Thunderheart (1992)

I really wonder why this movie is rated rather low on IMDb. a very good movie with a great, but disturbing message, perhaps even more because it was based on real events.
a movie that i haven t watched until recently because i wanted to see how val kilmer performs in different kinds of roles, and here he does it good, real good.
It tells the story of an Indian reservation in South Dakota in the seventies. There seems to be some kind of war going on between traditionalist and progressive Indians. The traditionalists are accused of a murder on an important member of the progressive group and two FBI agents will investigate it.
maybe it just wasn't marketed well that the movie is really unknown.Val Kilmer has never been better with his portrayal of a cop who s half indian by roots.
micheal apted does work with the scenes here to create that indian culture vibe along with the excellent score by James Horner, a genius at work.
definitely a must watch cop thriller from the 90s

I saw the movie once years ago, and liked it and thought it was good. I felt maybe the ending could have been slightly better, but maybe I'm just nitpicking. But still good. Also, I didn't know it was based on true events. Which true events were those?

The film uses the backdrop of the Wounded Knee occupation of the mid-70s. A very violent time within Indian lands with militia style rule. The film also adds elements of Indian lore and mystic beliefs. It does a fantastic job of blending those two worlds and that makes it a favorite of mine. I just rewatched this a few months ago and still hasn’t gotten stale.

Solid 7/10 for me. The ending could have been better. But have to give a nod to Graeme Greene, who was awesome.

The last rambond recommendation I saw was Whitesands and I enjoyed that one, so I will definitely check this one out as well.

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I bought and watched this ages ago not just as part of a Val Kilmer kick I was on but also because it came highly recommended from MoFo royalty Caitlyn (this was an all-time top 10 movie for her if I recall correctly). I remember liking it, but I haven't really given it any thought since then so who knows if it would still hold up.

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Yes, it holds up.

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after remembering something about the film which is a downside in terms of attention to detail, a 1989 police car was used by val kilmer here although we know the era should be the seventies, which means an older model chevy should have been used, i m not sure anymore about what the era of the movie that was intended by the filmmakers.

It's indeed a great film. Fans of Tony Hillerman novels would both love it and be completely confused as to how it is completely unrelated to Tony Hillerman.

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