Geronimo: An American Legend

Buy This Item Geronimo: An American Legend  Available from Amazon  Click 'BUY IT NOW' to get price.  on 11-16-2008     Walter Hill's revisionist take on the American cavalry's campaign to capture renegade Chiricahua Apache warrior Geronimo (Wes Studi) is, like Clint Eastwood's <I>Unforgiven</I>, a dark tale that both celebrates and critiques myths of the American West. Despite its title, <I>Geronimo</I> is really about the American cavalry officers who undertake the responsibility of recapturing the warrior, in particular the young narrator Lt. Charles Gatewood (Jason Patric), a Civil War hero who respects the great Geronimo and brokers a treaty with the Chiricahua, only to see it collapse when the army kills the tribal medicine man. Gene Hackman plays Gen. George Crook, the proud but sympathetic officer charged with bringing in the renegades who take to hills after the killing. Robert Duvall, the tough, racist army scout and Indian fighter Charlie Sieber, practically steals the picture with his cagey, underplayed performance. More complex and complicated than most Westerns, this is a Walter Hill film through and through: lean, ironic, beautiful to look at (it was shot on location against the astounding landscape of southeastern Utah), and driven by a wonderful Ry Cooder score. Don't confuse this with the 1993 TNT cable film by the same name; it confounded many viewers at the time of its release and may have been at least partially responsible for its box-office disappointment. <I>--Sean Axmaker</I> Reader Reviews From a cinematic point of view, this movie was a fine work of art. I was taken by the landscape and by the performances of Wes Studi as Geronimo and Gene Hackman as "Nantan Lupan." But what this fan appreciated most about this movie was the appearance on an unsung military officer by the name of Charles Gatewood - it was past time for the part he played in the "Apache Wars" to be acknowledged. Gatewood was apparently an individual of some integrity and appeared to be able to carry out his orders with dignity and compassion. For readers interested in discovering more about this officer, I would suggest that they read the excellent material on him written by the historian Louis Kraft. Gatewood was rewarded for his exemplary service to our nation by becoming the victim of the pettiness and selfish self-centeredness of Nelson Miles, the officer commanding the Apache campaign at the time of Gatewood's service. I wish there was a way to commend Gatewood, and censure Miles. While this movie fictionalizes some key points in the chain of events and does little to honor the Apache people, it succeeds in bringing to light the labors of good human being attempting to be of service to his fellow man - regardless of skin color, rank or station.

Geronimo: An American Legend Available from Amazon Price: Click 'BUY IT NOW' to get price. Updated on 11-16-2008.

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