Geronimo: An American Legend (1993)

Opinions seem to be mixed about this one: on the whole I quite like it (and think there's a lot to enjoy about it) but I can see why it came for some criticism. The story is basically told from the point of view of a new cavalryman, played by Matt Damon, who arrives in the West to be involved with the surrender, then escape, then search for, then finally surrender again, of Geronimo, the famous Apache leader. Some aspects of this point-of-view telling work quite well, for example the viewer's opinion of Geronimo and the US government's attitude towards the Apaches evolves with the hero's, starting out suspicious and ending up sympathetic. On the other hand, the narration feels a bit forced and too much in places, and could have been trimmed.

The film's treatment of Geronimo is fairly even-handed: he come across as impulsive and aggressive, and some of his decisions are probably poor (for example fighting and leaving the reservation), but motivations are understandable. Some of the Apache's violence is probably glossed over slightly for the sake of making him more sympathetic. The main criticism of the film is probably that it's a bit "bitty": the plot is resolved largely through attrition rather than through the characters actions so as a story it feels a bit inconsequential, even if historically accurate. In general the acting is reasonable, although Robert Duvall doesn't get much to do as a grizzled trail-scout. By impression was that Jason Patric—playing a mentor figure cavalry officer—spends most of his time trying to look what I'd probably call "dreamy", if I were a girl, which comes across as a bit out of place (see the picture!).

The film is beautifully shot, although feels artificially coloured in places (see the other picture), and I have no complaints about the DVD (but the film is new enough that it really should look good).

Miscellaneous note

• The Apache dialogue (which I'll assume is actually in the correct language, since I don't know differently), all seems to be spoken very slowly and deliberately, which comes across as slightly odd once you've noticed it.

Pictures