Thunderheart 1992
"Well, I grew up around Indians, so it's always been a passion of mine. The role intrigued me. The principle of it is that you can't escape your past, and I believe that very strongly about the United States. Any crucial problems that we face now could have been prevented had we had greater consciousness during our history as it was forming, instead of being conscientious once we're faced with them. Pick a subject: Ozone, AIDS … the information is always there. That's what I find inspiring about Thunderheart. The story's effective in that it's not out of guilt. We murdered all these Indians and so we owe them something. But now out of respect for the land, the tremendous strength that they have, the Indians are natural in a very real sense of the word. They have a natural relationship to the spirit, things that are not matter-based. They have the kind of trust that gives them that strength. It's not hokey. It's very real and very necessary. So I chose the part for all those reasons." ~Val Kilmer
Based on Actual Events
Story Ray Levoi (Val Kilmer) is an ambitious up-and-coming FBI agent in the 1970s with great career prospects. The one thing he will not tolerate is any reference to his half-Indian heritage. As far as he is concerned, his loyalties and culture identify him with the government and his white mother. He is extremely touchy about anything to do with his father, who was an alcoholic full-blooded Sioux.
However, the FBI wants to take advantage of his half-Indian blood to mend fences in a politically sensitive murder investigation, and it sends him exactly where he doesn't want to go. Further, he is widely advertised as being Indian, though he knows virtually nothing about his heritage and has renounced it to the best of his ability.
Once on the reservation, he becomes deeply involved in a truly messy state of affairs and is drawn into situations where he is forced to confront his background, native spirituality, and the duplicity of the government and its allies within the tribe.
Despite his consistent prickliness about his heritage, his heart is in the right place, and the reservation's sheriff (Graham Greene) and a wise spiritual elder (Chief Ted Thin Elk) patiently lead their unwilling FBI pupil on a soul-wrenching wild goose chase which paradoxically takes him straight to the heart of the matter.
Cast Val Kilmer, Graham Greene, Sam Shepard and John Trudell
Our Two Cents Six Thumbs Up! (two for each of us)
FYI The film is a fictionalization based on true events , including the rise of the American Indian Movement. In particular, the character Jimmy Looks Twice (John Trudell) is modeled on the appearance of native American activist Bob Robideau and the story of Leonard Peltier, who like Jimmy, was sought by the FBI for the murder of two FBI men and was eventually arrested.
Kilmer also appeared on the documentary Trudell.