Thunderheart 4K Review (Sony Pictures)

Thunderheart is a 1992 suspense thriller directed by Michael Apted (Coal Miner’s Daughter, The World Is Not Enough, Enough, Gorky Park, Nell, Extreme Measures, and Gorillas in the Mist). It was written by John Fusco (Young Guns, The Highwaymen, Hidalgo, The Babe, Marco Polo, and The Forbidden Kingdom). It was produced by acting legend Robert De Niro (Cape Fear, A Bronx Tale, The Irishman, About a Boy, Rent, Meet the Parents franchise, and Frankenstein). The budget was $15,000,000 and it grossed $22,660,758 worldwide at the box office. Leo Fast Elk has been murdered. FBI Agent William Dawes (played by: Fred Thompson from Law and Order, The Hunt for Red October, Sinister, No Way Out, Days of Thunder, Cape Fear, In the Line of Fire, White Sands, and Die Hard 2) assigns Agent Ray Levoi (played by: Val Kilmer from Top Gun, The Doors, Real Genius, The Saint, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Batman Forever, The Birthday Cake, Tombstone, Heat, The Salton Sea, Willow, True Romance, and Wonderland) to help investigate because of his mixed Sioux heritage. Ray is disconnected from his heritage but he wants to advance his FBI career so he agrees to do the task. He is partnered with legendary Agent Frank “Cooch” Coutelle (played by: Sam Shepard from Black Hawk Down, Mud, The Right Stuff, The Pelican Brief, Days of Heaven, The Pledge, Swordfish, Safe House, Out of the Furnace, Killing Them Softly, and Brothers). He has already made a suspect list that includes Maggie Eagle Bear (played by: Sheila Tousey from Law and Order SVU, Ravenous, Into the West, Skinwalkers, and Lord of Illusions) and Jimmy Looks Twice (played by: John Trudell from On Deadly Ground, Smoke Signals, and Extreme Measures). Ray and Frank pin down tribal police officer Walter Crow Horse (played by: Graham Greene from Dances with Wolves, The Green Mile, Wind River, Maverick, Die Hard with a Vengeance, and Echo) at the murder scene thinking he is a possible suspect until he reveals he’s the local cop in charge of the unspeakable case. Frank continues to push Jimmy Looks Twice as the prime suspect. Tribal council president Jack Milton (played by: Fred Ward from the Tremors franchise, Miami Blues, Southern Comfort, The Right Stuff, Remo Williams, The Player, Chain Reaction, Joe Dirt, and Road Trip) offers his assistance. Jack hires an unofficial dangerous militia to protect the reservation. Most of the locals refuse to speak to Ray but Grandpa Sam Reaches (played by: Ted Thin Elk from Walking Thunder and The Broken Chain) opens up to the eager agent which eventually leads him to Richard Yellow Hawk (played by: Julius Drum from Dark Blood). Evidence and suspects start to shows up too easily which makes Ray question his surroundings. He digs deeper and he starts to find out some awful hidden secrets. As he gets closer to solving these crimes, his life and his sources are becoming the hunted. Can Ray get the justice that the locals deserve? or Will these brutal acts be buried again???? Thunderheart is one of Val Kilmer’s most underrated films in his entire career. It’s rarely brought up but it’s one of his best movies from the 90’s. Val Kilmer plays Ray Levoi, he’s an upcoming FBI agent that wants to be promoted so he agrees to use Indian bloodline to investigate this case. He goes in the reservation just wanting a easy conviction to get back to his life but when he starts finding stuff out, it all changes for the lead character. He must question his job and the people that’s supposed to be solving all of this. He risks it all for the truth. It’s one of his greatest roles in his impressive career. Veteran actor Sam Shepard is top notch as Frank. He’s a legend in the FBI and he’s forced to work with this young agent because of his connection to the locals. He already has everything figured out until the rookie steps in and makes it all difficult. Those two have interesting chemistry and it really drives Thunderheart. It has a great supporting cast that includes Fred Ward, Fred Thompson, Rex Linn, Sheila Tousey, and Graham Greene. Thunderheart is loaded with suspense and thrills. This 90’s crime film has some entertaining action and violence. It’s a quality script with fully developed characters and some nice twists. It’s one of the better Native American representations when it comes to cinema. This catalog title kinda has been forgotten over the years. This brand new home video release should really give it some more love and attention. RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Sony Pictures! This 2160p (1.85:1) transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is from a brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative. I’ve seen it on TV a few times over the years and this blows those versions out of the water. I’ve owned the original DVD release and this UHD is a a massive improvement in every possible way. It was shot by the legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins so you know it looks top notch. It has an English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks on the UHD. The 2.0 track wasn’t available on the previous Blu Ray so this is a nice surprise. The audio here is a big upgrade compared it’s older home video releases. All of the dialogue is crisp, the suspense is elevated, and the late James Horner’s score has a killer boost to it. It has English and English SDH subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with writer and producer John Fusco. He dedicates his track to several people that worked on the production that are no longer with us. He mentions that the director actually recorded his own commentary track but it was never released. He chats about some of the real life people and situations that inspired the story. He talks about some of the main cast and characters in Thunderheart. He points out many of the legit performers in this that knew the environment that they were portraying. He shares personal stories and he is loaded with information about everything to do with Thunderheart. It’s a good track, you learn a lot about it’s history and get some inside insight into it’s world. The biggest addition to this re-release & 4K debut is the unreleased almost 12 minutes of “Archive Interviews”. It has conversations with Graham Greene, Sheila Tousey, John Trudell, Sonny Richardson, John Fusco, Jane Rosenthal, and Michael Apted. That’s one thing that sets Sony Pictures apart from their competition when it comes to UHD discs. They always seem to include rare stuff that wasn’t on anything before from the studio vaults. It really makes it worth double dipping. It has a “Trailer” for Thunderheart. It comes with a slipcover and a digital code. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!