The Avenging (1982)

Michael Horse is Josiah “Josie” Anderson, half-breed son of cattle king Jacob Anderson (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), and he’s getting a hero’s welcome upon his return to Pine Meadows.

He’s been off at college — Harvard, no less — for four years, and is welcomed back with open arms by his dad, Aunt Hilda and the community.

But not so much so by his older white brothers Jared (Cam Clarke) and Eli (Matt Stetson).

They’ve always resented the fact that their father took up with “a squaw” after their mother’s death.

Having worked the ranch for four years, they aren’t eager to share the benefits with someone who’s been off at school back East that entire time.

Matters get worse when Josie takes an interest in reservation school teacher Cynthia Justin (Sherry Hursey), who’s engaged to Eli. The attraction turns out to be mutual.

And they get worse again when Jared Anderson announces his plans for the ranch’s future. Josie will manage the business and get the western portion of the spread; the two brothers will share the Eastern part of the ranch.

That winds up being the final straw. Eli and Jared conspire with crooked Indian agent Butch Bowden to have Josie framed as a horse thief and hauled off to prison in Mexico.

Then Eli rushes back home, telling everyone Josie drowned.

Michael Horse as Josiah Anderson, back from Harvard in The Avenging (1982)

Sherry Hursey as Cynthia Justin, the school teacher who falls for Josiah despite being engaged to his brother in The Avenging (1982)

Review:

In spite of an obviously limited budget, this film gets off to a promising start with the prospect of three feuding brothers at odds with one another.

But then is led off south of the border to a Mexican prison. And the film goes south, in a big way.

The budget simply wasn’t big enough to handle some of the action filmmakers wanted to pull off. For instance, check out the mini-avalanche Josie sets off trying to escape that prison.

Other plot devices seem silly. The horse Josie is supposed to have stolen belonged to the wife of a wealthy Mexican landowner.

She takes one look at Josie and can’t help but try to seduce him. His winds up in prison largely because he refuses to be seduced.

The only thing sillier: The resolution of that little subplot later in the film.

Matt Stetson as Eli Anderson, Josiah’s older brother and the man who plans to marry Cynthia in The Avenging (1982)

Cam Clarke as Jared Anderson, Josiah’s jealous older brother in The Avenging (1982)

Directed by:
Lyman Dayton

Cast:
Michael Horse … Josiah Anderson
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. … Jacob Anderson
Sherry Hursey … Cynthia Justin
Taylor Lacher … Butch Bowden
Joseph Runningfox … Pablo
Brenda Venus … Juanita Quintana
Cam Clarke … Jared Anderson
Matt Stetson … Eli Anderson
Ann Bradley … Aunt Hilda
Dan August … Escaban
Mark Margolia … Pedro Quintana
Johnny Looking Cloud … Chief Running Wolf
Ken Plonkey … Warner
Fran Loretto … Maria
Les Hart … Minister

Runtime: 100 min.

aka:
Two Against the Wind

Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Jacob Anderson, welcoming Josiah home from the East in The Avenging (1982)

Taylor Lacher as Butch Bowden, the crooked Indian agent, being confronted by Josiah Anderson in The Avenging (1982)

Memorable lines:

Eli Anderson, when Cynthia Justin tells him she’s been invited to teach for another year: “We’ve made plans, and they don’t include you teaching the damn Indians.”
Cynthia: “But, Eli, these people need …”
Eli: “These people? They are what they are. And they ain’t gonna change, no matter what you do.”

Jared Anderson: “What did I tell you, Eli? Seems Josie here ain’t satisfied with just livin’ like a white man. No, he’s gotta Lord over them too.”

Johnny Looking Cloud as Chief Running Wolf, grandfather of Josiah and a chief among the Shoshone in The Avenging (1982)

Brenda Venus as Juanita Quintana, owner of the horse Josiah Anderson is accused of stealing in The Avenging (1982)

Joseph Runningfox as Pablo, the Mexican peon Josiah befriends while imprisoned in The Avenging (1982)

Michael Horse as Josiah Anderson, back from two years in a Mexican prison in The Avenging (1982)