Thunderheart

Director: Michael Apted Michael Apted

Overview

"Michael Apted's under-appreciated Thunderheart comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Surround. Subtitles are accessible in both of those languages. Supplemental materials are limited to a theatrical trailer. While the extras leave something to be desired, the sound and picture quality are solid enough that this Columbia/TriStar disc should not disappoint those looking for something outside of the Hollywood mainstream."

Product Details

Release Date:	09/29/1998
UPC:	0043396706996
Original Release:	1992
Rating:	R
Source:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMT
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Full Frame, Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:59:00
Sales rank:	4,117

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Val Kilmer	Ray Levoi
Sam Shepard	Frank Coutelle
Graham Greene	Walter Crow Horse
Fred Ward	Jack Milton
Fred Dalton Thompson	William Dawes
Sheila Tousey	Maggie Eagle Bear
Chief Ted Thin Elk	Grandpa Sam Reaches
John Trudell	Jimmy Looks Twice
Julius Drum	Richard Yellow Hawk
Sarah Brave	Maisy Blue Legs
Allan R.J. Joseph	Leo Fast Elk,Léo
Sylvan Pumpkin Seed	Hobart
Patrick Massett	Agent Mackey
Rex Linn	FBI Agent
Brian A. O'Meara	FBI Agent
Duane Brewer	Ranger
Lewis C. Bradshaw	Ranger
Dennis Banks	Himself,Himself
Candy Hamilton	School Teacher
Jerome Mack	Maggie's Kid
Tom M. LeBeau	Ray's Father
Bridgit P. Schock	Ray's Mother
Terry Graber	Doctor
David Crosby	Bartender
Jerry Allan Hietala	Drunken Brawler
Gordon Patterson	Helicopter Pilot,Helicopter Pilot
Robin J. Saderup	Helicopter Pilot
Buddy Red Bow	Man at Powwow
Sam Adams	Lakota Singer
Robin Black Bird	Lakota Singer
Floyd Charging Crow	Lakota Singer
Elroy Cross	Lakota Singer
Ernest Red Elk	Lakota Singer
Kenneth J. Richards	Lakota Singer
Carlin Orville Morrison	Powwow Singer
Verland Theodore Phelps	Powwow Singer
Calvin Timothy Red Elk Sr.	Powwow Singer
Tim Owen Taggart	Powwow Singer
Michael Apted	Actor
Ted Thin Elk	Actor
Lisa Clarkson	Actor
Charles Davis	Lakota Singer
Melvin David Young Bear	Powwow Singer
Severt Young Bear, Sr.	Lakota Singer
James Horner	Composer

Technical Credits

John Fusco

Michael Apted	Director
Robert De Niro	Producer
John Fusco	Producer,Screenwriter
Michael Nozik	Executive Producer,Producer
Jane Rosenthal	Producer
Robert Friedman	Sound Effects
Hugh O'Brien	Stunts
Chris Newman	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Val Kilmer delivers some of his subtlest work as an FBI agent who must overcome his self-loathing to solve a murder. Kilmer is the film's reluctant hero, Ray Levoi, whose one-quarter-Native American heritage makes him the prime candidate to investigate a homicide on a South Dakota reservation, a case extrapolated from the true story of activist Leonard Peltier, whom many believe was wrongfully jailed for the murders of two FBI agents in the 1970s. Most of Thunderheart plays like Raymond Chandler updated for the politically correct 1990s, long on topical, political mystery and short on romance. The actor does a good job of conveying Ray's deep-rooted denial: he's a prime representative of Reagan-era, button-down conservatism, and Kilmer and Apted loosen him up without resorting to obvious, pandering scenes of revelation. The movie has real tension but never presents Native Americans as a mysterious, enigmatic "other;" even when Apted calls attention to the squalid socio-economic conditions of the reservation, he never loses sight of the film's entertainment value. Apted released a companion documentary on the Peltier case, Incident at Oglala, that same year.