Thunderheart (1992)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Michael Apted

Writer (WGA):

John Fusco (written by)

Release Date:

3 April 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller | Western

Tagline:

Two men from different worlds. Two cops after the same killer. Together they must uncover the secrets. Together they must discover the truth.

Plot:

An FBI man with Sioux background is sent to a reservation to help with a murder investigation, where he has to come to terms with his heritage...

Plot Keywords:

South Dakota | Native American | Neo Noir | Based On True Story | Independent Film

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Val Kilmer	...	Ray Levoi
Sam Shepard	...	Frank Coutelle
Graham Greene	...	Walter Crow Horse
Fred Ward	...	Jack Milton
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	William Dawes
Sheila Tousey	...	Maggie Eagle Bear
Ted Thin Elk	...	Grandpa Sam Reaches (as Chief Ted Thin Elk)
John Trudell	...	Jimmy Looks Twice
Julius Drum	...	Richard Yellow Hawk
Sarah Brave	...	Maisy Blue Legs
Allan R.J. Joseph	...	Leo Fast Elk
Sylvan Pumpkin Seed	...	Hobart
Patrick Massett	...	Agent Mackey
Rex Linn	...	FBI Agent
Brian A. O'Meara	...	FBI Agent

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Sioux

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Badlands National Park, Interior, South Dakota, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

The movie is actually a thinly veiled account of real events that occurred on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation during the early to mid-Seventies. Exploration for Uranium, disease from irradiated water, the American Indian Movement (AIM) and the "Traditional" Natives fight against the Tribal government "Guardians Of the Oglala Nation (GOON's), and the FBI's assistance to the "Goons" by providing weaponry and other assistance are some of the things that are referred to in the movie that were true and documented by Writer/Director Michael Apted when he was a regular visitor to the Reservation during that time.

Goofs:

Continuity: When LeVoi places the injured child in Maggie Eagle Bear's arms, there are blood stains on his shirt at the left shoulder and on the right near his waistline. When he attacks the shooters in clinic parking lot, there is no blood on the right side of his shirt.

Quotes:

Richard Yellow Hawk: You better watch yourself pal, I'm the FBI round here. Full blooded Indian.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Last Action Hero (1993)

A magnificent movie!

This movie blasted me in the theater! I had heard from friends & relatives how beautiful the Badlands were. The cinematography of this film brought that beauty directly at me. The script was concise & smart. I enjoy scripts that require my attention to there detail.

Most of all, the actors excelled in their parts. Val Kilmer handled the transitions perfectly: from disinterested agent to nonbeliever to skeptic to reluctant believer to full realization without a seam! I really like Fred Ward and hated his character in this movie. Sam Shephard provided his consistent great performance. I think it was the first time I had seen Graham Greene. He turned in a fabulous performance.

This film insures that you question everything you learned from a textbook. It brings you in, shows you another viewpoint, illustrates the other side of the story, and demands that you think before you take a side. I paid to see this film twice in the theater and bought the DVD when it was released. I watch it regularly.

If I had to pick another film that had similar power, it would be "In Pursuit Of Honor" with Don Johnson & Craig Sheffer.