User reviews

It's always good to have a movie star father and young Fraser Clarke Heston was able to get father Charlton to star in a film adaptation of his script about The Mountain Men. Of course Dad was able to get friend Brian Keith into the film as well, they had worked together previously on a western called Arrowhead back in the salad days of both of them.

Charlton Heston has always been generous with praise of his colleagues so I don't think he begrudged Brian Keith a bit for totally stealing this film away from the Heston clan. Keith's portrayal of the rollicking, hard drinking, hard cussing, mountain man pal of Charlton Heston is the highlight of the film. It's the main reason to see The Mountain Men.

Another reason is the grand location cinematography in the Grand Teton mountains in Wyoming where this was filmed. This in fact is where the Kit Carsons, Jim Bridgers, Thomas Fitzpatricks and the rest of that hardy breed of men worked at their lonely occupation of trapping beaver pelts for sale.

They were indeed a hardy bunch. Unlike the post Civil War west these guys were in fact outnumbered by the Indians who with their bows and arrows were actually possessing weapon superiority to the muzzle loading single shot muskets the trappers had. You learned Indian ways and skills of all kinds or you did not survive.

The plot of this film has Heston rescuing an Indian princess, Victoria Racimo, a Crow away from her Blackfeet captors and earning the undying hatred of Stephen Macht, a chief among the Blackfeet. Very similar to the plot of Robert Redford's Jeremiah Johnson where Redford was also an object of Indian vengeance.

This film marked the farewell performance of that grand character actor Victor Jory. Jory plays a Crow chief who may look old but seems to have found Viagara long before the FDA approved it.

Unfortunately for The Mountain Men it got caught up in the wake of the approval for Jeremiah Johnson. It suffers unfairly in comparison to the Robert Redford film.

Yet The Mountain Men can definitely stand on its own critically and every other way. And Jeremiah does not have the fabulous Brian Keith in it.

Charlton Heston and Brian Keith are fur trappers out west during the mid 1800's. This one depicts white fur trappers' encounters with native Americans at the time.

The lives of mountain men are well portrayed; realistically dramatized. The roles of the "injuns" are not quite as well done; too Hollywood. The plot is basically indian bad guy, white man good guy. White man takes indian woman for wife. Indian man wants indian woman back and seeks revenge on white man.

The direction is pretty good. The cinematography is beautiful. The dialogue is very interesting to listen to.

Considering when it was made, before politcally correct was really in style(not that I approve of P.C. films), and considering its star is Charlton Heston, it's not a bad movie, I enjoyed it. I recommend it if you like American history, adventure and the great outdoors. I give it 7 stars.

The Grand Tetons are unmatched for grandeur and are in the background through much of this flick. The plot is thin in places but it's a realistic look at the mountain man way of life. Well worth a view. I rated it 7.

Maligned upon its release for its vivid violence, course language and questionable script, this film plays a bit better a quarter of a century later (now that vivid violence, course language and questionable scripts are almost all Hollywood has to offer!) Heston and Keith play feisty, rowdy, rugged trappers, swathed from head to toe in pelts and eking out a living selling their wares once a year or so to other frontiersmen. The action takes place in land occupied by warring Crow and Blackfoot Indians. When an enslaved Indian woman (Racimo) unsuccessfully tries to kill Heston and he brings her injured body back to his camp, a chain of events is kicked off that causes the deaths of dozens of people. Her captor, Blackfoot warrior Macht, wants his possession returned to him, more as a matter of pride than anything, and will stop at nothing to retrieve her. A variety of other characters turn up along the way including frontier newcomer Glover, old Indian friend Ackroyd and French Canadian trapper Cassel. Ultimately, Heston must go mano a mano with the ever-disgruntled Macht for the rights to Racimo. The rather cut-and-dried story is played out on a vast canvas of stunning Wyoming locations. The scenery is one of the chief attributes of the film. There is also a lovely score by Michel Legrand. Heston (along with many other people in the movie) has to contend with a horrendous fright wig - worse than his usual toupee! - a thick beard and a ton of heavy fur costuming. He gives a slightly more raucous portrayal than audiences may be used to but remains the granite-jawed, monument-like hero more often than not. Keith is wondrous. He completely abandons any and all refinement and sinks himself into his rough-and-tumble, foul-mouthed, earthy role. He and Heston share a significant amount of chemistry and the tale is almost more about their mutual affection than it is about the fight over Racimo. Surprisingly, for 1980, almost every Indian is portrayed by a white actor. Some are more successful than others. Jory and Ackroyd come across pretty authentically. Though he gives an intense portrayal, Macht brings all of the Native American sensibility, nuance and detail to his role as, say, a New York City writer moonlighting as a cab driver. He gives his role a far too contemporary and angst-ridden spin. Someone should have shown him Henry Brandon's work in "The Searchers" for inspiration. He also has an unintentionally amusing Snidley Whiplash moustache painted on his face for the bulk of the time. There's a raft of anachronistic-sounding vulgarity in the film, but it does aid in presenting the title characters as unsophisticated roughhousers. The violence is mostly very effective and gripping except for one really badly-handled beheading. Though fans of traditional (Randolph Scott?) westerns may balk at the film, it does offer some decent acting, action and cinematography. It also provides a vivid and rare glimpse into the world of the 19th century trappers. One quibble: Why do characters (often on foot!) keep running into each other in this expansive wilderness with the same frequency (or greater) than what would occur in Danville, Illinois??

I bought this movie for $5 before I even seen it...I like westerns so it wasn't that big of a risk for me. Although this movie has a few lame parts here and there, it is a quite entertaining story about furtrapping, friendship, and even a little romance. There aren't enough movies out there about furtrappers or this extremely adventurous era of our country's history.

Brian Keith's character(Frapp)in the movie was the best part. He is a rough and tough "Injun" fighter who loves whiskey and cuss words. He provides some comic relief and is the most memorable character in the movie. Heston does an okay job as well. My favorite line in the movie is after the Crow Indian says "You give us gifts and we go in peace." and Frapp says "You can go in dog s***!"

This fanciful tale of isolation in Great Rocky Mountains , Yellowstone Parks and other wonderful locations reflects perfectly America's mood during 19th century on the new frontier . A duo of valiant frontiersmen named Bill (Charlton Heston) and Henry (Brian Keith) struggle Black Foot , Crow Indians , guzzle liquor , shoot efficiently his preys and in search for a legendary valley plenty of beavers that they jump right into their traps . Soon after , Bill steals a squaw (Victoria Racimo) and becomes the unwilling object of a long vengeance by an Indian chief ( Stephen Macht) when he proves to be the match of their warriors in one-to-one combat on the early frontier . As Indians set out to track down the mountain men on savage raids until a thrilling final . Both of them show obstinacy and stubbornness of relentless enemies who fight with no rest . They are continuously pursued by Indians because the chief seeks vengeance , going on a relentless chase .

Chronicle of life of adventurers with great sense of humanness , friendship and good feeling . This extraordinary Western results to be a slice of life about hermit men and a hostile environment . Intesesting screenplay by Fraser Clarke Heston , Charlton's son , narrates the odyssey of grizzled scouts , expert hunters that one time dreary of civilization go to West developing their natural senses and becoming into mountain man , as they take part of the wildlife and landscape . Solid western with interesting events , violent fights , emotions , thrills and spectacular outdoors . Gorgeous scenery and great roles for Heston and Keith in a thoughtful meditation on the American West . From the initiation until the final are proceeded continuous battles against nature and a survival-fight versus wintry wilderness , trappers , and savage Indians, among others . The story is a crossover of various films , the battle against nature of ¨Man of a wilderness land¨ and Indians as ¨ Man called horse ¨ and of course ¨Jeremiah Johnson¨ that bears a remarkable resemblance . The magnificent cast is starred by an excellent Charlton Heston , a simple man who has no taste for cities and becomes a tough and two-fisted mountain man and Brian Keith as feisty old trapper , both of whom developing an intimate relationship . Supporting cast is featured by various actors in brief and enjoyable performances as John Glover , Seymour Cassel , David Ackroyd , William Lucking and Stephen Macht as native obsessed a bloody revenge . Splendid cinematography in Panavision and glimmer Technicolor by Michael Hugo as is reflected on spectacular outdoors filmed in sighting , rousing natural parks from Bridger-Teton National Forest, Jackson, Wyoming,Grand Teton National Park, Moose, Shoshone National Forest, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA . Lively and evocative musical score by Micael Legrand who previously won his first Oscar for Best Music for "The Windmills of Your Mind" and was also nominated for Best Music for ¨The case Thomas Crown¨. The motion picture is professionally directed by Michael Legrand , son of also director Walter Lang . Richard is an expert filmmaker of TV episodes as ¨Melrose Place , Perry Mason , Matt Houston, Charlie's Angel ,Kung Fu , Harry O, Fantasy Island ¨ and eventually for cinema as ¨A change for seasons¨ and ¨Mountain men¨. Rating : Better than average . This outstanding frontier western will appeal to Charlton Heston fans and landscape lovers .

Rowdy trappers Charleton Heston and Brian Keith take a little time off from trapping beaver and arguing amongst themselves, in order to fight off a hostile tribe of Blackfoot, that takes a special disliking to them after Heston makes off with the war-chief's wife.

A crude, action-packed movie, the two leads wear massive helmets of fake hair under even bigger fur hats and seem to be having a lot of fun, spouting hilariously vulgar lines, while they drink, brawl, and shoot their flintlock rifles in an orgy of excessively macho violence.

Though not very subtle at all, Heston and Keith's enthusiasm is pretty damn infectious, making this well worth checking out for fans of muscular action yarns.

Production values, cinematography, and beautiful Wyoming locations are all first-rate. Also great is the performance by Brian Keith, who easily steals the movie away from top-billed Charleton Heston!

I had to review this, if only for the summary.

Joking aside, a peculiar movie, don't really know what to make of it. Plays for the most part as harmless family fun accompanied by a playful soundtrack. Very nice scenery to look at, cinematography is pretty good all the way, except lighting on some scenes felt a bit unnatural.

Even tho it feels like a family comedy, there are a lot of strong scenes and brutal, bloody violence. May not be that extreme on today's standards, but back in the 80's a scene where a man get's his head chopped off was quite a lot to stomach.

The movie has a some real old school stunts, might not be a good idea to watch this if you're easily shocked by western style stunts involving horses. Or dogs, as there is a scene where Heston battles with wolves, nothing dramatic, but the wolves/dogs get hit with a few thrown objects. There's also a couple of stunt scenes where it looks as if the stuntman really gets hurt.

Old fashioned, light hearted fun, which sadly is ruined by too much violence. Don't know how accurate it is historically, but as a European, I don't think the movie makes everything quite as black and white as it could. "White men" are not portrayed all flawless. Disagreements seem to be more about horses and women this time.

To justify the summary, there is a lot of old men fooling around with young Indian women, which does feel a bit awkward and corny at times. The men also hunt beaver, so there you have it. Pun intended.

If memory serves, back when this movie first came out, two well-known reviewers (who lived by their thumbs) voted this one of the worst films of 1980. A few years later, I actually saw "The Mountain Men".

Just goes to show that even two well-placed thumbs can be wrong.

This is a fairly entertaining film, detailing the rowdy lives of two hunters (Heston and Keith) living in the mountains, drinking bad whiskey and fighting off attacks by bad guy Indians like Heavy Eagle, who scalps poor Keith at one point. The stereotypes are a little thick in spots, but the story is so well-told that one hardly notices.

The film was written by Fraser Clark Heston, Charlton's son, and a fine writer he is, blending humor, action and sentiment all into one neat little package. And with such beautiful mountain scenery on view, what a pretty package it is.

It's not exactly the easiest film to find but if you do get a hold of "The Mountain Men", be sure to watch it immediately. This is one of those films they REALLY don't make anymore.

Eight stars for "The Mountain Men".

With a scenic opening credits sequence framing the high country of Wyoming in the 1800s, one might be led to believe THE MOUNTAIN MEN to be a family adventure, or something along the lines of Grizzly Adams. But once we get introduced to the two guys in this particular deck of cards, the truth comes out: Grizzly Adams, this ain't.

Charlton Heston and Brian Keith, who had previously teamed up in their early days in the 1953 western ARROWHEAD, are, respectively, Bill Tyler and Henry Frapp, two grizzled, hard-living mountain men living out in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming in the days just prior to wagon trains and immigrants making the big move out West. Heston's mountain man is in the beaver trade, but he is astonished to eventually find that beaver is going out of style. Keith, meantime, gets into something of a running gag feud with Heston as to whether the Indian tribes that keep pursuing them are Crow or Blackfoot. Not only does it turn out to be Blackfoot, but the Blackfoot chief Heavy Eagle (Stephen Macht) is out to get them after his slave bride Yellow Moon (Victoria Racimo) escapes from his iron grasp, and gets Heston's and Keith's protection. The end result is, not surprisingly, rather rough and violent.

Featuring the usual expected professional performances from old pros Heston and Keith (Keith, in particular, with his four-letter tirades, minus any F-bombs, almost overshadows Heston--not an easy thing to do even when the man who played Moses and Ben-Hur isn't up to par), THE MOUNTAIN MEN is not a particularly spectacular piece of work in the hands of director Richard Lang, but it is hardly the atrocity that a lot of critics made it out to be when it was released in 1980. This was a project close to Heston's heart, as its screenplay was written by his son Fraser Clarke Heston; and it is true to the historical essentials of the lives of mountain men, if not necessarily to Indian culture. It is quite bloody in places, and one white explorer (Seymour Cassel) literally loses his head rather gruesomely to Macht near the climax, so clearly THE MOUNTAIN MEN isn't for the younger set. But with two stalwarts like Heston and Keith leading the way, Racimo being quite good as a squaw, and Macht making for a convincing foe (if not a truly convincing Indian), it makes for solid entertainment, if sometimes drenched in bloodiness and off-color language--particularly as it may have been one of the last reasonably good Westerns made in Hollywood before Cimino's atrocious HEAVEN'S GATE all but killed off everyone's appetite for the genre.

Charlton Heston and Westerns should have been a match made in heaven. They were a popular genre during the first half of his acting career, even if they went into something of a decline during the second half. He excelled in playing men of action and rugged outdoors types, combining toughness with the decency and integrity which were the hallmarks of the Western hero. He was a good horseman and knew how to handle a gun. (He was in later life to attract controversy because of his membership of the National Rifle Association and his strident advocacy of their pro-gun policies).

And yet, when I look at my list of favourite Westerns, I find that Heston only features in one of them, "The Big Country", and even there he only plays a supporting role, the star part going to Gregory Peck. "Will Penny" is a decent enough film, but fell some way short of being a great one, and "The Far Horizons" fell even further short. "Major Dundee" contained the seeds of greatness, but ended up shapeless and disorganised, largely due to the erratic behaviour of its director Sam Peckinpah.

"The Mountain Men" is another Heston Western which will never rank among my favourites. The action takes place during the 1830s, a period when few white people had yet colonised the West. The few Europeans in the area were not the settlers and farmers who were to come later but traders, hunters and trappers. Heston's character Bill Tyler is a trapper who is on an expedition with his friend and partner Henry Frapp in search of beaver. At one time beaver pelts (or "plews") were much sought after because the fur was used for men's hats, but at the time when the film is set the fur trapping business is in decline. Changes in fashion mean that silk is now the desirable material for hats and plews no longer fetch the high prices they once did. The story involves Tyler and Frapp searching for a legendary valley "so full of beaver that they just jump in the traps". While doing so they get involved in a feud between two Native American tribes, the Crow and the Blackfoot, and Tyler becomes the lover of a Crow maiden named Running Moon who is escaping from her abusive Blackfoot husband. (Heston also played the lover of a Native American girl in "The Far Horizons").

The film was made in 1980 at a time when the decline of the Western had already begun. That year was also to see Michael Cimino's notorious "Heaven's Gate", the commercial failure of which was to accelerate that decline. It would, however, be unfair to put all the blame onto Cimino's shoulders. Another reason for the decline lay in the fact that so many Westerns had been made that it was becoming increasingly difficult to use the genre to say anything new, and this was one of the problems with "The Mountain Men". It found little favour with the critics; Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert described it as one of their "dogs of the year" for 1980, and although the dog may be man's best friend that expression did not imply friendly feelings towards the film or those involved in making it.

Moreover, the film did not find much favour with its star either. The original story was written by Heston's son Fraser, although according to Heston senior the studio monkeyed with the plot to such an extent that the finished film bears little resemblance to what Heston junior had actually written. Both father and son were allegedly "heartbroken" by the final cut, Heston senior acidly commenting that "the people who put up the money control the film". We cannot, of course, know what the film would have been like had it been more faithful to Fraser Heston's vision, but the film we have is a mess, a Western of the dull, derivative seen-it-all-before school of filmmaking. The photography of the mountain scenery is attractive, but the acting is mediocre with Heston far from his best, the plot predictable and the pacing far too slow. About its only distinguishing feature is a greater amount of profanity than is common in run-of-the-mill Westerns. The people who put up the money should really have expected a bit more for their dollars. 4/10

A Great Movie with Two Excellent Actors and a Great Supporting Cast. The Scenes are all colorful and interesting. It is a Movie you will want to see over and over again. Bill Tyler and Henry Frap make you feel like your there watching them in person. Chief Iron Belly is another unforgettable character. The scenery is fantastic. I also was very impressed with the Native American Costumes. An American Adventure Movie with Two of Hollywoods Greatest Stars. Charlton Heston and Brien Keith should be remembered in the History Books for this Movie as one of their Best. Humor in this film along with Bitter reality. I wish that more movies like this one were being produced today.

There aren't that many movies about the period and place in which "The Mountain Men" is set. Sure, Hollywood made a bazillion westerns...but very few set this early and in such a wild and wide open place. One of the few I can recall is the terrific Clark Gable film "Across the Wide Missouri" and another is "Jeremiah Johnson", so it's nice to see another film set here with "The Mountain Men".

The story is set at about 1838 more or less and was filmed throughout Wyoming. Very, very few white men lived there during this period and those who did were French and American fur trappers. The film is about two of them, Bill and Henry (Charlton Heston and Brian Keith) and their adventures. Most of the time, these two oldsters seem to be dodging hostile Indian tribes or looking for beaver. Along the way, Bill picks up an Indian wife (Victoria Racimo)....one who initially hates him but who comes to love him over time.

Unlike "Across the Wide Missouri", "Jeremiah Johnson", and the mini-series "Centennial", this is a new, cruder look at these rough and tumble fellows. Their vocabularies are rather colorful compared to other portrayals, that's for sure! There also is a LOT more fighting and killing. Both surprised me a bit....and I am not necessarily criticizing the crudeness of some of the characters nor the violence.... I am pretty sure the trappers were a rather motley lot!

So is this any good? Well, anything about this period is worth seeing. And, the location shooting is lovely....as is the music. On the other hand, it was disappointing to see that most of the Crow and Blackfeet parts were not played by natives but white actors....which is a bit unusual for 1980. I would have expected this in older films. Still, overall, a satisfying movie worth your time.

By the way, in the film they talk about a place called 'Popo Agie'. Well, that's a real place in Wyoming.

This movie rocks. Brian Keith and Charleston Heston doing what they do best. Ford, Wayne, and Bond never had this much fun doing a movie.

Keith and Heston play two grizzled old farts who grumble all the time and shake off injuries in much the Wayne style. They fight tons of Indians.

Heston hooks up with this young woman who becomes central to the story. She doesn't want to go back to her tribe, but the fighting will continue until she does. The last thing this woman is is weak. She kicks serious butt. None of this fake look-at-my-heinie-as-I-gyrate-Lucy-Liu fighting, but real fighting. She beats up men, gets knocked out, gets trampled by a horse, but there is no stopping her.

Excellent action scenes. Eastwood and Wayne couldn't have done better. Redford certainly did much worse in his weak, pathetic caricature of the infamous Liver Eater Jeremiah Johnson. The real Johnson wouldn't have cried all the way like Redford did. He would have kicked butt like Heston and Keith.

The movie pits man against man, man against animal, and occasionally woman against man. In all fight scenes, no one backs down. All fight with honor, with the exception of one lone Frenchman.

Despite my love of good action scenes, my favorite parts of this movie are the wisecracks, especially Keith. He has a lot of them.

If I ever get to be a trapper in 1860 Wyoming, I hope that I can find these guys.

And if I get real lucky, maybe Cheston's babe has a sister.

Looks like it takes place in the 1840s or 50s since it's flintlock rifles that are being used.

Most of the film deals with a Blackfoot Indian, Heavy Eagle (soap-opera star, David Ackroyd) and his warriors going after mountain man, Bill Tyler (Charlton Heston) for 'stealing' his squaw, Running Moon (Victoria Racimo). Doesn't matter that Running Moon wants to be with Tyler. Heavy Eagle has to preserve his honor.

There's a side plot about the shortage of beaver that Tyler and his partner/sidekick Henry Frapp (Brian Keith) have to deal with, but this is mostly a pursuit film with Heston being chased all over Wyoming and engaging in lots of hand-to-hand combat with the Blackfoot.

And speaking of Wyoming, there is some excellent scenery up there. Beautiful country!

Lots of swearing, some blood being spilled and plot that moves pretty fast, so there's little time is being wasted. I don't know who edited this film but some of the scene transitions seem a little too abrupt to me. The film also has plenty of lame juvenile dialog, but if you can get past that, then it's worth a look.

I'm going to give it an above average rating more for the scenery and a beautiful score by Michael Legrand, than anything.

6 out of 10

An offbeat "western",with very crude language,a scene of sodomy ,much violence .The reason why you would watch this Heston project is the splendor of the Wyoming landscapes ;the director almost make us believe his heroes have found their Eldorado ,their "Beavers Valley".Much more eventful than "Jeremiah Johnson" ,"Mountain men" came too late ,at a time westerns were overshadowed by sci-fi.

The squaw displays woman's lib before its time .Her character is not very plausible though.It's hard to believe she speaks "their" language so well;and anyway her (Indian) husband does speak English too .There's a good use of Brian Keith's character and the last picture is really original and moving.

I wanted to like this movie, but it was awful! It was poorly written and poorly acted. Probably the only reason it got made was that Charleton Heston agreed to act in it. And probably the only reason he agreed to act in it, was because his son wrote it. There are some historical accuracies since it was drawn from the book of the same name which is considered an accurate account of that time.

If you want a historically accurate story from that time, read the book called Morning River and its sequel, Coyote Summer by W. Michael Gear. Too bad those books have not been made into a movie.

This movie was embarrassingly bad!!!

If you haven't been spoiled by modern society and brainwashed with political subliminal television making you into a sheep, then you will clearly enjoy this movie! You will like setting yourself within the era of the early 1800's, experiencing the freedom and danger of the wild west. `Got sand in her, she does,' Brian Keith says when an Indian woman wants to latch on to Charlton Heston; which leads to the normal function of having a mate, and that becomes the main story because the squaw‘s mate from the Blackfoot tribe pursues in getting her back. The Wyoming Grand Teton national park is an excellent location; it sets the scene for Heston who loves to trap beaver; it sets the scene for a period of time when their where few luxuries; it sets the scene for the battle between Heston and the Blackfoot warrior. A buddy film that's fun, and sad . . . So watch, feel, and enjoy the action.

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-

Charlton Heston and Brian Keith, while first-rate in this film, came in second to the stupendous scenery of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park in this story of two crotchety, fiercely individualistic fur trappers in the mid-18th century who fight the elements, Indians, and occasionally each other. The two stars work extremely well together, and Keith especially seems to be having the time of his life. He played a similar role in a very good TV movie of the same period, "The Quest," but here he is given the opportunity to run with it, and he does a grand job. At first Heston looks somewhat stiff and uncomfortable in his mountain man getup--mainly varying types of animal pelts, with a huge Davey Crockett-type fur cap--but before long he seems right at home. The action scenes are extremely well done and quite intense, actually--especially when Keith and Heston are ambushed by an Indian war party at their camp--and there is a rollicking scene at a large meadow where the annual trappers' gathering (a sort of swap meet) is held. Heston seems to be enjoying himself, the scenery is absolutely gorgeous, and this is one of the most enjoyable, and better-made, westerns to come out of the early '80s. Recommended.

A pretty dated film, the action, the dialogue, the romance, none of it is really convincing, even the costumes, the locations are good but the film is very old fashioned especially the music. The stakes never really felt real and the characters lacked much depth. A shame. What I did like about the film though was the locations and scenery which all looked great. Also the setting was an interesting one, taking place a bit earlier than most westerns in a time when there was more freedom and intermingling for the different peoples occupying the American West. The action is competently done but perhaps a bit dated by the 1980s standards where we had films like Die Hard and Predator.