Such a frustrating disappointment

Don't Believe the Hype

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Notable Actors: William Shatner! Joseph Cotton! Victor Isreal! William Shatner again! I leave reservation and travel many miles on my BMX to see this film many moons ago. Me heap excited to see Comanche people on film as me feel tribe under-represented in the cinematic medium. Um Squaw 'couldn't be arsed' so me go on lonesome.Me not know who William Shatner is but me not remember many ginger folk in tribe. And he two brothers? One of which take Peyote? We not takers of such drugs. Our um only weakness is Steakbake from Greggs on reservation. I see recent picture of William Shatner and he look like he like Steakbake too. Quite a lot.So there's one Shatner who bad (and he Indian one! Not good!) and one who boring cowboy type who I guess is Indian too). Indian Shatner want kill white man for boom-stick and horses and cowboy Shatner want stick peace pipe in Rosanna Yanni's Happy Hunting Ground.Also, grumpy old Bastard Joseph Cotton got problems with white ranch men fighting but they seem to kill each other without Shatner getting involved too much, although this meant big gun fight happen too soon. Grumpy old Bastard Joseph Cotton good here, but better in Lady Frankenstien (which good because you see Rosalba Neri's Teepees! And in Slaughter Hotel you see her under scalp!).Shatner then fight Shatner in end. This a bit bloodier than usual film but crappy too due to cheapness and Shatner crapness. How!

By now you probably know this is one of those hysterically bad movies. It really looks to be made that way, for a worst film festival, something Elvira could laugh at.Captain Kirk beams down to Earth (okay, I'm trying to make it more interesting, it's just Shatner), and is split into his evil and good self (okay, it's just twins raised by Comanches.) The evil twin is evil. The good twin is accused of the evil one's deeds.Pretty much every cliché is in this movie. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that although you want it to happen, Spock and McCoy DO NOT beam not and save him at the last minute. And this is amazing, considering how DeForest Kelly was a staple in old Westerns.So, if you can be amused by the worst film festival entries, you may go for it, because that's what this is, plain and simple.

While I will freely admit that this is a bad film, there were enough positive things about it that prevent it from getting a score of 1 or 2. An aging Joseph Cotten did a very credible performance as an aging sheriff. Although every bit of his 63 years, he gracefully and competently did his job in a film that wasn't worthy of his talents. Sadly, this isn't the last bad film Cotten did, as he later starred in LADY FRANKENSTEIN as well as AIRPORT '77. So, for Cotten's presence alone, you can't reasonably give the film a lower score than 3.As for the rest of the film, it's all pretty silly. The first things you'll notice is that the movie looks as if it were filmed using a Super 8mm camera and the music is 100% wrong for a Western. When was the last time you heard jazz and electric guitars in a cowboy film?! And the credits looked like they were created by a high school audio-visual club! Just how cheap and crappy can you get?! However bad all this is, that's exactly what I was hoping! After all, the film starred the king of subtlety, the great (at least in his mind) William Shatner. Having just wrapped up production of "Star Trek", Shatner apparently could have used some money and took part in this low-budget film--and in the process made it look even more low-brow and cheesy!! The plot certainly didn't help (with Shatner playing two silly roles, not just one) but who would have possibly thought of casting him a two half-American Indian brothers!?!?! Seeing this "White Comanche" riding about with his pasty white skin and war paint was a hoot. You ask yourself such questions as "why does he have short hair and look like Captain Kirk when the rest of his Indian brothers all sport shaggy black wigs?" as well as "why is he dressed nothing like an Indian?" and "what were they smoking!?!?!". And, in typical Shatner style, he delivers his lines staccato-style and is about as convincing as a man raised by Indians as Rip Taylor might have been in this role! It's so bad, it's good! Now in the other role, Shatner was actually pretty tolerable. Sure, he looked nothing like a typical man of the old West, but at least he was somewhat believable and delivered many of his lines like he wasn't drugged. Additionally, the over-emoting which is quite typical of Shatner is actually mostly absent--and his role is relatively subdued. Had Shatner just played this one role, the film would have been a lot better--but also a lot less funny. It might have also helped his career, though I truly doubt that people of the time remembered this role nearly as much as the Comanche one!! The story is about two identical twins whose mother was White and father was an Indian. While they were both raised by the tribe, neither looks or sounds the least bit Native-American. One chose to live among the Whites as an adult and the other became the leader of a renegade group of Indians. Well, believe it or not, the nice Shatner is tired of everyone thinking he is the "White Comanche" and challenges his evil counter-part to a final showdown in four days in the town of Rio Burrito or whatever it was called (it might have been Rio Hondo, but I WON'T watch the movie again to find out for certain). Once he arrives in the city, nice Shatner turns out to be a killing machine and a bit of a social worker--helping right wrongs and convincing everyone that he is one swell guy. And, in a silly finale, both Shatners prove they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn as they shoot at each other at literal point-blank range and miss repeatedly. In the end, the expected occurs and the credits roll.I strongly recommend this film for anyone wanting a good laugh, though the film still isn't as silly and stupid as another Shatner opus, IMPULSE. I suggest strongly you find this other film because unlike WHITE COMANCHE, Shatner is not the least bit restrained and over-emotes worse than he ever did on "Star Trek" (is this even possible?!).In recent years, Mr. Shatner has finally found his niche. Parodying himself with Priceline and his role on "Boston Legal" have proved that although cheesy, Shatner is not above exploiting his cheese-factor because he seems to be willing to make fun of himself...provided a camera is running and someone is willing to watch!

Hilariously bad western with Shatner playing the dual "good twin/bad twin" roles. This was made in Spain during his Star Trek years (hey, it seemed to have worked for Eastwood before him!). The incomprehensible back story winds up with a gun battle between fractious factions in the town of Rio Hondo (does anyone know what they're fighting about?). It also supports some other characters running around trying to hang innocent people. But the main clash is between the two twins which proceeds to a mano-a-mano finale in which Shatner gets to bare both his chests. I personally found his characteristic staccato delivery perfect for the Comanche twin Notah (speaking sterotypically of course). And for Star Trek fans - only one of him gets the girl! The film also suffers from a jazz influenced musical score, but, hey, that's the least of its problems.