Review of Incident at Oglala (1992) by Kenneth L — 14 Oct 2010
This is a straightforward documentary about the confusing, much contested case of American Indian activist Leonard Peltier. Basically, the titular "incident" is that a couple of FBI agents were shot dead in a fire-fight with American Indian Movement members on a South Dakota Indian reservation.
Not much more than that is really known for sure. The movie helpfully shows what the previous couple of years had been like for the people on the reservation, which shows why they would have been frightened and defensive at the sight of FBI agents.
The movie is mostly made up of the testimony of various people, including AIM members who were in some way involved with the fire-fight, and lawyers who were involved in the subsequent trials. Leonard Peltier was the only person to receive a conviction out of the whole mess, and the movie spends a lot of time focusing on the key evidence in his conviction and arguing that it did not prove he was guilty.
Peltier himself gets to talk a good bit in the movie, and certainly he doesn't seem like a murderer. It's good to watch if you're interested in the particular case or the status of American Indians in the 1970s.
Interestingly, the director, Michael Apted, is also the director of the upcoming The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Go figure.
This review of Incident at Oglala (1992) was written by Kenneth L on 14 Oct 2010.
Incident at Oglala has generally received very positive reviews.
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