When we first started watching Thunderheart I was not sure if I liked it or not. I thought it was kind of slow in the beginning but as the story went on I started to get more invested. I caught myself really wanting the character of Ray to get in touch with his Indian ancestors and heritage. The more Ray started opening himself up to Walter, Maggie, and Grandpa the more I liked him.
As the story get to the climax I found myself getting emotionally invested in Walter, Grandpa, Maggie, and Ray. Most of the time when I see a movie I do not get emotionally invested in characters. I can feel emotions while watching the movie but it is hard for me to get attached to a character. (Unless it is a movie like Harry Potter or Narnia that I have grown up with. Then, I get very emotionally attached to characters.) I was incredibly upset when Walter and Ray find Maggie's body. She was such an amazing female character. She was not afraid to search for the truth and let the world know all the horrors that the government was doing to their land and how it was contaminating their water supply. She knew everything she was doing was dangerous and she paid the ultimate price for trying to do what is right and find justice for her people.
Walter was Ray's guide in a way. He helped Ray get in touch with the Indian part of his heritage. Even when Ray was being a jerky FBI agent Walter, still invested his time on Ray. He might not have been nice about it but for some reason or another Ray was intrigued to listen to him and because of that Ray was lead to Grandpa who took him further into his journey to his Indian roots.
Grandpa is the old wise guy who knows everything. Whether it is through age or because he was told by the spirits he is a very wise man. At the beginning Ray thought Grandpa was crazy but he realizes after he attends a powwow that Grandpa really does know a lot of things and that he is truly in touch with the spirits.
I loved how as the story went on you see how Ray evolves from a cold close minded FBI agent to a warmer more open minded individual. He sees that what Walter, Maggie, and Grandpa are saying is not all rubbish or crazy but it makes sense and their guidance ultimately sends Ray on a journey that reveals the truth about the murder that he is there to investigate.
I loved that Ray ends up having a good relationship with Walter, Maggie, and Grandpa. He sees that their knowledge is something of value and that they are not just talking crazy to confuse him or lead him down a dead ended path. They truly want to find out who is responsible for not only the murder but also why the river water is making people sick.
I feel this movie was exceptional and I would definitely watch it again and recommend it to anyone wanting to watch a good mystery.
Work Cited
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105585/
http://inevitablestardom.com/thunderheart/meta.pimp.html
