Thunderheart
Directed by Michael Apted
An FBI man with Sioux background is sent to a reservation to help with a murder investigation, where he has to come to terms with his heritage. Slowly he rejects the intimidating tactics of his fellow FBI agents, who are not so interested in solving the crime as covering up an incriminating situation with the locals, and as he becomes more tuned to his heritage, the locals begin trusting him. Based on actual Reservation occurrences of the '70s.
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Thunderheart Ratings & Reviews
- Doc WormDecember 30, 2025What would otherwise would be a traditional crime drama/thriller is elevated by heart (no pun intended). Val Kilmer and the great Graham Greene give some pretty solid performances. The cinematography, while by itself does nothing special, highlights the beautiful South Dakota landscapes. Great score from James Horner as well. While a bit dated with many of the Native American motifs, I do believe it is well intentioned and worth the watch if you have the itch for this kind of film.
Thunderheart Trivia
Thunderheart was released on April 3, 1992.
Thunderheart was directed by Michael Apted.
Thunderheart has a runtime of 1h 59m.
Thunderheart was produced by Jane Rosenthal, John Fusco, Robert De Niro.
An FBI man with Sioux background is sent to a reservation to help with a murder investigation, where he has to come to terms with his heritage. Slowly he rejects the intimidating tactics of his fellow FBI agents, who are not so interested in solving the crime as covering up an incriminating situation with the locals, and as he becomes more tuned to his heritage, the locals begin trusting him. Based on actual Reservation occurrences of the '70s.
The key characters in Thunderheart are Ray Levoi (Val Kilmer), Frank Coutelle (Sam Shepard), Walter Crow Horse (Graham Greene).
Thunderheart is rated R.
Thunderheart is a Mystery, Crime, Thriller film.
Thunderheart has an audience rating of 7.5 out of 10.
Thunderheart has made $22.7M at the box office.