Wind River (2000) User Reviews

Culturally fair

[plars-76129 · 7/10 · 31 October 2019]

This film is pretty accurate historically and is clearly respectful of Native American perspective. The dialog in native camps is in Shoshone with English subtitles. Portrayals move beyond stereotype and develop characters. Little bits of dialog are accurate for Mormon prayers in early scenes. Both the Mormon and Shoshone cultures are fairly portrayed. The story is based on an actual young boy, Nick Wilson. His relative wrote the book which is the basis for it: Wilson, E. N. (2001). The white Indian boy: The story of Uncle Nick among the Shoshones. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Fredonia Books. Highly recommended.

Great acting by Blake, review includes SPOILERS

[CrashOverride12 · 10/10 · 16 October 2004]

This film tells the story of a white boy who is accepted into the Shoshone Indian tribe in 1855 Utah, the story is based on the life of the real Nick Wilson. Nick Wilson lived among the Shoshone for a couple of years, and was one of the original riders of the pony Express.

I think the movie was great, because of great acting by Blake Heron and A.Martinez. The movie describes the adventures of Nick Wilson, a 12 year old pioneer boy , who runs away from his family. He is lured away by Indians who promise him a horse if he will consent to be adopted by the Indian Chief's mother as the white child she dreamed off.

SPOILER, SPOILER, SPOILER, SPOILER

He then lives with the Shoshone Indians for 2 years. He becomes the adopted brother of the famous Chief Washakie and learns Indian skills from hunting to fighting. After 2 years, Nick returns home and meets up with his brother who has been searching for him all these years. When Nick leaves he promises to come back, at the end of the movie he goes back to his Indian family.

The main strength of this movie is the sympathetic portrayal of the American Indian.

insightful movie about unusual white/Indian interaction

[shihhuangti28 · 10/10 · 2 January 2005]

I agree with most of the other comments. This movie was particularly interesting for the insights into native American mores with the white American boy as "outsider" - a reversal of the usual eurocentric approach in western-type movies. I was also interested in the shamanic angle. In response to the previous reviewer, I think the dream of mother that led to the search for the white boy points up a cultural difference between the openness to intuitive (?left-brain) guidance in the native/older cultures rather than the western emphasis on logical/reasoned thinking. This ultimately had good results in that Nick was able to intervene and save the peace-loving Chief when he came under potential attack by a rival leader of the tribe agitating for a more aggressive stance towards the white migrant interlopers (the bit where Nick - having learnt how as part of his warrior training - throws the tomahawk which hits the weapon out of the rival chief's hand before it can hit the main chief - but you'd miss this bit in the movie if you blink, as it takes place very rapidly!). The dream therefore ultimately led to Nick being present and preventing a bad interracial conflict arising. The focus of the movie did seem to be on building bridges between two different cultures and the willingness of Nick to accept mentoring from Morigami is a positive lesson to us to work together today, when the cultural and racial conflicts still seem as deep as ever (and not all from one side!). The movie impelled me to find out more about the native American and shoshone cultures and I hope it has had the same effect on others who have viewed it. A great story, highlighting serious issues in a sympathetic way. Reminded me also of "Dances With Wolves".

Mike Knollys

Wes Studi excels as ever in this interesting period film.

[suwaneekate · 9/10 · 18 March 2001]

This entertaining film provides another glimpse into how wonderfully Wes Studi performs in all his roles. I must confess to my bias towards the film as Wes Studi remains my favorite actor. Yes, Wes plays another "bad guy" part but he does it so well!

Others in the film also do a credible job. I did find myself being somewhat perplexed by the plot as some of the elements about a "dream" at the beginning confused me. At such time as the film becomes available to American audiences it is well worth a look.

Positive Feedback

[WolfCrkPar · 10/10 · 20 January 2002]

The mentoring relationship of A Martinez with Blake Heron is magnetic and engages the viewer. Portrays the real struggle that went on between the various factions of the Indian Nation and the white settlers. Russell Means shows the gentle leadership as a chief trying to teach the children the ways of peace. It would be an appropriate film to show as part of the fourth grade curriculum in California schools.

Poor hair extensions

[james_davies1985 · 10/10 · 3 February 2006]

In a fantastic adaptation of this period classic the only major disappointment was the poor use of hair extensions when Yaichachi grew old. A fellow enthusiast, Jessica Maltby, wept on several occasions during the film, and i myself must confess that i shed a tear in a particularly moving part of the screenplay where a young Nick is told off by his mother. The finest performance in my opinion was that of Pocatello's horse, who was inspirational in the part as Pocatello's horse. Some of the action scenes are also well worth a look, especially the fight scene with another Indian tribe, where realistic punches are thrown with breathtaking accuracy.