Val Kilmer and Sam Shepard are featured in a story about examining a killing on a South Dakota reservation. A young FBI agent who is part Sioux (played by Val Kilmer) joins forces with an experienced agent (Sam Shepard) to look into the murder, set against a backdrop of tension between those supportive of the government and ARM, which stands for the Aboriginal Rights Movement. Graham Greene portrays a tribal police officer. “Thunderheart,” released in 1992, is a Western updated to contemporary times, drawing inspiration from events surrounding the Wounded Knee incident of 1973. The film’s ARM group seems to be modeled after AIM, or the American Indian Movement, an organization with traditionalist views that was quite active and continues to exist today. Some people understandably viewed AIM as a terrorist group because of things like Leonard Peltier's killing of two FBI agents in 1975 at the Pine Ridge Reservation; this event is brought up by Cooch (played by Shepard) in the movie. You don’t need any prior understanding of these issues or to choose sides to enjoy it. The film does present a perspective, which I won't discuss here, but I found myself somewhere in the middle, simply enjoying the visuals. While I do like the film, it is somewhat lessened by attempts at trendy dialogue. Additionally, certain Native American characters seem to possess abilities that are almost supernatural, though I did find some of the spiritual aspects worthwhile. The movie’s length is 1 hour and 59 minutes; filming took place in South Dakota, including locations like Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Wounded Knee Cemetery, Badlands National Park, and Washington DC. GRADE: B-

Source on TMDB