Powwow Highway

This is an amazing movie. Gary Farmer was given a a role that allowed him to frame the entire film via his performance, and he pulls off a masterpiece. DeNiro very rarely has such luck. While it is incredibly well cast from top to bottom (A Martinez, a charmingly brazen Amanda Wyss, cameos by then-unknowns Wes Studi and the always underutilized Graham Greene, even the seedy car/stereo salesman done dually by Patrick Randal) and each performer knocks on perfection, Farmer takes this to an entirely different plateau.

Roger Ebert favorably critiqued the film by announcing Farmer's performance was "one of the most wholly convincing I've seen", which seems a subtle understatement.

You will not understand this film if you don't get Philbert, the perpetual protagonist Farmer portrays. It's too easy to identify with A Martinez' character, Buddy Red Bow, a hip-shooting realist bent on vengeance. I've been watching Martinez since The Cowboys in 72, and this performance should have given the notice A Level actors deserve.

Unfortunately, the same magic that made the film possible was it's very undoing.

Handmade Films, a pet project by Beatle George Harrison, brought this novel to film. Despite several successful titles (including Monty Python and offshoot ventures), Handmade was spiraling towards bankruptcy, and Powwow didn't perform at the box office because there was no money to push it.

Great art is most often lost.

Don't let your pony throw you. Watch Powwow Highway. Now.

This film sank into obscurity, and it shouldn't have. An understated and subtle story of personal growth along the quest--it's a standard story, but this film tells it with stark dialogue, cinematography, and characters. Gary Farmer is absolutely convincing, disappearing into his role as the gentle giant completely. A Martinez's Buddy Red Bow is fiery, up to *here* with government treatment of American Indians and closed to sentiment or tenderness. Robbie Robertson's soundtrack is almost a character itself--it's suited to the landscape very well, and its native tones seem to reinforce the spareness of the story and the reservation.

Finding a copy will be really hard, but well worth it.

The opening shot of Reservation poverty cuts right to the problem of a land that should belong to a race of people here before any of us. Its depressing and funny as anything to watch, overall, an independent masterpeice. Anyone researching native Americans should see this film. The question at hand, is whether to think of it as a comedy or drama.

Jimbo

I can't say enough about the sheer quality of this little film, so I won't even try. What I will say is that Gary Farmer's portrayal of Philbert was one of the sweetest characterizations I have ever seen, and he's emblazoned forever on my heart. Also outstanding was Graham Greene in a small role as a Vietnam vet suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. A Martinez, who's something of a one-trick pony, was very well suited to his role.

This movie was part of a special I saw on a German channel! Not expecting much I was completely surprised how good this drama was! The story is not that difficult or special but the way it is presented you just have to love it! It is a mix of drama and humor! Like other reviewers I praise the performance of Gary Farmer! But I also want to mention the role A. Martinez is playing! The way he shows his frustration and anger and at the same time be sympathetic is difficult to do! But he pulls it off! There are a lot of matters that don't get the attention when it comes to the United States! The native Americans (indians) ore one of them! As an European I don't know much about their situation! This movie gave me insight in a very entertaining way! From what I have seen on the screen concerning Native Americans (indians) they posses a great sense of humor! Considering what they have been through and what is happening to them now that is simply amazing! I love these kind of stories because they are down to earth and in this case also very funny!