An American legend comes to breathtaking life in this explosive epic Western starring Jason Patric Robert Duvall Gene Hackman and Wes Studi as Geronimo. Studi (The Last Of The Mohicans) gives a stunning performance as the fearless warrior who was the last Indian leader to surrender to the white man. Betrayed by the Army s legendary "Indian fighter" General George Crook (Hackman) Geronimo leads a small band of warriors in escape. Pursued by a principled officer (Patric) a grizzled Army scout (Duvall) and a gung-ho West Point graduate (Matt Damon Good Will Hunting) Geronimo evades capture through brilliant military strategy and cutthroat courage. His true story is both an action adventure and a spiritual journey through the heart of a warrior. "Two thumbs up for GERONIMO: AN AMERICAN LEGEND a visually stunning elegy to the last of the great Apache leaders." Siskel & EbertSystem Requirements:Starring: Jason Patric Robert Duvall Gene Hackman and Wes Studi as Geronimo. Directed By: Walter Hill. Running Time: 115 Min. Color. This film is presented in both "Widescreen" and "Standard" formats. Copyright 2000 Columbia TriStar Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396587090
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 Unforgiven, a dark tale that both celebrates and critiques myths of the American West. Despite its title, Geronimo 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. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Stunning Yet Slightly Flawed:
Great Westerns succeed via the lens of a camera. Sweeping vistas. Eye-opening, panoramic landscapes and horizons. Struggle and conflict, augmented by grit and dust. When the visual components are in place, a Western succeeds; director Walter Hill furnishes a prime example with his haunting film GERONIMO: AN AMERICAN LEGEND. Wow, can this director make a movie--assisted by very capable cinematographer Lloyd Ahern. Based on true historical accounts depicting Apache legend Geronimo during his last stages of... more info
Terrible DVD release:
While this is a fine movie, that should have gorgeous visuals... this friggin' DVD is FULL SCREEN. There is no widescreen version. Do not purchase this unless you will watch it on an antique TV....otherwise its a terrible home-viewing experience.
Amazing Historical Movie:
This movie is simply amazing. It came so quickly that I had it in less than a week. I love this movie simply because it is the most factual movie about the Apache Indian nation and their fight against the American Army. Thank you
Great movie, but an axe to grind against Matt Damon?:
Matt Damon is the narrator and constant presence in this great story, based on the real-life first person account of Britton Davis. But he doesn't even rate a mention on the front of the DVD, and you have to look carefully on the back to seem him mentioned at all. To top it off, even the Amazon.com "Editorial Review" shown above gets it wrong. What gives? Not that he is necessarily the greatest presence of this exemplary ensemble; I was highly impressed with all of them, and even remarked to my wife that... more info
