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The Horsemen

Play trailer Poster for The Horsemen PG Released Jul 24, 1971 1h 50m Drama Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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30% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 52% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
An Afghan sheik's (Jack Palance) son (Omar Sharif) tries to prove himself to his father in the grueling equestrian game of buzkashi.

Critics Reviews

View All (10) Critics Reviews
Derek Malcolm Guardian I refuse to believe that the dreadful Hollywood-archaic screenplay which numbs The Horsemen (Astoria) was entirely the work of Dalton Trumbo as the credits vouchsafe. Mar 18, 2020 Full Review Margaret Hinxman Daily Telegraph (UK) The result is curiously stodgy, over-reverent. Mar 18, 2020 Full Review David Robinson Financial Times For all its overlength, however, it is reasonably beguiling on its [road to] nowhere. Mar 18, 2020 Full Review Dilys Powell Sunday Times (UK) I have long admired Mr Frankenheimer's talents, but they are overlaid here by local colour (splendid photography by Claude Renoir). Mar 18, 2020 Full Review Tony Mastroianni Cleveland Press Director John Frankenheimer can't be faulted for a lack of serious purpose, just for a lack of material to fit his purpose. Nov 19, 2018 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews The location shots in Afghanistan (and some in Spain) are off-beat and stunning, and are the best reason to see this film. Rated: C+ Dec 29, 2014 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mike W Jack Palance and Omar Sharif at their best. The movie was brutal even without killing and guns. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/11/22 Full Review Audience Member Uraz (Omar Sharif) is the son of Tursen (Jack Palance), a stable master and retired buzkashi player, a sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to place a goat or calf carcass in a goal. He has lost his honor when he breaks his leg in a game that his father has bet all of the family's money on, which means he has to learn how to ride and play again, despite most of his leg. Based on Joseph Kessel's Les cavaliers, this was scripted by Dalton Trumbo and directed by John Frankenheimer, who loved the movie even if it wasn't a financial success. There's a lot of animal violence in this, so be warned. I mean, it's a game played with a dead animal, after all. The same game is played in Rambo III, in case you wondered. Like that movie, the Afghanistan of this film is long gone. It's a big Hollywood film about a sport and a place that I can imagine very few people were interested in, which makes me interested in it. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member The Horsemen takes its rightful place, if gawkily so, among Frankenheimer's best films Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member a stunning film, inspired by epic adventure and timeless conflicts! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member A bounding Exploitation Movie about a extremly violent Afghan Sport with beautiful Pictures of the Afghan Mountains Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the only movies about BUZKASHI, the national sport of Afghanistan. This sport had been banned by the Taliban and within one month of the ouster of the Taliban government, Buzkashi was being played in Afghanistan. Excellent for cultural understanding of the Afghan people. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Horsemen

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The Horsemen

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Movie Info

Synopsis An Afghan sheik's (Jack Palance) son (Omar Sharif) tries to prove himself to his father in the grueling equestrian game of buzkashi.
Director
John Frankenheimer
Producer
Edward Lewis
Screenwriter
Joseph Kessel, Dalton Trumbo
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama, Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 24, 1971, Original
Runtime
1h 50m
Sound Mix
Mono