Black Cloud
Black Cloudis the impressive directorial debut of veteran actor Rick Schroder, who also wrote the drama's insightful script and takes a small part as an unrepentant villain. The story concerns a Navajo boxer named Black Cloud (Eddie Spears), an angry young man from a violent, chaotic family and a proud warrior burdened by a general grudge against white people. Invited to compete for a slot in the U.S. Olympic boxing team, Black Cloud initially rebuffs the idea but is encouraged to reconsider by his manager and mentor (Russell Means). Meanwhile, Black Cloud delivers a well-deserved beating to a rodeo circuit creep (Schroder), which gets him into hot water with the law, and the Navajo woman he loves (Julia Jones) puts distance between them until he can figure out his priorities. As coming-of-age stories go,Black Cloudis persuasive and moving, yet it should be no surprise that Schroder's greatest strength as a filmmaker is drawing very fine performances from his cast. Means, so wonderful in Michael Mann'sThe Last of the Mohicans, is again a solid figure of strength and love, while Spears does a beautiful job of capturing a man ready to trade rage for wisdom. Schroder delivers on tough action sequences--rodeo riding, boxing--like a pro who's seen it all, too.--Tom Keogh