Cowboys and Indians (2011)

Alvin Cowan plays Capt. Bugle; Steve Guilmette is his sidekick Hoot Cartwright, in this tale of their entanglement with the Black Claw Indians and their attempts to keep war from breaking out.

It begins when a homesteader wins a phony mining claim during a poker game with Prescott Seavers, who wants nothing more than an Indian war.

Despite being warned that the claim lies in the middle of Black Claw territory, the homesteader heads off to stake his claim with pretty wife Patricia (Katy Maloney) in tow.

Sensing danger, Capt. Bugle follows.

But he can’t keep Patricia from being kidnapped and winds up staked out to die himself.

Hoot rescues him. Bugle’s next mission: Free the woman.

After all, Bugle has promised he’d return for her.

Alvin Cowan as Capt. Bugle, trying to rescue a damsel in distress and prevent an Indian war in Cowboys and Indians (2011)

Katy Maloney as Patricia Conway, finding herself captive of the Bear Claw in Cowboys and Indians (2011)

Review:

This is a low-budget affair that can’t afford more than three cavalrymen and a half dozen unhorsed Indians.

And while Cowan and Guilmette are likeable in the lead roles, there’s not a lot of depth in the rather sizeable cast.

So it helps that the filmmakers take a completely light-hearted approach to their material. It’s clear from the opening scene that they’re not even attempting to make a serious Western. For that reason, it comes off as more entertaining than many of its contemporaries.

Steve Guilmeette as Hoot Cartwright, Bugle’s sidekick who sometimes comes to the rescue in Cowboys and Indians (2011)

Wayne Bastrup as Conway, the settler willing to put his wife in danger over a gold mine in Cowboys and Indians (2011)

Directed by:
Aaron Burk, Tyler Burk

Cast:
Alvin Cowan … Capt. Bugle
Steve Guilmette … Hoot Cartwright
Katy Maloney … Patricia
Jimmy James Jr. … Chief White Elk
James McCarthy … Prescott Seavers
Andrew Pinon … Bad Face
Wayne Bastrup … Conway
Edward C. Gillow … Col. Fitzgerald
Duane Minard … Golden Eagle
Robert Coffie … McHale
Dennis Ambriz … Falling Star
Meredith Thomas … Sportin’ Gal
Jack Zullo … Cactus Jake Johnstone

Runtime: 86 min.

Jimmy James Jr. as Chief White Elk, leader of the Black Claw tribe in Cowboys and Indians (2011)

Kristen Alaniz as Gentle Bird, proving anything but gentle in Cowboys and Indians (2011)

Memorable lines:

Col. Fitzgerald: “You’re built for war, Bugle. When there’s no war, you break too much stuff.”

One Indian brave to another: “You know better than to come between Gentle Bird and a scalp.”

Indian to Capt. Bugle: “If you speak with the rattlesnake’s tongue, the ants will feast on your eyes.”

Steve Guilmette as Hoot Cartwright and Alvin Cowan as Capt. Bugle in Cowboys and Indians (2011)

James McCarthy as Prescott Seavers, the man who wants to start an Indian war in Cowboys and Indians (2011)

Jack Zullo as Cactus Jack, the scoundrel who agrees to lead the Conways through Indian territory in Cowboys and Indians (2011)

Edward C. Gillow as Col. Fitzgerald, the cavalry commander in Cowboys and Indians (2011)

Dennis Ambriz as Falling Star, the war-mongering medicine man for the Black Claw in Cowboys and Indians (2011)

Andrew Pinon as Bad Face, so named after Patricia scars his face in Cowboys and Indians (2011)

Duane Minard as Golden Eagle, advocating for peace between the Black Claw and the whites in Cowboys and Indians (2011)

Alvin Cowan as Capt. Bugle trying to defend Patricia (Katy Maloney) as the Black Claw attack in Cowboys and Indians (2011)