Cheyenne Warrior (1994)

Kelly Preston is the lovely and pregnant Rebecca Carver, drug West by a tenderfoot of a husband trying to avoid the Civil War draft and looking for a new start.

Before long, the husband involves himself in a dispute he knows nothing about, riding off to warn two buffalo hunters that they’re being tracked by three Cheyenne warriors.

A buffalo hunter named Kearney kills Rebecca’s husband in order to take his Henry rifle, then sets a trap for the Indians. By the time the carnage ends, Rebecca finds herself at a trading post, surrounded by dead bodies and with a badly wounded Cheyenne named Hawk (Pato Hoffman) under her care.

She nurses him back to health. He returns the favor, helping her survive the birth of her son when she’s alone in the dead of winter.

And a bond slowly forms between the newfound friends, though they know it’s a bond that can’t last because of their vastly different backgrounds.

Kelly Preston as Rebecca Carver in Cheyenne Warrior (1994)

Pato Hoffman as Hawk in Cheyenne Warrior (1994)

Review:

More endearing than it has a right to be considering how predictable it is. Blame strong performances by Pato Hoffman as Hawk and the simple charm of Kelly Preston as Becky. Her graveside soliloquy to her husband is particularly memorable.

Rebecca is so mistrusting of Hawk that she keeps his hands tied as she’s tending to his wounds. Hawk has so much disdain for Rebecca’s ignorance of the land she’s ventured into that he nicknames her Not Too Smart Woman. But, of course, they grow to love one another.

Dan Haggerty and Bo Hopkins get top billing, though their roles are relatively minor. Haggerty is Barkley, owner of the trading post where the Carvers stop on their way West. Hopkins is Jack Andrews, leader of a small wagon train bound for Oregon who crosses paths with Hawk and Rebecca.

This telefilm was produced by Roger Corman and marked Hoffman’s first starring role.

Dan Haggerty as Barkley in Cheyenne Warrior (1994)

Bo Hopkins as Jack Andrews in Cheyenne Warrior (1994)

Directed by:
Mark Griffiths

Cast:
Kelly Preston … Rebecca Carver
Pato Hoffman … Hawk
Bo Hopkins … Jack Andrews
Dan Haggerty … Barkley
Clint Howard … Otto Nielson
Rick Dean … Daniel Kearney
Charles Edwin Powell … Matthew Carver
Noah Colton … Matthew Carver Jr.
Nik Winterhawk … Tall Elk

Runtime: 90 min.

Rick Dean as Daniel Kearney in Cheyenne Warrior (1994)

Charles Edwin Powell as Matthew Carver in Cheyenne Warrior (1994)

Memorable lines:

Barkley, finding out Matt is heading West to avoid the draft: “Maybe you’re just yellow?”
Matt Carver: “I ain’t yellow.”
Barkley: “Well, that’s good to hear. Because you sure as hell wouldn’t make It out here if you were.”

Barkley: “It’s them Pawnee you have to watch out for. They’ll kill you just as soon as look as you. They’ll kill you with the right hand and snatch your balls off with the left.”

Kearney to his partner: “Otto, you’re so damn inconsiderate. Now I have to dig a grave and bury your sorry ass.”

Rebecca, as she buries her husband: “You were always a mess of work, weren’t you Matthew? Well, you still are. I’m sorry I had to stick you in there with Mr. Barkley and that no good that done you in. But it was hard work digging one hole. Let alone three of them. … I’ve got an Indian in there with a bullet in him, who’s probably going to die on me. And if he lives, he’ll probably rape me and make me his squaw. Hope it’s hot, wherever you are, Matthew. You were a good man. You tried to be a good husband. But Mr. Barkley was right. You were kind of dumb. Wherever you are now, you listen to him (Barkley). He’ll keep you out of trouble. I’ve gotta go now and see if that Indian is still breathing. Bye, Matthew. Amen. “

Rebecca: “Remember, the mountain lion doesn’t attack the grizzly bear.”
Hawk: “Unless he has to.”

Kelly Preston as Rebecca Carver in Cheyenne Warrior (1994)

Kelly Preston as Rebecca in Cheyenne Warrior (1994)