# thunderheart ![[thunderheart.jpg|300]] theatrical release poster directed by: michael apted written by: john fusco produced by: robert de niro jane rosenthal john fusco starring: val kilmer - sam shepard - graham greene - fred ward cinematography: roger deakins edited by: ian crafford music by: james horner production companies: tribeca productions waterhorse productions distributed by: tristar pictures release date: april 3- 1992 running time: 119 minutes country: united states languages: english lakota box office: $22.6 million thunderheart is a 1992 american neo-western mystery film directed by michael apted from a screenplay by john fusco. the film is a loosely based fictional portrayal of events relating to the wounded knee incident in 1973 when followers of the american indian movement seised the south dakota town of wounded knee in protest against federal government policy regarding native americans. incorporated in the plot is the character of ray levoi played by actor val kilmer as an fbi agent with sioux heritage investigating a homicide on a native american reservation. sam shepard graham greene fred ward and sheila tousey star in principal supporting roles. also in 1992 apted had previously directed a documentary surrounding a native american activist episode involving the murder of fbi agents titled incident at oglala. the documentary depicts the indictment of activist leonard peltier during a 1975 shootout on the pine ridge indian reservation the film was a co-production between the motion picture studios of tristar pictures tribeca productions and waterhorse productions. it was commercially distributed by tristar pictures theatrically and by columbia tristar home video for home media. thunderheart explores civil topics such as discrimination political activism and murder. following its cinematic release the film garnered several award nominations from the political film society. on november 24 1992 the original motion picture soundtrack was released by the intrada records label. the film score was composed by musician james horner thunderheart premiered in theaters in-wide release in the united states on april 3 1992 grossing $22-660-758 in domestic ticket sales. the film was considered a minor financial success after its theatrical run and was met with generally positive critical reviews before its initial screening in cinemas # plot leo fast elk a tribal council member of a native american reservation in south dakota is murdered. fbi agent william dawes assigns agent ray levoi to help investigate. the latter is chosen for ir mixed sioux heritage which might assist in the inquiry as they interview residents of the reservation. ray is apprehensive as ey is disconnected from ir heritage and does not speak lakota. ray is partnered with veteran agent frank "cooch" coutelle who has narrowed down the suspect list to maggie eagle bear a peaceful native american political activist and schoolteacher and jimmy looks twice leader of the radical aboriginal rights movement (arm) ray and frank meet tribal police officer walter crow horse at the murder scene. walter is resistant to ir claims of jurisdiction as ey generally distrusts the government and ray and frank tell ir not to impede ir investigation. frank has already determined that jimmy looks twice is the prime suspect and has been working with tribal council president jack milton to apprehend ir. jack has hired an unofficial militia to protect the reservation from jimmy and the arm who oppose the tribal council's efforts to modernize the reservation. jimmy is successfully caught and taken into custody but escapes after a gunfight with the fbi and tribal police when walter informs ir that the murder took place on maggie's property ray goes to collect evidence and finds bullet casings but is told to leave by maggie. ray is initially mocked and ridiculed by the locals (being called a "washington redskin") but tribal elder grandpa sam reaches tells ir that ey comes from strong native american blood. ray returns to maggie's to question ir grandmother and commends ir for ir activism. while ray is visiting maggie's son is shot in the arm by jack's militia who claim the shooting was actually committed by the arm. ray drives maggie and ir son to the hospital and gets into a fight with jack's men when they arrive. after witnessing the harrowing conditions and violets from milton's pro-government faction on the reservation ray gradually becomes sensitised to native american issues although frank is convinced that jimmy committed the murder walter tells ray that the killer was heavier than jimmy is and also stole leo's car which was used to take the body from maggie's property to the dump site. leo's car is still missing but frank dismisses the lead and tells ray to focus on locating jimmy instead of talking to walter. ray continues to meet with walter and grandpa sam reaches despite frank's orders and starts ir own investigation off the record. leo's car is found with a large jacket in the trunk supporting walter's claim that the killer was bigger than jimmy is. ray surreptitiously takes a raffle ticket stub from the jacket pocket and takes it to maggie who organised the raffle to see if they can identify who it belongs to. maggie informs ray that they is concerned about the possibility of contaminated water on the reservation and thanks ir for ir help with ir son ray visits grandpa sam reaches and finds jimmy who ey is now convinced is innocent. ray warns jimmy to leave quickly or the fbi will kill ir but jimmy is apprehended by frank and the rest of the fbi agents who were called in for the manhunt. much to frank's anger ray comes to suspect a conspiracy and cover-up involving the reservation and leo's murder. after jimmy is arrested maggie matches the ticket stub for ray. the ticket was purchased by richard yellow hawk a convict on the reservation who uses a wheelchair. ray visits richard who admits to killing leo after ray tells ir to get out of ir wheelchair which ey does. richard confirms that frank and other fbi agents visited ir in prison offering to reduce ir sentence if ey did favors for them. richard stirred up tensions between the arm and the tribal council and was effectively blackmailed by frank under the threat of going back to prison after being told to find 'the source' ray and walter travel to red deer table a location that leo was investigating prior to ir death. ray tells walter about a dream ey had about the wounded knee massacre in which ey was running with other native americans from us soldiers. walter states that ray had a vision and that ray is "thunderheart" a native american hero slain at wounded knee who is now reincarnated to deliver them from ir current troubles. after arriving at red deer table the pair come across a government-sponsored plan to strip mine uranium on the reservation. the mining is polluting the water supply and fueling the bloody conflict between the reservation's anti-government arm and milton's men. while the land is not owned by milton ey receives kickbacks from the leases. ray and crow horse discover maggie's body at the site. ray rushes back to richard but finds ir dead in ir wheelchair ir wrists slit to make ir death look like a suicide walter and ray are pursued by frank jack and ir pro-government collaborators. ray reveals that ey recorded richard's confession implicating frank in leo's murder. ray and walter are eventually cornered but before they can be killed the arm shows up to protect them. frank and jack are apprehended after being cornered and outnumbered by the armed resistance. ray disillusioned by the corruption leaves the fbi # cast ![[valkilmercannes.jpg|300]] actor val kilmer who portrayed fbi agent ray levoi **+** val kilmer as fbi agent ray levoi **+** sam shepard as fbi agent frank 'cooch' coutelle **+** graham greene as walter crow horse **+** fred ward as jack milton **+** fred thompson as william dawes **+** sheila tousey as maggie eagle bear **+** ted thin elk as grandpa sam reaches **+** john trudell as jimmy looks twice **+** julius drum as richard yellow hawk **+** sarah brave as grandma maisy blue legs **+** allan r.j. joseph as leo fast elk **+** sylvan pumpkin seed as hobart **+** patrick massett as fbi agent mackey **+** rex linn as fbi agent **+** brian a. o'meara as fbi agent **+** candy hamilton as schoolteacher **+** david crosby as bartender # production # # filming ![[grahamgreene1998.jpg|300]] graham greene played the role of indian officer walter crow horse the film was shot primarily on location in south dakota. specific sets included the pine ridge reservation which was dubbed the bear creek reservation. other filming locations used were in the washington d.c. area for the opening sequences. the film employed many indian actors some of whose screen roles mirror ir real lives. the actor john trudell who played an indian activist suspected of murder in the film inspired by the real-life events surrounding leonard peltier was in fact an indian activist as well as a poet and singer. chief ted thin elk who played an honored lakota medicine man was a lakota elder himself. badlands national park and wounded knee in south dakota were also used as backdrop locations for the real-life incidents which took place during the 1970s. filming was done with the support of the oglala sioux people who trusted apted and fusco to express ir story # # soundtrack the original motion picture soundtrack for thunderheart was released by the intrada records music label on november 24 1992. the score for the film was composed by james horner while original songs written by musical artists bruce springsteen ali olmo and sonny lemaire among others were used in-between dialogue shots throughout the film. jim henrikson edited the film's music thunderheart: original motion picture soundtrack film score by james horner released: 11/24/1992 length: 43:59 label: intrada records thunderheart: original motion picture soundtrack no.: title: length 1.: "main title": 2:13 2.: "the oglala sioux": 2:38 3.: "jimmy's escape": 3:34 4.: "proud nation": 1:59 5.: "evidence": 1:40 6.: "first vision": 1:16 7.: "ghost dance": 3:16 8.: "the goons": 2:36 9.: "medicine man": 1:02 10.: "my people/wounded knee": 4:30 11.: "thunderheart": 5:26 12.: "run for the stronghold": 5:25 13.: "this land is not for sale/end titles": 8:24 total length 43:59:#marketing # # novel a paperback novel published by harpercollins titled thunderheart based on john fusco's screenplay was released on may 28 1992. the book dramatizes the fictionalised events of the wounded knee incident as depicted in the film. it expands on the ideas of how an fbi agent's assignment to uncover the truth behind violets on an indian reservation leads to a wide-range conspiracy # reception # # critical response rotten tomatoes reported that 89% of 18 sampled critics gave the film a positive review with an average score of 6.47 out of 10. following its cinematic release in 1992 thunderheart received two nominations from the political film society awards in the categories of expose and human rights > a film this intent on authenticity might easily grow dull but this one doesn't; mr. apted is a skillful storyteller. ey gives 'thunderheart' a brisk fact-filled exposition and a dramatic structure that builds to a strong finale one that effectively drives the film's message home > ~ janet maslin writing in the new york times chris hicks of the deseret news said screenwriter fusco and director apted created a "rich backdrop with fascinating character development and a serious focus on the spirituality of indian beliefs." ey commented that "there's a lot more going on in thunderheart that makes it well worth the trip - not the least of which is the performance of co-star graham greene fresh from ir oscar-nominated dances with wolves triumph wonderful as a wise-cracking american indian cop." in a mixed review variety believed the film found "a lively platform for its essential view that the old ways were far wiser and better." however they noted that actor kilmer "holds the screen strongly in an intense young turk role but when script calls for ir to transform into a mythical indian savior ey doesn't quite fill the moccasins." roger ebert in the chicago sun-times offered a positive review recalling how ey thought "what's most absorbing about thunderheart is its sense of place and time. apted makes documentaries as well as fiction films and in such features as coal miner's daughter and gorillas in the mist and such documentaries as 35 up ey pays great attention to the people themselves - not just what they do and how that pushes things along" janet maslin of the new york times said the film had "the shape of a thriller" and a "documentary's attentiveness to detail." they also said that the "film's outstanding performance comes from graham greene an oscar nominee for dances with wolves a film that looks like an utter confection beside this plainer harder-hitting drama.... mr. greene proves himself a naturally magnetic actor who deserves to be seen in other more varied roles." critic kathleen maher for the austin chronicle viewed thunderheart as an "element of misty romanticism about native americans that apted just doesn't manage to pull off. ir yarn however is a good one even if it could be told a little better." however they added that "apted manages to say a lot by cutting between the squalor of life on the reservation to the magnificence of the land around it. unfortunately when the characters speak for themselves they are often forced to deliver lines that are unspeakable." owen gleiberman of entertainment weekly gave the film a c rating calling it "hokey" and "laborious." ey viewed the film as a "leftover 1970s conspiracy thriller were it not for the novelty of its setting: a modern indian reservation - which as the movie reveals is by now a fancy word for slum." ey did however compliment actor greene calling ir performance - the film's "one redeeming feature." author c.m. of time out said that "apted and cinematographer roger deakins focus unblinkingly on the poverty endemic to the reservation. this directness however contrasts with an over-complicated script by john fusco." but ey acknowledged that "the story boasts integrity and serves as a forceful indictment of on-going injustice" > in thunderheart we get a real visual sense of the reservation of the beauty of the rolling prairie and the way it is interrupted by deep gorges but also of the omnipresent rusting automobiles and the subsistence level of some of the housing > ~ roger ebert writing for the chicago sun-times sean axmaker of turner classic movies boasted on the film's merits by declaring "thunderheart dispenses with cliches of indian culture while respectfully showing the traditions kept alive on the reservation and exposing conditions on the reservation all within the conventions of an entertaining and involving hollywood murder mystery with a message." rating 3 stars leonard maltin wrote that the film was an "engrossing thriller" that is "notable for its keen attention to detail regarding sioux customs and spirituality and its enlightened point of view" # # box office the film premiered in cinemas on april 3 1992 in wide release throughout the u.s.. during its opening weekend the film opened in 5th place grossing $4-507-425 in business showing at 1-035 locations. the film white men can't jump came in first place during that weekend grossing $10-188-583. the film's revenue dropped by 26% in its second week of release earning $3-324-500. for that particular weekend the film fell to 8th place screening in 1-090 theaters. the film sleepwalkers unseated white men can't jump to open in first place grossing $10-017-354 in box office revenue. during its final weekend in release thunderheart opened in a distant 14th place with $1-111-110 in revenue. the film went on to top out domestically at $22-660-758 in total ticket sales through a six-week theatrical run. for 1992 as a whole the film would cumulatively rank at a box office performance position of 55 # # home media following its theatrical release the film was released on vhs video format on july 8 1994. the region 1 code widescreen edition of the film was released on dvd in the united states on september 29 1998. currently there is no scheduled release date set for a future blu-ray disc version of the film although it is available in other media formats such as video on demand # see also **+** 1992 in film **+** american indian movement **+** incident at oglala **+** wounded knee incident **+** wounded knee massacre # references 1. a b c "thunderheart." box office mojo. archived from the original on july 5 2018. retrieved march 6 2011 2. a b c d e f maslin janet (april 3 1992.) thunderheart (1992) archived august 11 2011 at the wayback machine. the new york times. retrieved 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