EarDelightBase Waste of Money.

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

NateWatchesCoolMovies I've often argued with myself whether Sean Penn is a better actor or director, but the truth is he's just as captivating a storyteller whether on camera or behind it, and The Indian Runner is a bold testament to the latter, a somber, tragic family drama that leaves the viewer reeling with it's hard luck characters and sorrowful resolutions. Set in the heartlands sometime after the Viet Nam war, Penn's focus is on two brothers who have been at odds with each other years. David Morse's Joe is a farmer turned cop, an even tempered, recent family man with a loving wife (Valeria Golino, what ever happened to her?) and his shit firmly together. Viggo Mortensen's Frank is a volatile, hotheaded veteran, the little brother with a big chip on his shoulder, a fiery temper and wires crossed somewhere deep inside. From the get-go there's tension, and when Frank brings home a naive girl (Patricia Arquette) to start some semblance of a family, trouble really brews. There's hints from director Penn of his own internal turmoil, two wolves that roil against one another represented by the brothers onscreen, and the inevitable violence begotten from the hostile one. It's so strange seeing Mortensen in a role like this, miles removed from not only the stalwart Aragorn we're used to, but from anything else he has ever done in his choosy, sparse career. This is the role of a lifetime for any actor and it's the one he should be remembered for, a maladjusted outsider who rages against civility and can't be controlled, to his own demise and detriment. Morse is always a slow burner, and takes it laconically here, but there's a sadness that burns at the corners of his eyes which the actor exudes achingly well. Arquette captures the stars her character has in her eyes for Frank, and tragically lets them fall in disillusionment when she realizes he's not the man she thought she knew, a splendid arc for the actress to breathe life into. The brother's patriarch is played by a low key, heartbreaking Charles Bronson, probably the last role in which he actually gets to *act*, and not just play a tough guy. He's full of complexity and depth in his brief appearance here, and knocks it out of the park. Dennis Hopper has an extended cameo as an antagonistic bartender, and Benicio Del Toro is apparently somewhere in it as well as he's in the credits, but I honestly couldn't spot him anywhere. The film subtly tackles everything from implied PTSD to biblical references to near mythic aspirations built around a legend that explains the title, but more than anything it's about something as simple as can be: How circumstances shape human beings, how trauma affects us and the ways we interact with each other, what it means to exist and make choices. Penn's fascination with these themes is obvious, skilled and nears profundity in dedication to story and character. A brilliant piece in need of far more exposure than its ever gotten.

lasviega087 **WARNING! SPOILERS!** An overall very sad and touching picture. A few over-the-top sad songs are not to my personal liking, apart from that the music score works very well.A police officer, Joe (played by David Morse) tries to do the right thing. He wants to pull his little brother out of a life of crime and help him get back on track. With both their mother and father gone, he really wants to get closer to him. Sadly, his little brother Frank (Viggo Mortensen) is too far gone.I find this movie to be an important reminder that there are people like Frank out there, and just staying away from them is for the best. Some of them, like the Frank character, really want to be left alone. Having a wife and kids is not for them. They are destructive. They will eventually tear down everyone who are involved with them.Mortensen gives a very accurate portrayal of the type of character he plays. Having personally known a few individuals which are very much the same sort (although not being criminals), I can tell his performance is spot-on. Except for a very few moments where he does become emotional, he is very close to being a sociopath. He is violent and abusive towards his girlfriend/wife (Patricia Arquette), a very sweet, naive and innocent character. There are some bright moments. He does attempt an honest living. But he is not content and slips back into his own misery. Sitting in a bar and drinking while his wife is giving birth to their child follows a final confrontation with Joe (and a reminder of how convincing both Morse and Mortensen really are). Despite his best efforts, he's not able to convince Frank to change his ways nor his bleak outlook on life. Finally, Frank crosses the line and there is no way back. The exact psychological reasons for why the bartender (Dennis Hopper) is killed? I don't know, but being a morbid frame of mind doesn't really need an excuse for killing people."I knew I'd never see or hear from Frankie again. He turned his back on himself and his family. I went home that night, watered my garden. Kissed my baby. I held my wife until morning. Life is good...My brother Frank."

MichaelFab Whoever doesn't like this film might not understand the influence behind it. I saw this when it came out in 1991 and thought it was a slow, dull, lagging soap-opera. Back then I didn't know much about the art or the business of film. Most "general" movie watchers would not like this film for the same reasons.Then I watched an interview w/Sean Penn and he said his big influence was John Cassavetes, who had recently passed away. So I went back & watched some of Cassavetes' films again. His films were social dramas between friends, usually in New York, struggling with their own inner conflicts. After that, when I watch Sean Penn's first four films (as filmmaker) I can totally see Cassavetes all over his film. Especially Penn's third film "The Pledge." Never has his inspiration been so strong than in the way Nicholson struggled with his demons. But for people who don't understand this, it's just an average, insignificant movie to them.

Theo Robertson THE Indian RUNNER grossed the measly sum of 191,125 dollars at the American box office , a total so paltry that the Japanese company NHK stopped investing in movies . If they managed to lose a massive amount on their investment they only have themselves to blame . Think about it Sean Penn ( Probably best still known as a hellraiser and the ex husband of Madonna ) walks into the office saying he's written a screenplay based on a song by Bruce Springsteen and he needs money to put it into production " What's it about Mr Penn " " It's about a couple of brothers . one's a upstanding cop and the other is a Vietnam Vet " " And this Vietnam Vet suffers from post traumatic stress disorder ? " " Well kind of " " So he goes out and blows away bad guys and his brother tries to find out who this vigilante is and there's a really dramatic scene at the end where the cop realises his brother is a killer ? " " Ugh no . It's not really that kind of movie since the bad brother doesn't do much " " So who are you planning to cast ? " " Mainly unknowns , though Charles Bronson might be in it " " And he blows away scum ? " " No , it's not that kind of film " " Who else " " Dennis Hopper ? " " And he plays a loopy Vietnam Vet traumatised by his experiences ? " " No he plays a regular Joe bar tender . I even wrote four very short scenes specifically so Hopper could get a part . There's no scenes set in 'Nam , it's not like that film where I over acted opposite Michael Fox . Despite everyone smoking you'd never believe it was the late 1960s " " So what else happens Mr Penn ? " " Not much except you get to see a baby falling out of a front bottom at the end of the movie " " And is that it ? " " Yes "" Okay Mr Penn , here's a blank cheque take as much money as it costs to make . Hopefully we can make a tidy profit " It's difficult to imagine how anyone thought THE Indian RUNNER would have been a success . Everything about it is adequate at best but the lack of a strong high concept plot means it was doomed right from the start as a commercial venture and will probably be remembered only as the debut of Penn as a director