Inspired by true events – “Thunderheart” on 4K UHD
- Bill Kelley III
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
4K ULTRA HD REVIEW / HDR SCREENSHOTS
Val Kilmer stars as FBI agent Ray Levoi, who’s one-fourth Sioux but has buried his heritage. He’s assigned to a murder case that took place on the Oglala Sioux Pine Ridge Reservation.
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“THUNDERHEART”
4K Ultra HD; 1992; R for profanity and for some areas of violence; Digital copy via Amazon Prime Video (4K), Apple TV (4K), DirecTV (4K), Fandango Home (4K), Microsoft Movies (4K), Verizon (4K), Xfinity (4K)
Best extra: A commentary with screenwriter John Fusco
THIRTY-PLUS years ago, English director Michael Apted (“Gorillas in the Mist,” “Coal Miner’s Daughter”), and his up-and-coming cinematographer Roger Deakins (“No Country for Old Men,” “1917”), also from England, headed to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota for the TriStar Pictures production of the underrated “Thunderheart.” The commendable political crime story was inspired by actual events that took place on tribal lands during the 1970s.
Deakins’ visuals are stunning with the rolling prairies and Badlands, as young FBI agent Ray Levoi (Val Kilmer), who’s one-fourth Sioux, but buried his heritage, is assigned to a murder case that took place on the Oglala Sioux Pine Ridge Reservation. Levoi is going in as an American Indian federal officer to diffuse the tension between the traditional Native Americans and members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who had seized the town of Wounded Knee a few years earlier.
He’s met at a South Dakota airport by cynical veteran agent Frank Courtelle, played by the always insightful character actor Sam Shepard. And fresh off his Best Supporting Oscar nomination in “Dances with Wolves” as Kicking Bird, Canadian First Nations actor Graham Greene, plays tribal police officer Walter Crow Horse.
(1&2) Veteran agent Frank Courtelle (Sam Shepard) escorts Levoi to the reservation, where they are met by Tribal President Jack Milton (Fred Ward) and his self-appointed Guardians of the Oglala Nation. (3) Tribal cop Walter Crow, played by the witty Oscar-nominated Graham Greene, pulls Levoi over for driving 58 mph in a 55 zone. He also calls the FBI (“the Federal Bureau of Intimidation”). (4&5) Lovoi’s investigation takes him to the land where the murder takes place. He questions Richard Yellow Hawk (Julis Drum) and Grandma Maisy Blue Legs (Sarah Brave). (6&7) Lovoi attends a ceremonial powwow and a late-night spiritual fire. (8&9) Levoi and Courtelle collect evidence in their makeshift office at the motel room.
Apted also assembled a superb indigenous cast, including first-timer Shelia Tousey, who plays the Ivy League-educated Maggie Eagle Bear, who returns to the reservation to help her family and people, Sarah Brave, who plays Maggie’s grandmother, Ted Thin Elk as Grandpa Sam Reaches, and John Trudell, former National Chairman of the AIM, who plays Jimmy Looks Twice.
Outspoken singer/songwriter David Crosby (The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) plays a bar owner in a cameo role.
EXTRAS
During his enlightened commentary, screenwriter/producer John Fusco (“Young Guns,” “Hidalgo”) says he was inspired during a spiritual journey into the American West. He came across this “hidden modern history,” which told him the American Indian Wars didn’t end in 1890 at the Wounded Knee Massacre, but continues through today. Over 300 Lakota people were killed by the 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment on that cold December 29th day, after being arrested during a crackdown on the Ghost Dance. At the time, a medicine man had envisioned that the dance would bring the buffalo back and the white man would go away. The film opens with a dance reenactment, as Deakins captures the Pine Ridge dancers silhouetted against a dark purple/red sky.
Fucso received permission from tribal authorities and Chief Fools Crow, who was in his 90s at the time. The two smoked a ceremonial pipe, and Fools Crow gave him the name “Thunderheart.” He also gave the screenwriter one stipulation: “Learn the Lakota language, so he could communicate with me, and tell his side of the story.” It took Fucso five years to finalize the script.
“Archive Interviews with Cast & Crew” (12 mins), includes Kilmer, who describes his character’s cultural mysteries and how he had to break down his prejudices as he introduces himself to the people. There are also interviews with Apted, Fusco, Greene, Tousey, Trudell, technical consultant Sonny Richardson, and producer Jane Rosenthal.
VIDEO
After its first Blu-ray release in 2024, sourced from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative (1.85:1 aspect), Sony spins the 4K Ultra HD version only 20 months later. The results are first-rate, especially with Deakins keen-eye to the landscape, time-lapse photography, moody lighting, and stylish framing.
The HDR10 and Dolby Vision grading give the imagery a higher level of natural colors and deeper blacks and shadow detail during interior and nighttime scenes. Plus, the added resolution in the distant Badlands, facial clarity, and fine detail from the ceremonial powwow make this an early top 2026 4K mastering job.
AUDIO
The same six-channel DTS-HD soundtrack is ported over from the Blu-ray, which still highlights the organic, orchestral score from James Horner (“Titanic,” “Braveheart,” “Apollo 13”) with strong woodwind notes from the shakuhachi flute and chant vocals. Sony also provides the original 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, giving the dialogue a broader center speaker sound.
“Thunderheart” got two “Thumbs Up!” from Siskel and Ebert during their weekly TV show in 1992, and they were quite impressed with Kilmer's performance. They both thought he had been snubbed the previous year by the Academy Awards, for his performance as The Doors frontman Jim Morrison, in Oliver Stone’s music biopic.
— Bill Kelley III, High-Def Watch producer
SPECS:
66 GB disc
TRUE 4K mastering
Captured on 35mm film stock (1.85:1 aspect ratio) with Arriflex cameras and spherical lens.
Video bitrate: Averages in the upper 50 Megabits per second, with a running time of 119 minutes.
HDR10 maximum light level: 807 nits
Max frame average light level: 286 nits
Budget: Domestic box office $22.6 million, with a production budget of $15 million.
Rotten Tomatoes: Top Critics 80 percent, Moviegoers 75 percent
Sony Pictures 4K Menu