Thunderheart

R

1992

1h 59m

Mystery & Thriller

List

89%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

When a series of murders stuns a small Native American reservation, the FBI sends in agent Ray Levoi (Val Kilmer) to investigate. While Ray is relatively inexperienced, he is one quarter Sioux, and the FBI hopes that will make it easier for them to gather information from the locals. While the reservation police officer (Graham Greene) views the agent as an outsider, the tribal elder (Chief Ted Thin Elk) believes him to be the reincarnated spirit of Thunderheart, a Native American hero.

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Cookie M

Leaves a impression on your heart. This sets ture to this day. Emotional, powerful

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/15/23

Full Review

jon c

Director Michael Apted of 'World Is Not Enough' and 'Coal Miner's Daughter' fame leads Val Kilmer, the late Sam Shepard, Fred Ward, and Graham Greene This is a loosely based fictional portrayal of events relating to the Wounded Knee incident in 1973, when followers of the American Indian Movement seized the South Dakota town of Wounded Knee in protest against federal government policy regarding Native Americans FBI agent, Ray Levoi and his partner are tracking down a killer Ray is inexperienced but is also part Sioux yet is way too proud to admit it even to himself Tracking down this killer may require him to dig deep into his roots while also gaining the support of the local natives to gather intel The reservation officer Walter Crow only sees Ray as an outsider yet Grandpa Sam, the tribal elder sees something else A reincarnated Native American hero called Thunderheart of all things An Aboriginal rights movement is taking place at the same time putting tribe against tribe so Ray and his partner have to tread carefully without causing any difficult relations Jack Milton the president of the area also keeps an eye out for supporters disturbing the peace and blocks the tribal funds for their schools, businesses etc Yet the natives don't want the white man on their land so it's a constant string of bullets being fired even on innocent civilians The film is very violent but addresses the high tensions between the natives and the white majority hostility of dirty politics and social climate Kilmer is sensational being a man of two worlds; one side the American justice system the other an indigenous man The landscapes of the reservations are breathtaking to watch The plot has a bigger conspiracy behind it too guessing every step It's true these people have been at each other's throats since the days of Columbus, their lives are dictated by the same nation that conquered them, paper isn't power it's all around us, are the indigenous peoples ever truly free from the shackles of the whites?, there's the reality of freedom and the illusion of freedom, the natives can die but their spirits can't be broken Thrills, mysticism and political outrage are balanced throughout It's important also that the film brings up the many struggles these natives have had to endure for centuries There's the political/American side but the spiritual one as well that tells us we need to look more inward

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

FBI agent goes out to the Badlands to investigate a murder on Lakota Nation's Reservation. He finds his Indian past while helping the Nation rid itself of some nasty environmental coverups and foul play. Kilmer the youngest man ever to get into the prestigious Juliard School in NYC also has Indian ancestry as his character

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The narrative isn't particularly interesting and is lifted by the actors, cinematography and almost off-beat storytelling.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Can you say WHITEWASH?

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

There's very few films that show the Feebies (FBI) in a good light and this isn't one of them. Federal Bureau of Intimidation was how they were described by a native American in this movie and it kind of rings true. Kilmer and Shepard play arrogant, bullying, unappealing redneck characters with their heads up their backsides in comparison to the clever and skilled native American policeman. My sympathies have to lie with the natives soley because of not only the way their culture is treated with contempt in this film but also in real life. While Shepard remains a hard-faced insensitive prat, Kilmer begins to embrace his distant culture. It's a very good film with a fitting ending.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

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Michael Apted

Director

Val Kilmer

Ray Levoi

Graham Greene

Walter Crow Horse

Sam Shepard

Frank Coutelle

Sheila Tousey

Maggie Eagle Bear

Chief Ted Thin Elk

Grandpa Sam Reaches

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Stylishly balancing thrills, mysticism and political outrage, Apted's produced his most absorbing movie since Coal Miner's Daughter.

Feb 9, 2018

Full Review

Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: 3/5

Nov 12, 2004

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

What's most absorbing about Thunderheart is its sense of place and time

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Tom Meek

Cambridge Day

[A] straight-ahead murder mystery.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 10, 2020

Full Review

Mark Jackson

Epoch Times

"Thunderheart" ties together in ways that whisper of a deep, organic logic, both the humanly visible as well as the existence of unseen, other-dimensional realities that were commonplace in early American tribal life.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 10, 2020

Full Review

Malcolm Johnson

Hartford Courant

Thunderheart adds up to an absorbing and provocative thriller. Even the gaps in story-telling somehow work in its favor as Apted takes jumps in time and place that underscore the mental state of Fusco's protagonist.

Apr 13, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

When a series of murders stuns a small Native American reservation, the FBI sends in agent Ray Levoi (Val Kilmer) to investigate. While Ray is relatively inexperienced, he is one quarter Sioux, and the FBI hopes that will make it easier for them to gather information from the locals. While the reservation police officer (Graham Greene) views the agent as an outsider, the tribal elder (Chief Ted Thin Elk) believes him to be the reincarnated spirit of Thunderheart, a Native American hero.

Director: Michael Apted
Production Co: TriStar Pictures, Tribeca Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.1M
Runtime: 1h 59m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Surround

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