| Winterhawk | |
| Director: | Charles B. Pierce |
| Producer: | Charles B. Pierce |
| Narrator: | Dawn Wells |
| Starring: | Leif Erickson Woody Strode Denver Pyle L.Q. Jones Elisha Cook Jr. Seamon Glass Dennis Fimple Arthur Hunnicutt Dawn Wells Michael Dante |
| Music: | Lee Holdridge Nicholas Flagello William Goldstein Kendall Schmidt |
| Cinematography: | Jim Roberson |
| Editing: | Tom Boutross |
| Distributor: | United States theatrical: Howco International Pictures Canada theatrical: Frontier Amusements |
| Runtime: | 98 mins |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $790,000[1] |
| Gross: | $14 million |
Winterhawk is a 1975 American Western film co-written, produced and directed by Charles B. Pierce. Starring Leif Erickson, Woody Strode, Denver Pyle, L.Q. Jones, Michael Dante and Elisha Cook Jr., the story concerns a Blackfoot chief who attempts to get help for his tribe who have been infected by smallpox. He is betrayed by the people from whom he seeks help.
The film is set in the early 19th century. Winterhawk, a Blackfoot chief, seeks help for his smallpox infected tribe by attempting to trade furs. In a double cross by two outlaws named Gates and Scoby, the furs are stolen and Winterhawk's companions are killed.[2] Following the double cross, Winterhawk and his braves come back to the town.[3] He takes his revenge by kidnapping a white woman named Clayanna,[4] and her young brother Cotton, intending to trade them for medicine for his tribe. He is then pursued by a posse led by his friend Guthrie, a mountain man.[2]
Clayanna and Winterhawk grow close, especially after she finds out he is a widower. Guthrie catches up with Gates and Scoby, killing Gates and taking Scoby captive. The posse tracks Winterhawk to his tribes winter lodgings, where Guthrie and Winterhawk engage in a horse mounted battle with spears. Guthrie's spear glances off of Winterhawk and pierces Cotton, ending the fight.
Cotton survives, and he leaves with Guthrie and the posse after he offers Scoby to Winterhawk so that he might get revenge on him for the double cross. Winterhawk declines, so Guthrie takes Scoby's horse and coat and leaves him to die in the cold. Clayanna decides to stay with Winterhawk and pursue a relationship with him.
David W. Reid of The Spokesman Review referred to the film as an honest tale.[5] Reviewer Peter Morris of the Milwaukee Sentinel commented on the high standard of cinematography with the surrounding landscape that made it a nature film as well as a lively adventure.[4] Marshall Fine, staff writer for the Lawrence Journal-World, gave a very negative review of the film, and said it had the most unappealing character actors anyone would hope to assemble.[6]