Geronimo: An American Legend
Tags: violence, historical

Plot synopsis:
The film loosely follows the events leading up to the surrender of Geronimo in 1886. The Apache Indians have reluctantly agreed to settle on a U.S. government approved reservation. Not all the Apaches are able to adapt to the life of corn farmers, and one in particular, Geronimo (Wes Studi), is restless.
Pushed over the edge by broken promises and unnecessary actions by the government, Geronimo and 30 other warriors form an attack team which humiliates the government by evading capture, while reclaiming what is rightfully theirs. The plot centers upon Charles Gatewood (Jason Patric), the U.S. cavalry lieutenant charged with capturing the elusive Apache leader with the assistance of a scout leader Al Sieber (Robert Duvall) and a young graduate Britton Davis (Matt Damon).
Gatewood is torn by a grudging respect for Geronimo and his people, and his duty to his country. Brigadier General George Crook (Gene Hackman), charged with overseeing the forced settlement of the Apaches on reservations has nothing but admiration for Geronimo.
Geronimo surrenders to Crook but later escapes, taking half of the reservation with him. Gatewood, Sieber, Davis and a group of soldiers set out to capture Geronimo. Crook later resigns from the army and is replaced by General Nelson Miles. The next day Gatewood, Sieber, Davis and Apache Chato come across some slaughtered Indians. They stop at a bar but there are bounty hunters there and they threaten to kill Chato for money which results in a shootout in which Sieber is shot and mortally wounded.
Gatewood, Davis and Chato carry on to capture Geronimo. Geronimo makes peace with Gatewood and surrenders along with the other Apache to General Miles. Gatewood is transferred to a remote garrison in North Wyoming while Davis resigns from the army and Chato is shipped off to Florida with the rest of the renegades.

Review: The majestic music and scenic photography combine perfectly to compliment the stunning performances of Wes Studi as Geronimo and the breath-taking Jason Patric as Lt. Charles Gatewood.
The special friendship shared between the two grand, thoughtful men is the main interest that holds this film together, with Patric's performance being the most exceptional, amid a talented supporting cast of big names.As a righteous officer and gentleman who remains loyal but unpoisoned by excessive patriotism, Gatewood is a tough but calming influence in the face of great danger, while displaying a maturity that bewilders his more primitive companion Al Sieber (Robert Duvall) who exclaims, "You don't love who you're fighting for and you don't hate who you're fighting against!" In this way, Gatewood is just as complex as he is likable, immediately gaining the trust and admiration of both his friends and enemies.Whether he assumes the role of an ambassador with his deep eyes and charismatic presence or that of a soldier with his masterful horsemanship (performed by the actor himself), Jason Patric brings a special depth and beauty to Gatewood, making him one of the most impressive and under rated heroes ever captured on film.
The actual events are revisited and revised in the perspective of the "re-visitor." That said, this remarkably well written, well acted, and generally well executed movie is likely the best account of the "Geronimo Campaign" out there.
This makes the movie slow, and for non-buffs a tedious experience.Finally, the film has a terrific soundtrack by Ry Cooder and a knock-out performance by Wes Studi as Geronimo!.
This underrated Western (in Germany Hills picture disappears after one week from the cinema) convinces with an excellent script (I realize again, John Milius is much better in writing as directing), a stunning photography and outstanding performances of the lead characters.
What makes it so entertaining?1) a very interesting saga of the famous Apache Geronimo, fighting for his people and also living a life dedicated to revenge; 2) A great portrayal of him by actor Wes Studi, who has the perfect face and voice for the role; 3) a very solid all-male cast, with memorable leads played by Jason Patric, Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman and Matt Damon; 4) wonderful golden-hued cinematography, filmed in the mountainous area of Moab, Utah; 5) Not excessive violence nor a lot of profanity, rare for a Walter Hill directed movie.
6) Good sound if you have the DVD and a surround sound system.Yes, this leans in the PC class with big-time leanings toward the Indian cause, but the Apache people apparently had a good case for their cause, at least with Geronimo's convincing question near the end of the movie: "There is plenty of land.
Some people don't like this film because it tells history more like it was than most movies do about the "conquering" of the American west ...
As a native of Arizona, where much of the historical action took place, I find it disturbing that the countryside in which the movie was made is either in some other state or in the wrong part of Arizona, that characters seem to be able to get from Tombstone to San Carlos in one day on horseback (either they had multiple horses, or one dead one), and that there is a bit of overstatement about the honor among the various Apache bands (with reference to the reason that members of some Apache groups served as scouts against other groups).
Despite minor examples of the invariable desire of film-makers to embellish events (Al Sieber in fact died years later when a rock rolled on him while he was clearing a road) this is as close as you'll get to a historically and visually accurate movie account of the pursuit of Geronimo..
Wes Studi's performance as Geronimo was superb, adding depth to the legend which few people have only heard about through old wives tales and abridged history books.
This a film represented a tremendous opportunity, with such a fine actor as Wes Studi, to allow the story to be told through Geronimo's eyes.
Geronimo isn't universally loved on the Mescalero & Ft. Sill Reservations, because many Chiricahua Apachewanted to give up the struggle before he did.Gene Hackman plays a superb Gen. Crook, as a no-nonsense general.
Al Sieber, played by Robert Duval, was so drunk that when Britton Davis received word that the Apaches were making "tizwin" (tiz ween), acquivalent to 3.2 beer, and asked for advice, Sieber told him to not worry about it.Geronimo and Sieber both were negatively affected by alcohol.
If someone had given Wes Studi some opportunity to display even a few minutes of that aloneness in a vast emptiness, they might have gotten a great performance.This is revisionist history, for sure.But, the film's worth watching more than once.I've become far too involved with the details, now, to tolerate the entire film being shot in Utah.
The film talks upon Geronimo (Wes Studi), chief of Apaches Chiricaguas.
The motion picture was well directed by Walter Hill , though he never liked the title of the movie "Geronimo: An American Legend" because he never felt the movie was about Geronimo but about the men who had caught Geronimo .
Damon narrates the film and it's through his eyes that we see the action unfold.Army politics factors big in the hunt for Geronimo, General George Crook who was the Army general best known for subduing the Indians had his policy questioned by the officials in Washington and after he captures Geronimo once and then through some gross stupidity an incident happens on the reservation that sets Geronimo on the warpath again, Crook played by Gene Hackman is replaced by General Nelson Miles who is portrayed by Kevin Tighe.That's above the heads of army lieutenant Charles Gatewood who actually does the negotiations to bring Geronimo in and is played by Jason Patric.
Geronimo and the Chiricahua Apache deserve a better movie.
The glorification is to much focused on General Crook, yes indeed he was a good man, but he does not deserve to be remembered as the hero in a movie about Geronimo..
(In the army, no less, which is just the place *I* would go if I wanted to find to a peaceful solution with the native American people.) I do wish that the movies would just show what happened without the characters of Basil Exposition and The Preacher, so we can form our own conclusions.This movie is no exception, focusing on the Apache War, with Jason Patric playing Lt. Gatewood - speaking the very language of the Apache - pointing out to his commanding officer the errors of Indian policy.
Robert Duvall is excellent (as always); Wes Studi is solid as Geronimo.The scenery (if you neglect to note the transportation implications as they race from one lovely monument several hours by car to another while raiding in the space of minutes) is lovely, and the soldiers look suitably tired and scruffy.
Unfortunately, Hollywood used what was handy and ignored a few important details.So now some viewers will probably think they know something about Geronimo's life that isn't true, especially the poor junior high school kid cheating on some report by watching the movie.
If you expect to see a Western about heroic Indians and evil soldiers or an action loaded cowboys versus apache film don't watch it.
It's a wonderful cast of actors in thismovie: Gene Hackman as General George Crook, Robert Duvall as Scout AlSieber, Jason Patric as 1.Lt. Charles Gatewood and a young Matt Damonas 2nd Lt. Britton Davis.
I think this movie does a good job of portraying how ruthless the US was in taking Indian land and not following through on any promises made.
I do think the treatment of Geronimo was a little on the sympathetic side and I think he was a much harsher man than portrayed.However, I still liked the movie and found it well made.
Studi was great, the movie with Ry Cooder's score, along with Jason Patric, was WELL DONE..
As ROOTS showed us that slavery was an American reality, as COME SEE THE PARADISE taught us that the USA acted unethically during WWII, as the DEAR HUNTER told us that the troubles of Vietnam were deeper than the reports on the evening news; GERONIMO reminds us that the taking of the West was an ugly affair devoid of justice..
When Studi is on-screen, this movie pulsates with life--he's just great as Geronimo.
Wes Studi, so hateful in LAST OF THE MOHICANS, is about as sympathetic a character as you can get in GERONIMO, and Walter Hill's direction is about as tight as it gets (which is saying a lot for a director of Hill's caliber).
GERONIMO is and isn't historically accurate; what it most definitely IS is a great movie..
The outstanding performances led by a cast of Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Jason Patric, Wes Studi, Matt Damon, Rodney A.
Regardless of the absolute historical veracity of the film, GERONIMO:AN American LEGEND is, first and foremost, an engaging piece of motion picture entertainment.
Written by John Milius, and directed by Walter Hill (with a dynamite soundtrack by Ry Cooder), the film attempts an evenhanded examination of the final chapters in America's war-torn and bloody relationship with The Apache Nation.
The saga of the great Apache warrior Geronimo has played a great part in the history of the white man's settling at the American West, though it is a history that for many decades and centuries has been deified beyond all reason at the expense of truth.
Over the years, the saga has been told both in history books and, inevitably, in movies, with a 1962 version (featuring a rather miscast Chuck Connors as the great Apache warrior) being perhaps the most prominent.
But perhaps the finest retelling could be found through the mind of director Walter Hill (The Long Riders) in his 1993 film GERONIMO: AN American LEGEND.In decades past, particularly if his opponent had been portrayed by someone like John Wayne, Geronimo would have been seen on screen as a thoroughly villainous figure.
Jason Patric (as Lt. Charles Gatewood) and Matt Damon (as 2nd Lt. Britton Davis) are the U.S. Cavalry officers assigned to bring Geronimo in for surrender upon orders of General George Crook (Gene Hackman), and with help from the expert scout Al Sieber (Robert Duvall).
But when the cavalry break up a medicine man ritual on the Apache reservation at Turkey Creek, Geronimo (superbly played by Wes Studi) goes on the warpath.
Miles (Kevin Tighe), his much more hard-nosed, by-the-book successor who, as Patric learns in a hurry, has no intention of honoring any of the agreements for Apache surrender that the Army has made.Given both the cinematic reputations of Hill and Milius, both of whom are of the hardened Peckinpah school of Western demythologizing and violence, GERONIMO: AN American LEGEND could very easily have been just as violent as, say, other pro-Indian films like ULZANA'S RAID or SOLDIER BLUE.
And indeed, like history, the film itself is ambiguous, with that ambiguity represented in Patric's Lt. Gatewood, who knows Studi well and questions the Army's willingness to adhere to agreements it signed, which earns something of a questioning from Duvall's scout in this exchange:SIEBER: I just think you're a real sad case.
And as the film shows us, America's Manifest Destiny, regardless of what John Wayne may have led generations of Americans to believe, isn't something we can boast about any longer.Hackman and Duvall, not surprisingly, show themselves for the seasoned pros they are; they give their characters the proper vigor.
However, it is Studi who gives the film's greatest performance as the legendary Apache warrior; he is shown as a man of honor who fights only because he has been pushed.
The period score by roots rock musician Ry Cooder also does a lot to add to the atmosphere of the film.In the end, GERONIMO: AN American LEGEND is a probing look at a distorted part of American history that needs to be set straight, and a critique of wrongs against a whole race that have still yet to be righted.
Good film-making has proved to be a catalyst for this; and in that regard and many others, GERONIMO: AN American LEGEND is great film-making..
Great performances by Wes Studi, the underrated Jason Patric, and the always good Hackman and Duval.
I see most of the negative reviews seem to question the historical accuracy, while they may be right, I feel the movie does an excellent job of telling the story of Western civilization's colonizing the state's and the conflicted and differing feeling they had to the treatment of the native American Indians.
first let me say the this is a graphic movie lots of shootouts and bloody wounds its rated pg-13 for frontier violence witch i think it should have been rated R for frontier violence.the acting was wonderful by Gene Hackman and Wes Studi, now Jason Patric was mostly bull and boring.for people looking for a accurate history movie this isn't for you but if you like a good western drama like Dancing With Wolves this is for you.
A little more of Geronimo's life prior to the start of the incidents in this movie could have been shown.Matt Damon is good as the idealistic young officer.
Some say that Geronimo: An American Legend is revisionist but there is no getting away from the fact that this movie is poorly made hokum.
Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) ** 1/2 (out of 4)The Apache Indians aren't willing to accept the U.S. Goverments offer of living on reservations.
Leading their resistance is Geronimo (Wes Studi) so Lt. Gatewood (Jason Patric) is assigned to try and talk him into surrendering.I'm pretty sure I'm the only person out there that had a negative reaction to GERONIMO: AN AMERICAN LEGEND when it was originally released to theaters.
I didn't like it at the time that it was released so I decided to revisit it and I must say that it still didn't work for me.My biggest issue with the film was the actual story structure as well as the lead performance by Patric.
He's a more than capable actor but it just doesn't work here.Technically speaking the film is certainly beautiful to look at as Hill does a great job at building up the locations as you really do feel as if you're back in the era that this was showing.
This movie is about Geronimo, Apache chief, who chooses to rescue and save his tribe instead pointless battle against the superior fire-armed USA cavalry.
If you like Westerns, 1993's "Geronimo: An American Legend" is worth checking out; it's just not as good as you would expect from such an exemplary cast & crew.With the likes of Walter Hill, John Milius, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Jason Patric, Wes Studi and Matt Damon you'd expect greatness on the level of "Last of the Mohicans," "Dances with Wolves" or even "Wyatt Earp," instead it's merely watchable.This is likely because, more than anything else, it comes across as a humdrum history lesson.
Geronimo: An American Legend is directed by Walter Hill and written by John Milius.
It stars Wes Studi, Jason Patric, Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman, Matt Damon and Pato Hoffman.
Story tells of what led Geronimo to being the most wanted Apache warrior on the American Government list, and his subsequent capture/surrender in 1886.
Walter Hill's biopic of the Apache hero brings to life the political struggle between Native Americans and the US army in the 19th century.
The best cast member is Wes Studi as Geronimo himself: playing his character stony-faced most of the time, he gets the man's humility, strength and sense of quiet honour just right..
I was proud to see how the story of the apache was displayed and the harsh treatment they suffered and all they lost.I feel the truth was shown in this film.I am part native American myself.I was especially interested.My friends and I saw the film together and I must say at the end when they are on the train to Florida after Geronimo's final surrender all of us were stunned.It was one of the most powerfully emotional scenes I have ever viewed.some people cried,and the emotions in the theatre were so sad.Geronimo's final words moved me and I remember "No one knows why the One God let the white eye take our land."this is to never be answered and gone forever.I was haunted for years after this film..
(Just like a Cavalry officer of that era would be.)Now on to the heart of the matter: Wes Studi is a great actor and deserved an Oscar for this performance.
Gen. George Crook (Gene Hackman) he quickly learns what the west is all about.Learning from Gatewood and from Geronimo as they travel he develops a respect for the Apache warrior and the code of honor that he lives by.
The moments with Studi there shows that we wasn't just a Native American Indian actor but a great actor.
Jason Patric is effective in his role as Davis's commanding officer, Lieutenant Charles Gatewood, who's knowledge and understanding of Chiricahua Apache life is instrumental in dealing with the legendary Geronimo (Wes Studi).
Over all though, this is a generally well told character study of an American West legend who found it impossible to reconcile his humanity to reservation life..
His successor,General Miles (Kevin Tighe, good actor, perennial bad man), is a lying bastard.It's no wonder Geronimo (Wes Studi) is torn between trying to raise corn within the strictures of reservation life and taking off for the hills with a band of resentful warriors and their families.
Films like "Dances With Wolves", "Thunderheart, "Squanto", "Geronimo" and "The Last of the Mohicans" serve up romantic myths, treating Native Americans with a mixture of reverence, nostalgia and melancholy.Released at the end of this wave, Walter Hill's "Geronimo" focuses on the "Geronimo Campaign", a period of history between 1885 and 1886 in which five thousand US cavalry men attempted to hunt and kill a group of Apache Indians.