Themes: Social Injustice, Miscarriage of Justice, Race Relations
Main Cast: A. Martinez, Gary Farmer, Amanda Wyss, Joanelle Nadine Romero, Sam Vlahos
Release Year: 1989
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
The road movie gets a smart update with this seriocomic tale of two Cheyenne men traveling from their reservation in Montana to New Mexico. For one of them, Buddy Red Bow (A Martinez), a quick-tempered activist, the journey is a practical one; his sister has been arrested and he is the only family member who can help her out. Buddy has no transportation, so he's forced to ride with Philbert Bono (Gary Farmer), a phlegmatic hulk of a man who is using his 1964 Buick as a vehicle for a spiritual journey of his own. Philbert's easygoing ways and insistence on frequent stops to meditate prove irritating at first to Buddy, but the men reach an accommodation as the trip wears on. Buddy comes to see that blaming the white man and what he sees as system rigged against Native Americans is distracting him from his true mission: to better understand himself and his place in the world. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
Review
The first Native American road movie follows many of that genre's conventions: a mismatched pair with different ideas on how to get to their destination, plus stops along the way that mix comedy and drama. The overlay here is that the men in that rusting 1964 Buick are traveling, at least for the first part of their journey, a highway that parallels the Bozeman Trail, the scene of many 19th century battles between white settlers traveling to the gold mines of Virginia City, MO, and Native Americans eager to protect their Northern Wyoming hunting grounds. Buddy Red Bow, well aware of the many indignities heaped upon his people, boils over with righteous anger, while Philbert Bono simmers gently with reflection. Because Bono is in the driver's seat (in more ways than one), Buddy has to dance to Philbert's rhythms. Their interplay is both amusing and provocative, and it allows the viewer to understand the yin and yang of the Native American psyche in the late 20th century, though it's clear the movie's ultimate sympathies lie with Philbert. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
Wayne Waterman - Wolf Tooth; Margo Kane - Imogene; Geoffrey Rivas - Sandy Young Blood; Roscoe Born - Agent Jack Novall; Tony Frank - Captain Roberts; Rene Handren-Seals; Marc Miles - Patrolman; Marie Antoinette Rogers - Aunt Harriet; Wes Studi - Buff; Adam Taylor - Bull Miller; Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman - CB Radio Voice; Del Zamora - Fidel de Boro; Janet Cunningham; Junie Lowry-Johnson; Graham Greene - Vietnam Vet; John Trudell - Louie Short Hair
Credit
Don Diers - Art Director, Carl Kraines - Associate Producer, Isis Mussenden - Costume Designer, Joanelle Nadine Romero - Director, Jonathan Wacks - Director, James A. Stewart - Editor, George Harrison - Executive Producer, Denis O'Brien - Executive Producer, Barry Goldberg - Composer (Music Score), Cynthia Sowder - Production Designer, Toyomichi Kurita - Cinematographer, Jan Wieringa - Producer, Ben Loggins - Stunts, Rick Barker - Stunts, Randy Fife - Stunts, Russell Towery - Stunts, Jean Stawarz - Screenwriter, Janet Heaney - Screenwriter, David Seals - Book Author
For the Northern Cheyenne tribe of Lame Deer, Montana, the American Dream has taken a grim detour. Buddy Red Bow (Martinez), a quick-tempered activist, is battling greedy developers who send fast-talking, slick Sandy Youngblood to the reservation to try and persuade the council to vote in favor of a strip-mining contract. Philbert Bono (Farmer) is a serene hulk of a man guided by sacred visions. He desperately wants to find his medicine, tokens from the spirits, and starts his journey to become a warrior by trading some marijuana, booze, and a few bucks for his 'war pony' - a rusted out, beat up 1964 Buick he names 'Protector.' Meanwhile, Buddy's estranged sister, Bonnie, is arrested in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Buddy is the only family member who can help her and her children, Jane and Sky Red Bow. Buddy does not own a car, so he is forced to make the journey with Philbert. They set out on their road trip, and Philbert's easygoing ways and insistence on frequent stops to pray and eat prove irritating at first to Buddy, but the men reach an understanding as the trip wears on. When they finally reach Santa Fe, they meet up with Bonnie's friend, Rabbit (Wyss) who is also trying to get Bonnie out of jail. Buddy and Philbert end up taking more than just a trip from Lame Deer to Santa Fe, finding themselves on a journey with many unexpected twists, turns, and stops. Together, they face the realities and dreams of being Cheyenne in the modern-day United States as they travel down the Powwow Highway.
Box Office and Critical Reception
Powwow Highway did poorly at the box office, grossing a mere $283,747, despite mostly positive reviews. It then enjoyed a notable second life in video and DVD sales, especially among Native American and First Nations people. The film aired numerous times on HBO and Bravo, and has been translated into 8 languages; it is often shown in France, Russia, Japan, and Mexico.
Roger Ebert called Gary Farmer's performance "...one of the most wholly convincing I’ve seen..." Booklist called the sequel novel Sweet Medicine, by David Seals, "a comic masterpiece."[1] In Sweet Medicine, the characters complain about how they were portrayed in the film, and pass on seeing it when they have the chance.
Leslie Marmon Silko wrote, "I love the way David Seals loots all the literary traditions of the world. And I never laughed so hard! He has truly captured in a unique and brilliant way that elusive genius of our 'Indian humor'."[citation needed]
