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The picture tells the odyssey of a cowboy called Pike (Martin Sheen) whose partner, a white trapper , (Harvey Keitel), is murdered by Indians. Later on, he steals a white mustang called "Eagle Wing" to a Kiowa Indian. Having stolen a white mustang, he's pursued by an Indian, White Bull (Sam Waterston), who retrieves it and vice versa, going on and on a relentless manhunt .Pike pursues him to get his horse back. He then chases him to get his horse back through a long cat and mouse game . Meanwhile , the Indians attack a stagecoach with passengers (Stephane Audran and John Castle as a priest whose role was offered to Trevor Howard) and abduct an attractive girl. A Mexican posse (Enrique Lucero , Claudio Brook ) set out to track down the savage raiders . The west, the way it really was, before the myths were born!.

Solid western with great loads of action, chases and violence. From movie initiation when happens the horse robbing until the moving final, the fast-movement and western action-packed are continued . The pic is a crossover of various films , the white woman kidnapped by Indians just like ¨The Searches¨ (by John Ford) , the battle against nature from ¨Man in the wilderness¨ (Richard C. Sarafian) and ¨Jeremiah Johnson¨ (Sidney Pollack) and obstinacy and stubbornness between two merciless enemies who fight with no rest such as ¨The duelists¨ (Ridley Scott). The magnificent main cast is formed by an excellent Martin Sheen (Apocalypse now) as tough and two-fisted rider obsessed to recover the slim and graceful horse. Sam Waterston (Killing Fields) in a rare role as Comanche is very fine, as well. Sensational supporting cast featured by European actors, -this is a British production by Rank Organization- such as : Stephane Audran (Claude Chabrol's muse) and John Castle (Lion in Winter) as the priest. Besides , Mexican actors (Jorge Luque , Claudio Brook, Enrique Lucero, Jorge Russek), because being set in Mexican frontier and shot in Durango, Mexico, that's why some known Mexican actors were hired . Splendid cinematography by cameraman Billy Williams, it is wonderfully shown on spectacular landscapes . Lively and thrilling musical score by composer Mark Wilkinson.

The motion picture was well directed by Anthony Harvey (Lion in Winter). However , the picture was a flop and barely obtained money and failed really at box office; nowadays , being better considered than the past when it premiered. Rating : 7/10 . Above average Western , it will appeal to Martin Sheen fans .

8+ points for a take on a fresh and probably-kinda-maybe-perhaps-was look into back 'then'. American Indians quite probably stole more than killed (I doubt they were unusually bloodthirsty)...who really knows. Nice slower and somewhat uncommon pursuit... and the way things develop are not patterned which means it has a unique and lovely pace. I found this film to be most interesting. Thankfully not another mindless shoot em up. I thought this film would suck at first, but *wow* I wound up getting wrapped up and being entertained, this is why we have cinema... nice treasure... good job! I have hopes nobody dissects this film. When the entire movie unfolds I experienced many unique twists, impossible to determine what will be next. The characters are entirely human and have either honor or not... passion or not... forgiveness or not. Wound up loving the White Horse, the Indian, Sheen... even the damned desert was great. All good.

"Eagle's Wing" is a pleasant surprise of a movie, & keeps the viewer interested. I didn't know anything about it being made by the British until I read the other viewer comments. I can understand why it won an award for cinematography, for it was brilliantly presented & must have looked magnificent on a vast theatre screen.

It seemed to be a lot more realistic than most westerns, in portraying how the West was more truly won. As well as the complexities of the characters it presents. The Indian-Sam Waterson character is particularly intriguing. He seems to be brutal in the savage environment he is conditioned to, but displays remarkable respect for the frailties he witnesses in the white men & women he encounters. He is not friendly or sensitive to these intruders in his lands, but he has a limit to his sense of vengeance, even a compassion when he is in a position of power & observing the wilting white man bent on revenge, as well as the girl he kidnaps after capturing a stagecoach. As such, his character seems complex but congruous to the harsh lands he lived in & which were threatened by these intruders he is not heartless in his dealings with.

The magnificent horse he rides is a critical link & it is interesting to note how this Indian handles it, compared with the Martin Sheen-character who has it in his possession & power for a time. "Eagle's Wing" is an unusual Western, a genre I am not drawn to, but I really appreciated this excellent offering, which I would rate second only to "A Man Called Horse".

The whole thing seems like a very beautiful film school exercise, the rehearsal for a real film, or the cuttings from another film, picked up off the floor and edited into a... well, not a cohesive film, but certainly something.

Story is hardly there, or nonsense, and at one point has a couple of threads that I guess come together, to no particular purpose. Other threads are dramatically brought up then entirely dropped just as they reach their zenith.

The whole film is really like that. The most beautiful, well-scored, emotionally-moving, and generally sensible part of the film is the last few seconds, and the scene that plays out under the credits. No, not being insulting to say "credits were the best because it's over." I mean, there's a scene there, and it was the one time the movie really worked.

Too bad it took the better part of 2 hours to get there.

Also: Sam Waterston as an Indian. Sigh.

Released in 1979, "Eagle's Wing" is an English Western about a white trapper (Martin Sheen) circa 1830 who steals a white mustang named Eagle's Wing from a laconic Kiowa Native (Sam Waterston). The Native then pursues him to get his horse back. Harvey Keitel, Stéphane Audran and Caroline Langrishe are also on hand.

This is a unique, professionally-made Western. The tone is thoroughly realistic, Waterston is impressive as the Native, the women are good-looking and the Mexican locations are magnificent, albeit thoroughly desolate. Unfortunately, the story isn't very absorbing. But the film's interesting in some ways and certainly worthy of your Western collection.

The movie runs 111 minutes.

GRADE: C+