .30-30 WHICH WAS A NEWLY INTRODUCED SMOKELESS CARTRIDGE AND THE HIGH PERFORMER OF THE DAY. I GUESS .30-30 DIDNT RING WITH MAGNUM FLARE IN 1980.
  SOME OF THE BIT PARTS IN THE FILM WERE PLAYED BY STUNTMEN WHICH IS A COMMON PRACTICE. BUT THE ACTING SUFFERED AS A RESULT.
  A LOT OF NAMES WERE CHANGED. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A "RIGHTS" THING AND ISNT THAT BIG OF A DEAL.
  HORN WAS A LOT MORE TALKATIVE AND BOISTROUS IN REAL LIFE THAN THE MCQUEEN TACITURN STYLE.
  IN THE MOVIE HORN GIVES EVERYONE A FAIR CHANCE AND KILLS THE BAD GUYS IN STAND UP FIGHTS. IN REALITY HORN WAS BASICLY A SNIPER WHO KILLED FROM AMBUSH. A TRUE "DRY GULCHER."
  DONT GET ME WRONG I LIKE THE MOVIE AND IT DOES VERY WELL FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF OF GOOD SHOOT EM UP ACTION WESTERN. I JUST THINK IT SHOULD BE VIEWED AS A CREATIVE QUASI-FACT PARTLY FICTION FILM.
  IT ENTERTAINS NICELY ITS JUST MORE STEVE MCQUEEN THAN TOM HORN.
  
  
• Too late to be a hero any more
  By A3UDYY6L2NH3JS on 2005-05-25
  This film is a real anti-western. Everything is there to make it a western, yet it is too late in history for it to be one. It is nothing but a thriller without a solution. The character is real. A hero of the war against the Apaches, he more or less survived in the west till he found a job with some cattle ranchers in Wyoming. He did what he was hired to do : he got rid of cattle-thieves. But finally his radical method in a world where the press started looking west were no longer acceptable by those who hired him. So they trapped him into a murder case : a child mind you. And he goes through it without the slightest sign of emotion. The film is a sad commentary on what the west became when it was completely open and conquered. The law arrived and crime along with it and no way to fight against it, or against them, both the law and crime. The survivors from the time of the wild west had to go away, recycle themselves or be put to sleep nicely or more violently. There was no reform school for ex-western vigilantes. It is pathetic to see the end of a period and the death of its heroes. This has always happened and the wild west is nothing but a dream today though some of its methods have been transposed into normal life and we do have some wild west adventurers among us. Mankind needs a frontier to develop and there is always a place where the law will not apply, a place beyond the very limits of lawfulness, even in the very heart and midst of our daily life.
  
  Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
  
  
  
• Underrated, Entertaining
  By A332MW6OA1LYDF on 2005-06-04
  This is a fine movie that was unfairly panned by critics. There IS some clumsiness to it--the use of flashbacks towards the end doesn't work. They seem as thought they were originally written and filmed to be an earlier part of the narrative and then placed at the end to keep the earlier part of the narrative going at the snappy, exciting pace it is in the final movie, and to add a little of that during the final part, which after Horn is arrested moves at a slower pace.
  
  But the movie is still well-made, well-acted, and plenty entertaining. This is a revisionist western that doesn't downplay--well, doesn't downplay excessively--Horn's stature as a killer of men. In the movie, Horn isn't reluctant to fire the first shot, or to keep shooting after a man is down. When one of the cattle rustlers tries to ambush him in town, for example, Horn shoots him and as the man is lying in the mud, probably mortally wounded, Horn unnecessarily shoots him again. In the film, it is this incident that moves the cattlemen who employ him to sell him out.
  
  Horn comes off as something of a hapless, easily-manipulated rube in the movie--which it seems very unlikely he could have been and still be as cagey as he was. He's an idiot savant, of sorts, a man remarkably gifted when it comes to killing people, but inept at living in the civilized world. When he learns that he is being accused of killing the Nickell boy, not only does he diligently avoid proclaiming his own innocence, he goes out of his way at his own trial to annoy everyone and cast even more suspicion on himself.
  
  We remain sympathetic to Horn, though. When we see him kill, he's always killing men much, much worse than himself. The world is not a worse place for their departure. And he's a helluva shot. We Americans love a great shot!
  
  
• one of my favorite mcqueen's performance
  By AU96UXTYO6BXJ on 2005-06-08
  i just received the dvd and i'm really disapointed...again warner bros put this movie in one channel audio...the previews are louder than the film...warner bros has done this numerous times...and when ordering it will not list the audio and this clues me in...so i'm asking all to let warner know about this and maybe even the mcqueen family...there is no reason to put one channel audio out without the buyer knowing it. i'm giving it 3 stars only for this reason..a great film ruined by audio.
  
  
• Sad Next-to-Last McQueen Film
  By A2B73CL3QSYWLB on 2005-07-24
  "Tom Horn" is a difficult film to watch at times knowing what we now know of the painful debilitating illness that star Steve McQueen suffered in his last years of life. I recall at the time of the film's release it didn't get very good reviews but time has been kind to this film. For starters, it's obvious that McQueen was in poor health when this film was made,particularly in the sequences that are more physically demanding. He appears gaunt and fatigued. They film him in shadowy lighting and in many cases it appears that doubles are employed. It's in the latter half of the film, though, that McQueen's physical state adds dimension to his role. The second half is devoted to Horn's circus trial for the murder of a boy. The way Horn comported himself in the past made him a hero in the "old" west. In the "new" west his methods are out-of-step and barbaric. Horn seems resigned in the face of this acrimony to accept that he is a man out of time. Though not quite of the same calibre this film brings to my mind John Wayne's final film, "The Shootist". To appreciate this film I think one has to familiarize yourself with McQueen's essential work. That said, this film stands as a fine elegy for a most outstanding career.
  
  
• Critics: What's your beef!
  By A1IZKQYBHMZFM8 on 2000-04-06
  I thoroughly enjoyed Tom Horn. The scenery is marvelous, the storyline is good, and the movie says what it has to say without any more. Why do movie critics tend to condemn it?
  
  
• A poignant McQueen in an underrated western
  By A2CZPM110DW516 on 1999-05-17
  Steve McQueen's second to last film, "Tom Horn," is not a complete success, but his performance and the excellent production values overcome the sometimes muddled screenplay. As the famed scout whose skills seem threatening and out of place in an Old West that is gradually moving into a more modern era, McQueen is as poignant and quietly dignified as John Wayne in "The Shootist." One of the screen's greatest stars, McQueen was nonetheless vastly underrated as an actor. His performance here shows that he could convey more with his eyes than most actors could with a long-winded speech out of Shakespeare. This is one of his finest performances. Highly recommended.
  
  
• McQueen gives his best performance of his latter career.
  By on 1999-05-22
  See it because it is brilliant. McQueen has the look of cancer on his face. When he is hanged at the end it is like watching McQueen dieing.Unforgetable.
  
  
• One of his last and one of his best.
  By A39TC9TKP6MYRJ on 1999-01-31
  This is the true story of Tom Horn, a legendary scout, Pinkerton detective and range rider from the turn of the century. McQueen spent over a year preparing for this portrayal, and it shows. He is able to capture the essence of the cowboy of the old west, warts and all. The reality that the old life is gone as the ranges are closed, hits Tom with brutal force toward the end of the movie. This is a story that is bigger than one man. We see America, first young and adventurous, now growing older and more cautious. There is no place for a man like Horn. He was needed before but now is only in the way.
  
  
• ONE OF THE BEST WESTERNS OF ALL TIME
  By A24GP9KSCAF9WA on 2001-12-01
  Tom Horn is one of the best westerns ever made and probably Steve McQueen's best film. McQueen gives a performance that deserves a best actor award in my view. The movie is based on Tom Horn's later years that take place from 1901 to his death in 1903. In that time period Horn is hired as a stock detective to rid Wyoming of cattle rustlers. But when Horn gets rid of alot of the rustlers, the people that hired him want to get rid of him so they frame him for a murder of a teenage boy and Horn is arested and put on trial.This was Steve McQueen's next to last movie before dying of cancer. His next film was The Hunter and it's a very good film also.Rated R for some graphic violence and language.
  
  
• DVD Transfer
  By on 2002-01-12
  This movie is outstanding and a high quality DVD should be produced in no less than THX.
  
  
• Great movie, however..................
  By A38HCXBEX2W9CN on 2007-05-09
  I loved this movie when it was released in the early eighties that I thought when I purchased this dvd, that is was going to be the same original, uncut movie I watched for the first time; not so! Don't get me wrong, I love Steve McQueen and have several of his movies on dvd, but Warner video cut out the fight scene at the start of the movie, as well as deleting other parts of the movie to make it more "family oriented" for the entire family to watch. That said, the rest of the movie is awesome, along with the beautiful photography which the film was shot in Wyoming. If you never watched this movie before, or don't remember the "details" of the movie when it was released, I highly recommend this second to the last movie Steve McQueen did prior to his premature departure from our lives!
  
  
• CUT AND EDITED DVD W/MISSING SCENES? ? WHAT GIVES?
  By AU958GBY5FX7E on 2008-06-01
  Remembering what a great flick this was,I was about to buy this DVD,
  then saw the review that noted that several key scenes have been taken out
  to make it more family-oriented? This stinks!
  I recently also purchased a DVD of BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES
  from AMAZON and returned it after finding a key scene had been cut
  from the first 1/2 hour. What is the point of selling these DVDs if we
  can't get the original unedited uncut version???
  As a minimum, AMAZON should note in BIG LETTERS in each ad if
  this is a CUT AND EDITED VERSION. That way, mnay of us will know not to
  buy it.
  
  
• Not quite great, but a "must" for McQueen fans
  By on 1999-02-14
  It's Big sky country, Steve McQueen, Linda Evans and the sad, sad story of the 20th century double-crossing and destroying a charmingly innocent badman of the Old West. This was Steve McQueen's favorite role and one he identified with personally. It has a grittiness and ring of authenticity rarely found in cowboy movies.
  
  
• A must see for fans of the way it really was in the West
  By A25ZT7N9KU8Q0C on 1999-04-21
  Steve McQueen does an excellent job portraying a man and situation that are both complex in their own rights. Fans of movies and books dealing with the way it really was in the West will trully appreciate this movie. I also recommend Mr. Horn's book on which the movie is based; "Tom Horn. Government Scout and Interperter."
  
  
• An Overlooked Gem
  By on 2003-08-18
  Taken on it's own, Steve McQueen's Tom Horn stands as a fine portrayal of the western frontier at the turn of the last century.
  If there are flaws it is in the editing, which seems choppy at times, leaving the viewer to want more of the scene and perhaps in a too sympathetic showing of Horn, who was not as likable human being if history is accurate.
  But that is quibbling. Mcqueen's penultimate role is one to seen and remembered.
  
  
• It's About Time
  By AMWRVDGTWO8UN on 2005-03-28
  This is my favorite McQueen film of all time. Not only a western, but is also a true story of a man who has come to a point in his life where he has done it all. He then comes to Wyoming and is hired to help with cattle rustling and is soon engulfed in an all out war with rustlers. Using his trusty rifle Tom uses violence as a way of dealing with them and soon then is framed for a murder and pays the ultimate price. His life. McQueen is perfect in this film. This movie is long overdue for DVD and I am extremely happy that they have finally set a date for it. End of May cannot get here fast enough.
  
  
• Still a favorite and still a classic
  By A3UJRS8HQAVMHH on 2006-02-24
  I hadn't seen this flick in more years than I care to remember. It still gave me that old western thrill and re-captured me. Steve was really cool yet played a realistic human being. He died like a man with his boots on.
  
  

• Nevada Smith
• The Hunter
• The Getaway (Deluxe Edition)
• Junior Bonner
• Will Penny