Wonderful character development!

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Considering the story, the title of the picture was a little overwrought, don't you think? There really weren't any legends to speak of here. Richard Widmark's character, Red Dillon, who did die at the end of the story was actually a pretty repulsive character after starting out the movie as a good guy. At least he came across that way for taking in Ute Indian Thomas Black Bull (Frederic Forrest) when he was only nineteen and directionless. But things turned sour when Red tried to run a hustle with Tom taking dives at rodeo bronc riding events to set up larger bets with his unsuspecting cowboy pals. It made Red's early advice to Tom (see my summary line) somewhat contradictory, since it was really Red who was in the relationship all for himself.I've seen and heard it in two older Westerns, but this is the only relatively modern one in which a character uses the term 'red ni--er'. That was when competitive bronc rider Tex Walker (John Gruber) slandered Black Bull for passing on a drink at a local watering hole. Another film I can recall in which the term came up was in 1960's "The Unforgiven" with Burt Lancaster and Audie Murphy; it was used twice in entirely inflammatory situations. Even here, the comment earned a physical response from Red Dillon, who put the abusive Tex down on his butt.As far as the bronc riding goes, I was impressed with the way the horse went down on Tom in one of his final rides. It looked pretty dramatic and I was wondering how they staged it, so I went back and it looked like stock footage was used from an actual event to match up with the action on screen. It was most likely a real accident filmed at a rodeo and spliced into the picture to make it look like Tom got hurt. In any case, that spill looked awful nasty.Say, here's something that got my attention. You don't see anything like this today, but old timers like myself will remember when gas stations gave away premiums for buying their product. I can't say I ever got a salad bowl for a three dollar fill-up myself, but those kind of giveaways were out there back in the day. Now the gas goes for three bucks a gallon and you can't afford the fill up.For his part Frederic Forrest came across kind of stiff in his first significant movie role. Not having a Native American background, he pulled off the part of a Ute Indian relatively well without resorting to stereotype, which must have put him in good stead for the role of vicious Kiowa Indian Blue Duck in 1989's 'Lonesome Dove' series. I thought his character Black Bull in this story could have been a bit more animated on the rodeo circuit, someone should have thought of handing him a Red Bull.

In the War Wagon, Howard Keel who plays Levi Walking Bear, derides his fellow Indians constantly saying how he's learned to live in the white man's world and beat him at his own game. When the Legends Die is a film about a contemporary Ute Indian who tries to do just that and the effect it has on him.Fredric Forrest plays Thomas Black Bull, a young Ute who we first meet as a really backward kid, no education or social skills. After he sees him riding a bucking horse, old rodeo hand Richard Widmark takes him on as a protégé and young Mr. Black Bull becomes a champion saddle bronco rider. It's a profession and skill that he is beating the white man at his own game and making some good money in the process. It offends his sense of honor though, when Widmark now asks him to lose a few contests to make the odds better when he rides for real. It's the start of a break in their relationship.Fredric Forrest has had a strange career. When the Legends Die was his third film after two bit roles, this one gave him the billing of "introducing Fredric Forrest." This was the start of a whole bunch of times when good reviews prompted critics to say that Forrest was about to break out and become a big star. It never really happened for him though. Nevertheless his stoic performance as Thomas Black Bull turning into Killer Tom Black is accomplished a lot with some very good closeups on facial expressions. They say more than dialog with a good player.Richard Widmark plays Red Dillon, the old rodeo cowboy who becomes Forrest's manager/trainer. A whole lot like the way Robert Mitchum takes on young Arthur Kennedy in The Lusty Men. But we have a far bigger cultural and generational gap than there was in The Lusty Men. Despite his good old boy upbringing, Widmark develops a real affection for Forrest so their break up is pretty painful on both sides. Widmark in his performance as Dillon shows a seamier side of rodeo than other films about the sport never have. Of course Mr. Widmark shows it with style.The film is about how Thomas Black Bull resolves all the conflicts within him. If you see the film I think you'll agree he does it in the best way any of us could.This review is dedicated to young Ryan Dirteater of the Cherokee nation in Oklahoma and fast rising star of the Professional Bull Riders. Let Ryan avoid the pitfalls that Frederic Forrest has in this film.

When the Legends Die is a powerful, moving story of an orphaned Ute Indian who goes on to become Tom Black Bull, a champion bronc rider. Raised in the old ways, Tom is given a white man's name and must adopt the language and ways of the white man to live in that world. Bitter about the role he has been forced into, Tom finds fulfillment doing one thing, busting horses, riding them to death, in the rodeo. The movie has Richard Widmark in the role of Red, the man who befriends Tom and acts as his manager. Red is a drunk who eventually dies in the story, which is about where the movie ends. The real story is completely ignored, the dark side of Tom Black Bull who develops a reputation as a killer of horses in the rodeo arenas. Oh well, you should read the book, this movie doesn't come close to doing the story justice.

Widmark plays the drunken, former rodeo rider to perfection, & Frederick Forrest does admirably as the put upon young bull rider. I felt most of the other players were of the Grade B variety, as was this production in many ways. Not as good as "J.W. Coop".