Tom Horn (1980)

64% of users liked it
(2,764 ratings)

Steve McQueen's penultimate film deals with a fascinating western legend, founded on an insightful script by Thomas McGuane and Bud Shrake. Unfortunately, the film was done in by the five directors --Don Siegel, Elliot Silverstein, James Guercio, William Wiard, and McQueen himself-- that were, at… More Steve McQueen's penultimate film deals with a fascinating western legend, founded on an insightful script by Thomas McGuane and Bud Shrake. Unfortunately, the film was done in by the five directors --Don Siegel, Elliot Silverstein, James Guercio, William Wiard, and McQueen himself-- that were, at one point or another, attached to the project. The film deals with the infamous Texas gunslinger Tom Horn. Horn gained fame for a variety of exploits; he served with Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders and was the Pinkerton detective who captured the notorious outlaw Peg Leg Watson. But as Tom Horn begins, something in Horn (Steve McQueen) has snapped. Tom quits the Pinkertons and hires himself out to rancher John Coble (Richard Farnsworth) to assist him in putting an end to his problems with the local homesteaders and rustlers. But Horn performers his job with a chilling intensity, killing so many people with such bloodthirsty rage that it is even too much for Coble and the ranchers to take. When Horn's violence cannot be stopped, Coble has to take the law into his own hands to put a halt to Horn's bloodbath. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: William Wiard
Written By: Thomas McGuane, Edwin
Genres: Western, Drama, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1980 Wide
On DVD: May 31, 2005

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Beautiful to look at but the story never develops into the elegant and hard-hitting film it could have been.
Rory L. Aronsky, Film Threat
In its moments of beauty, Tom Horn becomes an entirely different Western...

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Featured Audience Ratings

Dean M

Steve McQueen doesn't give a great performance in his next-to-last motion picture, about the last days of a real-life Wyoming bounty hunter, nor does director William Wiard craft a memorable Western. The movie has its moments here and there but results to be a little bit tiring… More
Steve McQueen doesn't give a great performance in his next-to-last motion picture, about the last days of a real-life Wyoming bounty hunter, nor does director William Wiard craft a memorable Western. The movie has its moments here and there but results to be a little bit tiring and slow-moving. It's a melancholy chronicle and near bittersweet dealing with the last exploits of Horn who is shown as hired hand to eliminate some rustlers. Good support cast who provides the best moments as Richard Farnsworth, Slim Pickens and Billy Green Bush, and a beautiful Linda Evans. At the end of the movie is a 1904 quote from Coble, saying that that Tom was not guilty of the crime of which he was accused and convicted. That's what I thought he was.
jay n

McQueen made better movies but this one isn't bad.
Brian D

A well shot and acted low key western.With the likable mcqueen at centre stage.Really don't make these type now days and if mcqueen were around today would of loved to seen him team up with Eastwood and Costner in a westen that would have been cool.