Thunderheart
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| Thunderheart | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Michael Apted |
| Produced by | Robert De Niro John Fusco Michael Nozik Jane Rosenthal |
| Written by | John Fusco |
| Starring | Val Kilmer Graham Greene Sam Shepard Fred Dalton Thompson Sheila Tousey Fred Ward Dennis Banks John Trudell |
| Music by | James Horner |
| Distributed by | TriStar Pictures |
| Release date(s) | April 3, 1992 |
| Running time | 119 min |
| Language | English, Lakota |
| IMDb profile | |
Thunderheart is a 1992 American crime film directed by Michael Apted with Val Kilmer, Sam Shepard, Graham Greene, and Fred Ward. Val Kilmer plays an FBI agent with Sioux heritage investigating a murder on a Native American reservation. Graham Greene, a full Oneida Indian from Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada, plays tribal police officer Walter Crow Horse.
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[edit] Synopsis
The film is a fictionalization based on true events (see Wounded Knee incident), including the rise of the American Indian Movement. In particular, the character Jimmy Looks Twice (played by John Trudell) is modeled on native American activist Leonard Peltier, who like Jimmy, was sought by the FBI for the murder of two FBI men and was eventually arrested and removed from the reservation. The film gives a very positive reading to the Leonard Peltier story, suggesting not only his innocence with respect to the murders, but also a visionary charisma and a mystical, almost saintlike, acceptance of sacrifice and martyrdom.
Apted was intrigued by the actual events behind the film and also Pine Ridge Indian Reservation which was known to have the highest per capita murder rate at the time[citation needed]. Apted also made a documentary about the subject, Incident at Oglala.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Dennis Banks | Himself |
| David Crosby | Bartender |
[edit] Awards
Thunderheart was nominated for two awards during the 1993 ceremonies.
Political Film Society Awards
Nominations
- Exposé
- Human Rights
[edit] See also
- Incident at Oglala, also directed by Michael Apted.
- Wounded Knee incident
[edit] External links
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