Thunderheart

1992
15
1h 59m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

18K

YOUR RATING

Home Video Trailer from TriStar Pictures

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44 Photos

Contemporary Western True Crime Crime Mystery Thriller

A young mixed-blood FBI agent is assigned to work with a cynical veteran investigator on a murder on a poverty-stricken Sioux reservation.A young mixed-blood FBI agent is assigned to work with a cynical veteran investigator on a murder on a poverty-stricken Sioux reservation.A young mixed-blood FBI agent is assigned to work with a cynical veteran investigator on a murder on a poverty-stricken Sioux reservation.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

18K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 nominations

Trivia
John Trudell (Jimmy Looks Twice) really did serve in Vietnam and was acting chairman of A.I.M. From 1973 to 1979.

Goofs
FBI agent Ray Levoi is leaving D.C. for South Dakota but when they show his plane take off, LAX's distinctive control tower is clearly visible.

Quotes
Walter Crow Horse: License and registration?
Ray Levoi: Kiss my ass.
Walter Crow Horse: Hey, this is *my* jurisdiction now. And you were going 59 in a 55 zone.
Ray Levoi: Let me see the radar.
Walter Crow Horse: I don't need no radar, I can tell! I just listen to the wind; it said, "Fifty-nine, nail 'im!"

Alternate versions
The version prepared by Tristar for commercial television showing featured 270 separate cuts, removing 22 minutes of footage. To shorter the film even further, the film was time-compressed to gain an additional 4 minutes, and the credits speeded-up to lose another 2 minutes. Director Michael Apted asked to have his name removed from the mutilated TV version, or have a disclaimer shown before the title credits, stating that he disowned that version. After legal litigation, Tristar opted to remove Apted's name and credit the TV version to pseudonymous director Alan Smithee.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: White Men Can't Jump/The Cutting Edge/The Power of One/Ruby/Noises Off... (1992)

Soundtracks
Badlands
Written and Performed by Bruce Springsteen
Courtesy of Columbia Records
by arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User reviews107

Review

Featured review

8/10

Apted's best outing as a director

Michael Apted has had a few indifferent movies, but Thunderheart is in my view his best. Apted spotlights the tribal Indian community in Badlands, South Dakota, exploring the mysticism of the Sioux culture and examining the impact of its forced co-existence with the modern American way of life. This juxtaposed mix of two cultures is best exemplified by Val Kilmer, who plays a young, brash and cocky FBI investigator with Sioux blood sent "back home" to investigate a homicide.

The murder investigation proves to be the tip of the iceberg, revealing a greater conspiracy to steal the land away from the Sioux. There is a surreal edge to the movie throughout, balanced well with an engaging and gripping story line. Kilmer is at his best here, aided well by a great supporting cast. The action was thick and fast, surrounded by an aura of mystical magic that was best supplied by James Horner's thumping soundtrack. For two hours I was enthralled. This is an excellent movie.