Main Cast: Jason Patric, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Wes Studi, Matt Damon
Release Year: 1993
Country: US
Run Time: 115 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Walter Hill directs John Milius's script (co-written by Larry Gross) depicting a revisionist perspective on the "Geronimo Campaign" and how Geronimo, with 34 men, managed to elude 5000 U.S. cavalry men between 1885 and 1886 before his surrender at the Canyon of the Skeletons in September 1886. The film centers upon Charles Gatewood (Jason Patric), the U.S. Cavalry lieutenant who is charged with capturing the elusive Apache leader. Gatewood is torn by a grudging respect for Geronimo and his people and his duty to his country. But then all the white men in the film have a respect for Geronimo, even as they are trying to hunt him down and kill him. General Charles Crook (Gene Hackman), charged with overseeing the forced settlement of the Apaches on reservations, has nothing but admiration for Geronimo. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
One of two tragically underrated Westerns produced in the mid-'90s (the other being 1994's Wyatt Earp), this grand, sweeping adventure boasts taut direction from Walter Hill and several great performances from its male leads. While a naïve soldier well played by a then-unknown Matt Damon is ostensibly the main character here, the real heart and soul of the film is Charles Gatewood, a soldier sympathetic with his enemy nearly to the point of sedition and played with mute, feral feverishness by Jason Patric. Superlative performances are also delivered by Gene Hackman as a morally conflicted general, Robert Duvall as an uneducated scout, and particularly Wes Studi as the title character, repeating his intense, furious supporting work in the previous year's The Last of the Mohicans (1992). The sad outcome of the Native Americans' war against the U.S. Army is well known, but the film's script by John Milius focuses on key events and battle strategy -- predictably, given the screenwriter's martial interests -- making the film more textbook history lesson than emotional journey. For those seeking another Dances with Wolves (1990), the end result is sure to be disappointing, but for those seeking a more dispassionate, realistic handling of Western lore, the film is ultimately a satisfying one. The lack of audience interest in Geronimo: An American Legend may be at least partially explained by the competing made-for-TV movie Geronimo (1993), which was released the same year, necessitating a last-minute title change for this version. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Rodney Grant - Mangas; Kevin Tighe - Brigadier General Nelson Miles; Steve Reevis - Chato; Carlos Palomino - Sgt. Turkey; Victor Aaron - Ulzana; Stuart Proud Eagle Grant - Sergeant Dutchy; Stephen McHattie - Schoonover; Jim Beaver - Proclamation Officer; Mark Boone, Jr. - Afraid Miner; Roger Callard - Sgt. Mulrey; Luis Contreras - Rurale Officer; Lee de Broux - City Marshall Hawkins; John Finn - Capt. Hentig; M.C. Gainey - Unafraid Miner; Greg Goossen - Schoonover Gang; David Barry Gray; George Lee - Native American; Walter Robles - Schoonover Gang; Michael Ruud - Chaplain; Anthony Schmidt - Schoonover Gang; Sonny Skyhawk - Schoonover Gang; Rino Thunder - Old Nana; Jonathan Ward - C.S. Fly; Scott Wilson - Redondo; Michael Adams - Schoonover Gang; Robert Erickson - Cavalryman; Hoke Howell - Billy Pickett; Reuben Cannon; Pato Hoffmann - The Dreamer; Jesus Franco - Native American; Richard Martin; Michael Stein - Cavalryman
Credit
Scott Ritenour - Art Director, Reuben Cannon - Casting, Dan Moore - Costume Designer, Josh McLaglen - First Assistant Director, Walter Hill - Director, Donn Aron - Editor, Freeman Davies, Jr. - Editor, Carmel Davies - Editor, Michael S. Glick - Executive Producer, Ry Cooder - Composer (Music Score), Lee Orloff - Musical Direction/Supervision, Dennis Liddiard - Makeup, Manilo Rocchetti - Makeup, Fred C. Blau, Jr. - Makeup, Norman Langley - Camera Operator, Robert La Bonge - Camera Operator, Joe Alves - Production Designer, Lloyd Ahern, Jr. - Cinematographer, Neil Canton - Producer, Walter Hill - Producer, Richard C. Goddard - Set Designer, R. Bruce Steinheimer - Special Effects, Chris Carpenter - Sound/Sound Designer, Doug Hemphill - Sound/Sound Designer, Jack Verbois - Stunts, Tom Elliott - Stunts, Alan Lee Graf - Stunts, Greg Walker - Stunts, Webster Whinery - Stunts, Danny Costa - Stunts, Bill McIntosh - Stunts, Larry Gross - Screenwriter, John Milius - Screenwriter, John Millius - Short Story Author
The movie follows the events leading up to the capture of Geronimo in 1886. The Apache Indians have reluctantly agreed to settle on a US Government approved reservation. Not all the Apaches are able to adapt to the life of corn farmers, and one in particular, Geronimo, is restless. Pushed over the edge by broken promises and unnecessary actions by the government, Geronimo and thirty other warriors form an attack team which humiliates the government by evading capture, while reclaiming what is rightfully theirs.
Historical accuracy
Many of the major figures wrote memoirs[citation needed] that tell a different story from the one portrayed in the movie. The events in the movie do not maintain the historical chronology of the events and many events were merged together, skipped over, drawn out, or otherwise altered. This does not impact the quality of the drama, but it does change this from a historical account of the events to the category of legend that the title gives it. The movie is particularly at odds with the 1929 book by Britton Davis. Such figures as Tom Horn and Capt. Emmet Crawford, which figure prominently in the histories, are omitted.
