Five Savage Men

Some of the scenes in this movie are so horrifying that they are difficult to watch, but they are presented as an unflinchingly honest picture of what people can do to each other. Other reviewers have told the plot, sometimes relating spoilers that give everything away. But I disagree with them on several counts.The most sympathetic person is the Apache played by Henry Silva. Furthermore, he and the other Native Americans wear authentic garb, not "costumes."Keenan Wynn gives a great portrayal of a truly despicable character, and you'll love what happens to him. That, and the other events that conclude the film, make sense if you keep an open mind about it. And it's obvious what is about to happen as the movie ends.As for the video quality: don't expect a Criterion release. But the West is shown as it undoubtedly was: blazingly hot, dry, and merciless.P.S. This film is also known in the U.S. as "The Animals," and in Canada as "The Desperadoes."

Item arrived. Great condition. Enjoyed movie. Please finalize shipping documentation.

One you won’t guess the ending. Watched twice now.

This film was very low budget. This copy looks as if it was taken off a 16mm copy. The audio is isn't tops either. It may be a cult filmby now. I like westerns. This one was made better as Hannie Caulder. The director didn't know where to put the camera! Strange ending.

excellent classic movie. Michele Carey is a forgotten gem. Westerns of the era are really good. I do have a problem with the end of the movie. Too many westerns end this way, and I wish this one had ened more positive. In the end, after reclaiming herself, love, life, and.....revenge. She lost. I know the west was rough, but this could have ended better.

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

This film had some great actors and actresses. The movie I grade as a "C" Movie. The plot was not well thought and the directing, to my opinion, was terrible. If you like revenge movies then maybe you might like this one. I thought the ending was terrible.

Ok for the time frame

Great revenge western starring the original Danny Trejo, Henry Silva, as an Apache who rescues Michele Carey after she's suffered a fate worse than death at the hands of the titular five men who've just robbed a stagecoach and killed all the occupants.The film has been cut by the odd minute or two but still remains visceral and shocking, although the gun play is probably quite tame by today's standards.Picture quality is not top notch, more like a vhs transfer and sound has to be really turned up on my tv to catch the dialogue---sadly NO SUBTITLES. Why not you twerps!Superb, violent film in its day and was copied almost literally and toned down to make the much more well known 'Hannie Caulder' with the equally gorgeous Raquel Welch a year later.

One of the very few films I have ever watched where Henry Silva played a "good-guy!" From as far back as I can remember, particularly in the fifties "Gangster" movies, with George Raft, James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart, and even later, in "Westerns", he was always noted as a "baddie!" To be a "goodie", (and an Apache chief), is a step away from the norm! I was most impressed with this Western with a difference.

Garbage is the only word for this movie. Keenan Wynn is sadly miss-used as a bad guy. I hate this movie