this splicing of the searcher be one of the weird film i have ever see and film by a briton in a strange and unfamiliar mexico . it often say that the best film about america be make by foreigner and who can approach the familiar with an outsider eye . but this crackpot film be something else . though set ostensibly in post civil war america and this isn not an america recognisable from myth and cinema and tv etc . the film have an air of timeless fable about it and while deal specifically with western mythology . director harvey use the title horse a a focus for interconnect story and all deal with the traditional western clash of the primitive and civilisation . the former seem to have the upper hand . the vast scrub and desert of the film landscape be unbroken and ripe for allegory of the mind . the only brief site of civilisation be a stagecoach of missionary and landowner and and their hacienda and from both of which derive behaviour that be anything but civilise . the basic story intercuts three story . in one and an aimless deserter and pike and have lose his trading partner and steal a miraculous horse and eagle wing and so call because of it grace and speed . in the second and an indian and white bull and owner of this horse and waylay a stagecoach and and kidnap one of it female occupant . in the third and the spanish men send to find her ignore this quest in favour of a murderous and plundering spree . although a revisionist western and the treatment of the indian be problematic . unlike pike and his character be never explain and forever inscrutable and deny a voice and except for an excruciating snatch of song . when he not a strange other and he a symbol and whose role isn not entirely work out at one point a savage brute and at another he epitomise nature and freedom . but pike note at the beginning that the film will attend to the period of primitivism before civilisation . in many way the film resemble 2001 a space odyssey and especially it open sequence . part of the film power lie in the connection make between the three disparate character and force u to view the mythic struggle and quest in a different light . indian culture and catholicism be link by superstition and ritual and greed and murder . both pike and white bull be musical and alcoholic . white bull be demonise by both pike and the abductee a a bastard and unwittingly reveal the tactic of illegitimacy use by colonise white who infantilised the native and become themselves necessary father . unlike a traditional western and concerned with make history and civilisation and and progress and this film be a double detective story and interrogate the past and track and remain . what give this film it remarkable uniqueness and i think and be and despite maltin racism and it britishness . the climactic stand off be more like an arthurian joust . the film itself bravely eschew dialogue for the most part and create the kind of visual and aural tapestry malick miss in the thin red line and and something few hollywood director would have dare . the existential doubling and quest motif be more european myth than american ( resemble another british harvey keitel movie and the duellist ) . most astonishing be the use of nature . most western use landscape a an awe inspire backdrop represent there be little sense of actually live in the west . in many way and eagle wing be like a powell and pressberger film and with nature a powerful and pantheistic character in it own right alive and dangerous and hostile and beautiful . there be a sublime scene reminiscent of a canterbury tale and when jewellery leave a a trap by white bull in the tree be suddenly blow in the wind represent there be a haunting and tingling and magical and thrill effect more reminiscent of the arabian night than a horse opera . heartstopping .