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The Indian Runner

Play trailer Poster for The Indian Runner R 1991 2h 6m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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76% Tomatometer 17 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
After getting into trouble with the law, violence-prone Frank Roberts (Viggo Mortensen) seeks help from his brother Joe (David Morse), an even-tempered policeman. Frank hopes to start fresh, and his brother has faith that he can do it. So Joe agrees to let Frank stay -- despite the admonitions of his wife, Maria (Valeria Golino), who would rather not have Frank in the house. And though he performs well at first, Frank's inner turmoil eventually erupts, creating chaos in their once tranquil home.
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The Indian Runner

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety 03/26/2009
Rambling, indulgent and joltingly raw at times, Sean Penn's first outing as a director takes a fair amount of patience to get through but has an integrity that intermittently serves it well. Go to Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out 02/09/2006
Penn's first project as writer/director is a film out of time, drenched in an overbearing '60s world-view which veers between the dated and the dopey. Go to Full Review Janet Maslin New York Times 05/20/2003
3.5/5
Loose, rambling and sometimes rudderless as it is, "The Indian Runner" has a fundamental honesty that gives it real substance. Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 04/29/2011
C+
The film is slow and pretentious, but it's a feature debut and Sean Penn, a distinguished actor, is good with his cast. Go to Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com 10/05/2006
4/5
Muscular if overwrought drama with great performances. Go to Full Review Frank Swietek One Guy's Opinion 11/10/2005
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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Bruce L 01/03/2024 I think my expectations for this film were too great. Mortensen role was over the top and it was really difficult to generate any compassion for him as a character. The film is overlong, with multiple vignettes that are incoherent and don't really add enough background to the characters to sufficiently explain the dynamics of the family. I think both Charles Bronson, Dennis Hopper and Sandy Dennis were wasted in this film. See more jwcdood 11/30/2023 THE INDIAN RUNNER is a well cast and well directed drama with outstanding and engaging performances by all (some of their best). And, the period correct soundtrack is excellent as well. What a sleeper; I'm really glad I watched it! See more gioconda d 10/12/2023 I heard Sean Penn speak about this movie in LA [which he wrote & directed. } He spoke about how difficult it was for hims to raise money for film projects that he directed while he was offered millions for acting. It's a shame because the two movies I've seen he directed are truly excellent. Viggo Mortensen at the prime of his looks, Valerie Golino, an excellent Charles Bronson, Sandy Dennis & David Foster's truly heart-wrenching performance as the brother of Viggo's character who cannot understand or tame his wild raging younger brother. After all these years the movie seems better than when I first saw it. Too bad for the cinema world Sean could not raise money to direct more than 2 films. See more 10/24/2021 All star acting performances by these actors when they were younger. A little long and drags in places but it connects the dots. See more 08/27/2018 It's a bit of a chore to get through, but it has some excellent performances and drama. It speaks some interesting truths about devotion to blood ties. The end will probably frustrate you though, as real it may be. See more 07/09/2018 It’s a bit long and hard to get through at times, but it’s worth seeing once. It isn’t the most engaging of stories but it’s got some intense moments and an interesting take on family See more Read all reviews
The Indian Runner

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Cast & Crew

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Sean Penn

Director

David Morse

Joe Roberts

Viggo Mortensen

Frank Roberts

Valeria Golino

Maria

Patricia Arquette

Dorothy

Charles Bronson

Mr. Roberts

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The Indian Runner

The Indian Runner (1991) The Indian Runner (1991) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis After getting into trouble with the law, violence-prone Frank Roberts (Viggo Mortensen) seeks help from his brother Joe (David Morse), an even-tempered policeman. Frank hopes to start fresh, and his brother has faith that he can do it. So Joe agrees to let Frank stay -- despite the admonitions of his wife, Maria (Valeria Golino), who would rather not have Frank in the house. And though he performs well at first, Frank's inner turmoil eventually erupts, creating chaos in their once tranquil home.
Director
Sean Penn
Producer
Sean Penn, Don Phillips
Screenwriter
Sean Penn
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 20, 1991, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 16, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$152.9K
Runtime
2h 6m
Sound Mix
Surround
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