Geronimo: An American Legend
Encyclopedia
Geronimo: An American Legend is a 1993 film, starring Wes Studi
as Geronimo
, Jason Patric
as 1st Lt. Charles B. Gatewood
, Gene Hackman
as Brig. Gen. George Crook
, Robert Duvall
as Chief of Scouts Al Sieber
, and Matt Damon
as 2nd Lt. Britton Davis. The film was directed by Walter Hill from a screenplay by John Milius
. It was shot in Utah
, Tucson, Arizona
, and Culver City, California
. It was released on December 10, 1993 by Columbia Pictures
.
in 1886. The Apache Indians have reluctantly agreed to settle on a US Government approved reservation. Not all the Apaches are able to adapt to the life of corn farmers, and one in particular, Geronimo, is restless. Pushed over the edge by broken promises and unnecessary actions by the government, Geronimo and thirty other warriors form an attack team which humiliates the government by evading capture, while reclaiming what is rightfully theirs.
, Doug Hemphill
, Bill W. Benton
and Lee Orloff
).
The film had a mixed reception from critics. The film was praised by Native American groups.
Wes Studi
Wesley "Wes" Studi is a Cherokee actor, who has earned notability for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. He has appeared in well-received Academy Award-winning films, such as Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves, Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans, the award-winning Geronimo: An...
as Geronimo
Geronimo
Geronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident...
, Jason Patric
Jason Patric
Jason Patric is an American film, television and stage actor. He may be best-known for his roles in the films The Lost Boys, Sleepers, Your Friends & Neighbors, Narc, The Losers and Speed 2: Cruise Control. His father was actor/playwright Jason Miller...
as 1st Lt. Charles B. Gatewood
Charles B. Gatewood
First Lieutenant Charles Bare Gatewood was an American soldier born in Woodstock, Virginia. He served in the United States Army in the 6th Cavalry after graduating from West Point. Upon assignment to the American Southwest, Gatewood led platoons of Apache and Navajo scouts against renegades during...
, Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
as Brig. Gen. George Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
, Robert Duvall
Robert Duvall
Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
as Chief of Scouts Al Sieber
Albert Sieber
Albert Sieber was a German-American military figure, prospector, and Chief of Scouts during the Apache Wars.-Biography:...
, and Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
as 2nd Lt. Britton Davis. The film was directed by Walter Hill from a screenplay by John Milius
John Milius
John Frederick Milius is an American screenwriter, director, and producer of motion pictures.-Early life:Milius was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Elizabeth and William Styx Milius, who was a shoe manufacturer. Milius attempted to join the Marine Corps in the late 1960s, but was rejected...
. It was shot in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, and Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
. It was released on December 10, 1993 by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
.
Plot
The film follows the events leading up to the capture of GeronimoGeronimo
Geronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident...
in 1886. The Apache Indians have reluctantly agreed to settle on a US Government approved reservation. Not all the Apaches are able to adapt to the life of corn farmers, and one in particular, Geronimo, is restless. Pushed over the edge by broken promises and unnecessary actions by the government, Geronimo and thirty other warriors form an attack team which humiliates the government by evading capture, while reclaiming what is rightfully theirs.
Cast
- Wes StudiWes StudiWesley "Wes" Studi is a Cherokee actor, who has earned notability for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. He has appeared in well-received Academy Award-winning films, such as Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves, Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans, the award-winning Geronimo: An...
as GeronimoGeronimoGeronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident... - Jason PatricJason PatricJason Patric is an American film, television and stage actor. He may be best-known for his roles in the films The Lost Boys, Sleepers, Your Friends & Neighbors, Narc, The Losers and Speed 2: Cruise Control. His father was actor/playwright Jason Miller...
as 1st Lt. Charles B. GatewoodCharles B. GatewoodFirst Lieutenant Charles Bare Gatewood was an American soldier born in Woodstock, Virginia. He served in the United States Army in the 6th Cavalry after graduating from West Point. Upon assignment to the American Southwest, Gatewood led platoons of Apache and Navajo scouts against renegades during... - Gene HackmanGene HackmanEugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
as Brig. Gen. George CrookGeorge CrookGeorge R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:... - Robert DuvallRobert DuvallRobert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
as Chief of Scouts Al Sieber - Matt DamonMatt DamonMatthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
as 2nd Lt. Britton Davis - Pato HoffmannPato HoffmannPato Hoffmann is a Bolivian actor and theater director who has performed in such films as Geronimo: An American Legend, Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee, and Cheyenne Warrior. The nickname "Pato" was given to him as a child. Hoffmann was named the 1999 Indian Celebrity of the Year...
as The Dreamer - Rodney A. GrantRodney A. GrantRodney Arnold Grant is an American actor.Grant, a Native American, was raised on the Omaha Reservation in Macy, Nebraska. He is probably most well known for his role as "Wind In His Hair" in the 1990 film Dances with Wolves...
as Mangas - Kevin TigheKevin TigheKevin Tighe is an American character actor primarily known for his roles on television. Tighe is best known for his role as Roy DeSoto, a senior paramedic, on the NBC series Emergency! . He and Randolph Mantooth, his partner in the series, have remained close friends...
as Brig. Gen. Nelson A. MilesNelson A. MilesNelson Appleton Miles was a United States soldier who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War.-Early life:Miles was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, on his family's farm... - Steve ReevisSteve ReevisSteve Reevis is a Blackfoot Native American actor. His best known role as Shep Proudfoot in the Academy Award-winning film Fargo .He grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation...
as Chato - Carlos PalominoCarlos PalominoCarlos Palomino a retired Mexican professional boxer. Palomino is a former WBC Welterweight Champion and member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Palomino is also an actor who has been featured in several television shows and films...
as Sgt. Turkey - Victor AaronVictor AaronVictor Aaron was a Native American actor of the Yaqui tribe. He was the original voice of John Redcorn on King of the Hill, which was taken over by Jonathan Joss in the show's second season following Aaron's death. He died in a road accident in 1996...
as Ulzana - Stuart Proud Eagle Grant as Sgt. Dutchy
- Stephen McHattieStephen McHattieStephen McHattie is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:McHattie was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia....
as Schoonover - John FinnJohn FinnJohn Finn is an American actor known as one of the leads of the television programs Cold Case and EZ Streets. Finn has also had supporting roles in the films The Hunted , Catch Me If You Can , True Crime , Turbulence , Blown Away , The Pelican Brief , and Glory .TV series that Finn has...
as Capt. Hentig - Lee de Broux as City Marshal Joe Hawkins
- Rino Thunder as Old Nana
Reception
The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound (Chris CarpenterChris Carpenter (sound engineer)
Chris Carpenter is an American sound engineer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards in the category Best Sound. He has worked on over 130 films since 1979.-Selected filmography:* Geronimo: An American Legend * Independence Day...
, Doug Hemphill
Doug Hemphill
Doug Hemphill is an American sound engineer. He won an Academy Award for Best Sound and has been nominated for six more in the same category. He has worked on over 140 films since 1979.-Selected filmography:...
, Bill W. Benton
Bill W. Benton
Bill W. Benton is an American sound engineer. He won an Academy Award for Best Sound and has been nominated for two more in the same category. He has worked on over 110 films since 1980.-Selected filmography:...
and Lee Orloff
Lee Orloff
Lee Orloff is an American sound engineer. He won an Academy Award for Best Sound and has been nominated for six more in the same category. He has worked on over 60 films since 1984.-Selected filmography:...
).
The film had a mixed reception from critics. The film was praised by Native American groups.