Synopsis
A chronicle of legendary Native American poet/activist John Trudell's travels, spoken word performances and politics.
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Cast
- John TrudellSelf / Narrator (voice)
- Robert RedfordSelf - Filmmaker, Activist
- Jackson BrowneSelf - Singer, Songwriter
- Sam ShepardSelf - Playwright, Actor (Thunderheart)
- Val KilmerSelf - Actor, Friend
- Kris KristoffersonSelf - Musician, Friend
- Bonnie RaittSelf - Musician, Activist
- Gary FarmerSelf - Actor, Friend
- Amy RaySelf - Indigo Girls, Co-Founder HONOR THE EARTH
- Wilma MankillerSelf - Former Chief, Cherokee Nation
Recommendations
- 75
San Francisco Chronicle
It's an intriguing portrait, but it makes no pretense at objectivity, erring on the side of hero worship. - 70
Village Voice
Unfortunately, Rae's film is split down the middle, and the appeal of its latter half depends on your tolerance for earnest politico-poetry set to wailing rock guitar and Native American chants and extraneously endorsed by celebrity talking heads. The backstory portion of the film, though, is riveting. - 63
TV Guide Magazine
Rae's 80-minute film isn't able to answer every question or flesh out important details of these events, and she spends more time on Trudell's artistic endeavors than on his direct political action. - 60
Variety
More hagiography than history, Heather Rae's long-in-production portrait of Native American activist and poet John Trudell has the uncritically admiring feel of authorized biography. - 60
The New York Times
No one in the film has a bad word to say about Mr. Trudell, despite his 17,000-page F.B.I. dossier; and by the time Robert Redford assures us that meeting him is not dissimilar to meeting the Dalai Lama, you may feel that all this worship does not do justice to an unusually stormy and complicated life. - 58
The A.V. Club
Anyone looking for history lessons from Rae's documentary will have to be patient and alert enough to pick through the poetry. - 50
New York Daily News
Rae does offer a riveting introduction to the American Indian civil rights movement. - 40
Film Threat
While Trudell has a few interesting and emotional moments in its second half, from the start it is badly hobbled by its worshipful tone.