Geronimo: An American Legend (1993)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers (WGA):

John Milius (story)
John Milius (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 December 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Western

Tagline:

A Warrior. A Leader. A Legend.

Plot:

The Apache Indians have reluctantly agreed to settle on a US Government approved reservation. Not all...

Plot Keywords:

Apache | Hotel | Throat Slitting | Massacre | Native American

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jason Patric	...	1st Lt. Charles B. Gatewood
Gene Hackman	...	Brig. Gen. George Crook
Robert Duvall	...	Chief of Scouts Al Sieber
Wes Studi	...	Geronimo
Matt Damon	...	2nd Lt. Britton Davis
Rodney A. Grant	...	Mangas
Kevin Tighe	...	Brig. Gen. Nelson Miles
Steve Reevis	...	Chato
Carlos Palomino	...	Sgt. Turkey
Victor Aaron	...	Ulzana
Stuart Proud Eagle Grant	...	Sgt. Dutchy
Stephen McHattie	...	Schoonover
John Finn	...	Capt. Hentig
Lee de Broux	...	City Marshal Joe Hawkins
Rino Thunder	...	Old Nana

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for frontier violence.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:12 | Germany:12 (f) | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | Norway:15 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Moab, Utah, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Jason Patric beat Patrick Swayze and Alec Baldwin to the main role.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The steam locomotive used to transport the Apache band at the end is an oil burning locomotive. A phony load of wood sits atop the tender's fuel-oil bunker. The engine is making thick black smoke, an indication of an oil fired locomotive. Such thick smoke is an indication of poor fuel burning, something movie directors request, but hardly real-world practice. Properly operated steam locomotives make much less smoke, regardless of whether fuel is wood, coal, or oil.

Quotes:

Geronimo: No guns, No bullets could ever kill me. That was my power... Now my time is over.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Directors: The Films of Norman Jewison" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Deal Gently With Thy Servants, Lord

Accurate? Who Cares? Just Enjoy It.

How much of this is true, I cannot say. Perhaps I should do some research on it knowing how "accurate" most Hollywood historical films tend to be. For years, the white man was always the good guy; the Indian, the bad guy. Then came, the present day "political correctness" era where the Indian is the good guy and the white man is the bad guy. Frankly, I don't care in this case because this movie is simply a very entertaining film that is enjoyable to watch....and that's what movies are supposed to be: entertaining.

What makes it so entertaining?

1) a very interesting saga of the famous Apache Geronimo, fighting for his people and also living a life dedicated to revenge; 2) A great portrayal of him by actor Wes Studi, who has the perfect face and voice for the role; 3) a very solid all-male cast, with memorable leads played by Jason Patric, Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman and Matt Damon; 4) wonderful golden-hued cinematography, filmed in the mountainous area of Moab, Utah; 5) Not excessive violence nor a lot of profanity, rare for a Walter Hill directed movie. This is one of the stylish Hill's classier efforts. 6) Good sound if you have the DVD and a surround sound system.

Yes, this leans in the PC class with big-time leanings toward the Indian cause, but the Apache people apparently had a good case for their cause, at least with Geronimo's convincing question near the end of the movie: "There is plenty of land. Why do you want it all?"