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      West of Thunder

      2012 1h 23m Drama Mystery & Thriller Western List
      Reviews 92% Fewer than 50 Ratings Audience Score Henry Seed, a mysterious stranger, visits a town in South Dakota in 1899, where atrocities are committed against the Lakota people. Little Thunder, the tribe's spiritual leader, considers whether to seek revenge or to remain true to Lakota values. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Worthy of just a "meh". To start, I have to say that I don't grade indie films on a curve. They don't get graded less harshly than a big-budget Hollywood film, just because they have less to work with. West of Thunder has some interesting themes it deals with, and covers the fallout of a dark moment in our history. It's got a supernatural element/twist to it, which I really like. It's shot against a beautiful backdrop. That's really where my praise ends. It's so below average in nearly every category - writing, directing, acting, cinematography, production design. Writing: I noticed that the film continually comes back to the same things over and over again. It doesn't develop on a theme and add nuance, it just repeats. Directing: nearly every scene is a hard cut to two people sitting down talking. That's all this movie ever is or aspires to be: talking heads spouting off just enough information to push the narrative along. Acting: they got a sun-burnt white guy to play a Native American. And the supporting roles and bit parts aren't much better. Overall it has about the acting quality of your typical small-town theater troupe. I could go on, but it would just be beating a dead horse. On a narrative level, this movie is all over the place. On a technical level, it's poor. It doesn't feel eclectic, like say a "Pulp Fiction" or "Buffalo 66", it feels undisciplined. And that's really what you get by watching this - what feels like a few film students going out with a $100K and making a movie. Sadly, I would suspect the positive audience percentage is the cast and crew up-voting their own film. For everyone else, consider this review and look for something better to watch. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member this movie is AMAZING!!! i wish it was in major theatres everywhere so everyone could see it because it is such an eye-opening movie that really makes you think. it really touches on forgiveness and what happened in americas' past but was also heatfelt and was a joy to watch. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member I have seen West of Thunder was Highly PLEASED with it. Not only doesn't show use a view not many people want to see of how we "whites" treated the Native Americans but it shows us the high road or turn the other check the Native Americans took and are still taking to this day. Even through it is a western the meaning behind the movie can be used in everyday life. I say go see it if you want a movie to open your eyes and heart to another way of treating MAN KIND. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member awsome movie would see it 100 times Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Saw this film in Los Angeles this weekend. What an experience. It is utterly absorbing, and a great history lesson from the perspective of the Lakota tribe. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      West of Thunder

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      Critics Reviews

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      Kristina Bravo Village Voice Oddly absorbing, just not the way writer and star Dan Davies probably meant it to be. Sep 25, 2012 Full Review Mark Olsen Los Angeles Times [It has] an unvarnished quality that remains curiously engaging. Rated: 3/5 Sep 20, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Henry Seed, a mysterious stranger, visits a town in South Dakota in 1899, where atrocities are committed against the Lakota people. Little Thunder, the tribe's spiritual leader, considers whether to seek revenge or to remain true to Lakota values.
      Director
      Jody Marriott Bar-Lev, Steve Russell
      Producer
      Jody Marriott Bar-Lev, Avi Bar-Lev
      Screenwriter
      Jody Marriott Bar-Lev, Dan Davies
      Genre
      Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Western
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jan 14, 2016
      Runtime
      1h 23m