Thunder at the Border (1966)

Pierre Brice is Winnetou, helping guide a string of horses across the prairie when rustlers attack.

His sister, Nscho-Tschi (Marie Versini) is wounded, a couple of his braves are killed and the attackers make off with the horses.

But Old Firehand (Rod Cameron) and his friends lend a hand in time to beat back the rustlers, led by the villainous Silers (Harald Leipnitz).

Old Firehand and Winnetou decide to ride together and wind up in the border town of Maramonte, where Silers’ brother Billy-Bob is being held prisoner.

Capt. Mendoza (Rik Battaglia) wants to keep him in chains. The town’s residents are clamoring for his release, fearing the retribution of Silers and his bandits if he isn’t freed.

The situation deteriorates when Billy-Bob is killed trying to escape. Silers wants revenge against the entire town.

And that leaves Winnetou, Old Firehand, Nscho-Tschi and their companions with little choice but to help put up a defense against the bandits.

Rod Cameron as Old Firehand, tracking down on old enemy in Thunder at the Border (1966)

Pierre Brice as Winnetou, determined to help Old Firehand and the Mexican villagers in Thunder at the Border (1966)

Review:

An odd cross between a Winnetou film and a “Magificent Seven” movie as our heroes help rally a Mexican village to defend itself.

After the opening scene, you won’t find any Indians other than Winnetou and his sister. You will see Winnetou disguise himself as a Mexican bandit at one point.

And most of the film takes place in the American southwest, not the lush praries and mountains that are typically the setting of Winnetou outings.

Heck, there’s even seven key male characters defending the town — Winnetou, Old Firehand, Capt. Mendoza, Firehand companions Tom and Caleb, Jace Mercier and Englishman Robert Ravenhurst.

As a romantic subplot, we have Old Surehand reunited with an old flame (Nadi Gray as Michele Mercier). Jace is her son. He doesn’t know his father (hint, hint).

For comic relief that isn’t very funny, we have the Englishman Ravenhurst, who’s madly in love with Michele and oblivious to what’s going on between her and Old Firehand.

For pluses, the movie is beautifully filmed and director Alfred Vohrer delivers plenty of action for an old-fashioned Western good time.

Marie Versini as Nscho-Tschi, getting to know Tom in Thunder at the Border (1966)

Todd Armstrong as Tom, Old Firehand’s nephew, who falls for Nscho-Tschi in Thunder at the Border (1966)

Directed by:
Alfred Vohrer

Cast:
Rod Cameron … Old Firehand
Pierre Brice … Winnetou
Marie Versini … Nscho-Tschi
Harald Leipnitz … Silers
Todd Armstrong … Tom
Viktor de Kowa … Robert Ravenhurst
Nadi Gray … Michele Mercier
Rik Battaglia … Capt. Mendoza
Jorg Marquardt … Jace Mercier
Vladmir Medar … Caleb
Miha Baloh … Capt. Luis Sanchez Quilvera
Aleksander Gavric …Derks
Emil Kutiljaro … Puglia
Ilija Ivezic … Moses
Dusan Antonijevic … Leon Mercier
Walter Wilz … Billy-Bob Silers
Milan Bosiljcic … Vince
Aleksandar Stojkovic … Joe
Tana Mascarelli … Squaw
Aleksandar Belaric … Hernando
Marija Crnobori … Joanna
Adela Pedjed … Julia
Boris Dvornik … Priest
Dado Habazin … Callaghan
Nikola Gec … Wirz
Emil Mikuljan … Metz
Stjepan Spoljaric … Wallace
Ivo Kristof … Kaylurr
Stjepan Spoljaric … Ben
Franc Ursic … Lem

Runtime: 94 min.

aka:
Winnetou und sein Freund Old Firehand
Winnetou: Thunder at the Border
Winnetou and Old Firehand

Music: Peter Thomas

Nadi Gray as Michele Mercier, a former love Old Firehand is reunited with in Thunder at the Border (1966)

Jorg Marquardt as Jace Mercier, the young man who gets to know his father in Thunder at the Border (1966)

Memorable lines:

Sorry, I watched a foreign language version of this film.

Trivia:

* The marked the last of five Euro Westerns for Rod Cameron and his only outing as Old Firehand in the Winnetou series. He had small roles in two more Westerns before his death in 1982 — “The Last Movie” (1971) and “Jessi’s Girls” (1975).

* Todd Armstrong is best known for playing the lead in 1963’s “Jason and the Argonauts,” featuring the special effects of Ray Harryhausen. His scant 15 screen credits also included roles in “A Time for Killing” (1967) and “Scalplock,” a 1966 TV film starring Dale Robertson.

* Marie Versini’s breakthrough role had come in the first Winnetou film in 1963 as the same character she plays her. She had a small part in a 2016 German TV remake of the Winnetou story.

Harald Leipnitz as Silers, determined to get revenge on an entire town in Thunder at the Border (1966)

Walter Wilz as Billy-Bob Silers, the captured brother the villainous Silers wants set free in Thunder at the Border (1966)

Vladmir Medar as Caleb, one of Old Firehand’s sidekicks in Thunder at the Border (1966)

Rik Battaglia as Capt. Mendoza, determined to hold onto his prisoner in Thunder at the Border (1966)

Miha Baloh as Capt. Luis Sanchez Quilvera, the bandit leader who joins forces with Silers in Thunder at the Border (1966)

Boris Dvornik as the priest, ready to give his life for his town if necessary in Thunder at the Border (1966)

Pierre Brice as Winnetou, Vladmir Medar as Caleb and Marie Versini as Nscho-Tschi learning about the trouble in town in Thunder at the Border (1966)

Rod Cameron as Old Firehand and Nadi Gray as Michele Mercier, rekindling a flame in Thunder at the Border (1966)