The Animals
Reviews
Wuchak
**_White savages vs. noble ‘savage’ with Michele Carey and Henry Silva_** A young lady is manhandled after a stagecoach robbery in Arizona and left for dead (Carey), but a solitary Apache patiently sees to her restoration (Silva). They eventually team-up to pursue justice. John Anderson plays the righteous lawman that heads the posse while Keenan Wynn is on hand as the leader of the thug scum. "The Animals" (1970), also known as “Five Savage Men,” is an obscure ‘B’ Western that was the blueprint for "Hannie Caulder" (1971) and "I Spit on Your Grave" (1978). Michele was 27 during shooting and one of the most beautiful women on earth at the time. You might remember her from “El Dorado” (1966), “Live a Little, Love a Little” (1968) and “Dirty Dingus Magee” (1970). The score was written by Rupert Holmes, known for his hit “Escape (The Pina Colada Song).” It starts out dubious because it's mod-ish and seemingly unfitting for a movie that takes place in the Old West, but other Westerns had already set this precedent in the 60s. Thankfully, the music improves with some parts featuring notable percussive pieces and others that are moving. Most of the reviews are pretty low, but I’m sure this is due to the lousy first impression of the score and other technical deficiencies of what is likely the only print available. Sure, it’s low budget and reminiscent in tone of the contemporaneous “Cry Blood, Apache,” but it's superior to that barbaric and dismal revenge yarn. For instance, it’s more than just a brutal crime/revenge flick as the center of the story focuses on a noble 'savage' who contrasts the five Caucasian savages from the first act. He develops a successful cross-cultural relationship with the white woman back when it was socially unacceptable on either side. For anyone who argues that this is unrealistic, Apache men back then were people just like you and me today. They weren’t all cookie-cutter. One or two here and there were more individualistic compared to the typical brave and could even be viewed as outcasts. That seems to be the case here. The last act switches to the expected vengeance à la "Hang 'Em High" (1968), but the climax is surprising, offering a lesson on how even a noble individual can grossly misjudge another person (or people) & situation, and actually commit a crime. That’s why the bible advises not judging until enough accurate info is acquired to make a just assessment; and, even then, you have to be careful. There are unexpected creative bits as well, like the well-done Apache stare-down sequence and the fistfight over the saloon lass in the street. I also disagree that “The Animals” can be written off as a rip-off of Spaghetti Westerns. It's an American production shot completely in Arizona and I could cite numerous American Westerns as influential. Don't think for a second that Sergio Leone's “Man With No Name” trilogy was wholly original. For instance, Ennio Morricone's score for "A Fistful of Dollars" features a moving piece glaringly inspired by Dimitri Tiomkin's outstanding "El Degüello" from "Rio Bravo" (1959). Lastly, unlike the typical Italian Western caricatures, this flick provides actual characters. The core relationship is actually touching and so the flick scores well in the human interest department. The film runs 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot in Arizona, e.g. Saguaro National Park, Old Tucson, Sonoran Desert, Sierrita Mountains and Santa Cruz River. GRADE: B
Movie Recommendation
Sex1920-03-29A Broadway actress uses her sex appeal to ruin a marriage only to dump her lover for a richer prospect.More...
Keka2003-08-20Keka is a beautiful young woman working in a call center. Wanting to hunt down the killers and avenge her boyfriend's death, she undergoes rigid training. Everything has been going well until she meets the guy who makes her fall in love again.More...
Six Children and One Grandfather2019-03-01David McDoll is a selfish and wealthy man living an enviable lifestyle in his large villa and collecting fancy cars. However, his life is about to be changed forever when he inherits his six grandchildren. His glamorous lifestyle quickly becomes complete chaos. But he will learn a valuable lesson that teaches him about placing family first and discovering a newfound appreciation for life.More...
Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 22012-02-22Surf's up for Barbie as she returns as Merliah, the fun and fashionable surfing champion who's also a magical mermaid princess! In this exciting sea-quel, Merliah makes a splash when she heads to Australia for the ultimate surfing competition. When the evil mermaid Eris escapes from her whirlpool with plans to take over the throne of Oceana, Merliah and her sea friends dive in to stop her. It's a fresh new adventure where Merliah learns that anything is possible and she really can have the best of both worlds!More...
Station Six-Sahara1963-01-11A beautiful blonde joins a small group of men running an oil station in the Sahara Desert and starts the emotions soaring.More...
The Latin Explosion: A New America2015-11-16With more than 50 million Latinos now living in the United States, Latinos are taking their seat at the table as the new American power brokers in the world of entertainment, business, politics and the arts. As Latinos’ influence in American society has soared, they have entered mainstream American culture, and the proof is in the music. Executive produced by legendary music mogul Tommy Mottola, THE LATIN EXPLOSION: A NEW AMERICA features a dazzling array of artists at the center of Latino cultural power and influence, including Marc Anthony, Emilio Estefan Jr., Gloria Estefan, José Feliciano, Eva Longoria, George Lopez, Jennifer Lopez, Los Lobos, Cheech Marin, Ricky Martin, Rita Moreno, Pitbull, Romeo Santos, Shakira, Thalía and Sofía Vergara. Narrated by John Leguizamo.More...
Welcome, Violeta!2023-02-23Over the course of her stay at the remote residence, Ana becomes more and more familiar with Holden’s idiosyncratic methods that require the participating artists to abandon their own identities and live emotionally and psychologically as their characters. Captivated by her artistic investigation, Ana immerses herself wholly into the method and starts living as Violeta, until her fiction loses control.More...
Detective Knight: Independence2023-01-20Detective James Knight 's last-minute assignment to the Independence Day shift turns into a race to stop an unbalanced ambulance EMT from imperiling the city's festivities. The misguided vigilante, playing cop with a stolen gun and uniform, has a bank vault full of reasons to put on his own fireworks show... one that will strike dangerously close to Knight's home.More...
One Last Night2019-08-16A man and a woman start to fall for each other after they get locked inside a movie theater on their first date.More...
C(r)ook2004-11-11A killer for the Russian Mafia in Vienna wants to retire and write a book about his passion - cooking. The mafia godfather suspects treason.More...
Planet Single 22018-11-09A teacher and a famous TV host must hide their not-so-merry romance from the public when they present a Christmas special live on-air.More...
The Tribes of Palos Verdes2017-12-01When the situation at her idyllic Palos Verdes home turns volatile, young Medina attempts to surf her way to happiness.More...
Don't Sleep2017-09-29After moving into a cottage together, two young lovers confront horrors of a forgotten childhood.More...
Voice2021-11-20An 18-year-old woman is on the run from the repressions in Belarus. She took part in the demonstrations against falsified elections in August 2020 and protested the inauguration of the former president. She went through arrests and detentions.More...
Pero… ¡en qué país vivimos!1967-09-28Antonio Torres, a serious singer of Spanish popular music, and Bárbara, a vivacious yé-yé singer, face off in a chaotic contest promoted by Rodolfo Sicilia, an overworked publicist.More...
Stockholm East2011-10-21Stockholm East is the love story between two strangers, bound together by a tragedy that has taken its toll on both their lives and relationships. When Johan and Anna meet at the railway station connecting Stockholm with the idyllic suburbs where they both live, they embark on a dangerous journey of passion and lies.More...
Chou Deneiban SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors2010-02-27A Romance of the Three Kingdoms retelling using SD Gundams. (Source: Myanimelist.net)More...
The Price We Pay2023-01-13After a pawn shop robbery goes askew, two criminals take refuge at a remote farmhouse to try to let the heat die down, but find something much more menacing.More...
Mr. Car and the Knights Templar2023-07-12A well-known art historian, treasure hunter and owner of an unusual car stumbles upon a Templar treasure, which is the key to a great power that can upset the balance of good and evil in the world. Supported by friendly scouts, Mr. Car starts a big race against time and a hostile organization, the stake of which is the heritage of knightly orders.More...
Similar Movies
Duel at Diablo
1966-06-15In Apache territory, a supply Army column heads for the next fort, an ex-scout searches for the killer of his Native wife, and a housewife abandons her husband to rejoin her Apache lover's tribe.Comanche Station
1960-03-01A white man trades with the Comanche for the release of a female stranger and the pair cross paths with three outlaws who have their eyes on the handsome reward for bringing her home and Comanche on the warpath.Winnetou - The Secret...
2016-12-27In the second part of the German remake of the Winnetou films, Winnetou's sister Nscho Tschi is kidnapped by a brutal crook who wants to find a mythical Apache treasure. Old Shatterhead and Winnetou get forced to search for the precious in the silver sea by their evil opponent El Mas Loco.Winnetou - The Last F...
2016-12-29In Part Three, entitled "The Last Fight," gangster Santer Jr. attempts to seize an oil well on Indian territory. To prevent this, Winnetou and Old Shatterhand must reconcile the warring Indian tribes so that they can take up the fight against the henchmen of the criminal.When the Legends Die
1972-10-19An elderly rodeo rider becomes mentor to a young man attempting to make his own name in the business.Duck, You Sucker
1971-10-29At the beginning of the 1913 Mexican Revolution, greedy bandit Juan Miranda and idealist John H. Mallory, an Irish Republican Army explosives expert on the lam from the British, fall in with a band of revolutionaries plotting to strike a national bank. When it turns out that the government has been using the bank as a hiding place for illegally detained political prisoners -- who are freed by the blast -- Miranda becomes a revolutionary hero against his will.Dances with Wolves
1990-03-30Wounded Civil War soldier John Dunbar tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a reward, he's assigned to his dream post, a remote junction on the Western frontier, and soon makes unlikely friends with the local Sioux tribe.Trail of the Falcon
1968-06-21In the latter half of the 19th century, gold is discovered in the Black Hills, sacred land of the Lakota people. Gold diggers, profiteers and adventurers flock to the region. Among them is the hard-hearted land speculator Bludgeon, who tries to expel the Lakota using brutal methods. Lakota warriors retaliate, and soon the gold diggers' town becomes a battlefield.Apache Gold
1963-12-11The construction of the Great Western Railroad creates heavy conflict between the railway company and neighboring Indian tribes. Worse, criminal gang leader Santer sets his eyes on a gold mine located on holy Indian land and influences the construction supervisor to re-rout the planned railroad straight through Apache land. Old Shatterhand, who works as a measurement technician, discovers the evil plan and searches contact with the Apaches in an effort to avert war.Last of the Renegades...
1964-09-17Forester, a ruthless oil baron, wants to create a war between the native American tribes and the white men. Old Shatterhand, Winnetou and their sidekick Castlepool try to prevent this.The Searchers
1956-05-16As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.Frontier Hellcat
1964-12-08Outlaws disguised as Indians commit crimes against settlers but Winnetou and Old Surehand are determined to unmask the bandits and keep the peace.Maverick
1994-05-20Bret Maverick is a gambler who would rather con someone than fight them, and needs an additional $3k in order to enter a winner-takes-all poker game beginning in a few days. He joins forces with a woman with a marvelous Southern accent, and the two try and enter the game.Old Shatterhand
1964-04-30Renegades trying to get the army to abandon their fort get the Indians addicted to whiskey, then convince them to attack and drive out the soldiers.Flaming Frontier
1965-12-14Old Surehand and his faithful old friend Old Wabble are on the trail of a cold-blooded killer with the nickname 'The General'. The brother of Old Surehand was murdered by him. On the way Old Surehand and Old Wabble are involved in the running conflict between settlers and Comanches who are likely to go on the war path. Old Surehand can count on the support of his friend and blood brother Winnetou, the amiable chief of the Apaches. Written by RobertWinnetou and the Cros...
1966-08-17On her b-day, settler's daughter Apanatschi receives her father's secret gold mine but greedy neighboring prospectors resort to murder and kidnapping in order to get the gold, forcing the girl and her brother to seek Winnetou's protection.Battles of Chief Pont...
1952-12-08In pre-Revolutionary America, the efforts of a Colonial officer trying to broker a peace deal between Indian chief Pontiac and British and American settlers are threatened by the commander of a Hessian mercenary unit who embarks on a campaign of extermination against the Indians.Southwest Passage
1954-04-01As the Cavalry tests the viability of bringing camels to US deserts, a surveyor, Arab drivers, and fugitive bank robbers confront Apaches and thirst. Originally filmed in 3-DRenegade
2004-02-09U.S Marshal Mike Donovan has dark memories of the death of his first love. He keeps peace between the Americans and the natives who had temporarily adopted and taken care of him. The evil actions of a white sorcerer lead him to confront the villain in the Sacred Mountains, and, through shamanic rituals conquer his fears and uncover a suppressed memory he would much rather deny.The Return of a Man C...
1976-06-28Lord John Morgan has returned to civilized life in England, but finds he has nothing but disdain for that life. Yearning to embrace the simplicity of the American West-and the Yellow Hands Sioux tribe he left behind, Morgan returns to the tribe's land only to discover that they've been decimated by ruthless, government-backed fur traders. Led by Horse, they fight to repossess their land.