BEFORE: We got the stray cat back from the vet today, and we were showing her what a great place our backyard might be to live in, since we have these two plastic storage bins that were converted to house cats during the winter. But, as we were letting her out of the carrier, I looked into one of the cat houses and saw there was something in there, and it had a scaly tail. Turned out to be a possum - yes, a possum in Queens, NY. I chased it away with a mop handle and then some water from the garden hose, so it moved on. God knows how long it's been back there, sleeping in the plastic bin during the hot day and dining at night on rotten peaches from our tree and garbage from the Chinese restaurant next door. What a nasty creature. But in dealing with a cute cat and an ugly possum, it makes me wonder where I draw the line on which animals I help. Why did I spay the cute cat, and shoo away the possum, giving it a chance to procreate? At what point do I interfere, and at what point do I leave nature to run its own affairs?
Anyway, Val Kilmer carries over from "The Saint".
THE PLOT: A young mixed-blood FBI agent is assigned to work with a cynical veteran investigator on a murder on a poverty-stricken Sioux reservation.
AFTER: Weird coincidences again - the main character in this film adopts a stray dog, and his partner gets bitten by a badger hiding under a house. I've been helping a stray cat, and had to contend with a possum hiding in my yard.
The film is set in the 1970's, back when people still used the term "Indian" instead of "Native American" (or is it "aboriginal-American" now?) And it seems like a fine idea, sending an agent who's part Native American in to help with a case - but it only leads to more conflicts the more he talks to the locals and finds himself getting in touch with his heritage. He doesn't really know the customs, or seems to even want to at first, but slowly he begins to suspect that something big is going on at the tribal lands, and he wonders how big the conspiracy is.
The Native American cop is an even more interesting character, since he knows the lay of the land, the customs, and also exhibits Sherlock Holmes-style powers of observation and deduction. He can tell how heavy a person is from his boot-print, and that's just for starters. Eventually the main character learns how valuable his skills are, and starts to take his advice on the evidence he's seen.
It works as a murder mystery, it works as an action film, and it works as a commentary on the tricky American/Native American relationship. It doesn't make my list of top films, but it's at least a solid story.
Also starring Sam Shepard (last seen in "Baby Boom"), Graham Greene, Fred Ward (last seen in "30:Minutes or Less"), Fred Dalton Thompson (last seen in "Class Action"), with a cameo from David Crosby.
RATING: 6 out of 10 pick-up trucks
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