Review of The Indian Runner (1991) by Craig T — 24 Aug 2011

Back in 1991, superstar Sean Penn decided to step down from acting and instead be a film director. Penn later went on to both direct and star in more films, yet The Indian Runner is an important feature in Penn's career. In his directorial debut, he finds a raw family nerve and bases his story on the deep relationships of two brothers from the same family but from totally different worlds. One is an honest and compassionate farmer turned police officer (David Morse) and the other is a an ex criminal returning home from Vietnam (Viggo Mortensen). Penn captures stark images and genuine emotional turmoil with solid performances and with a keen eye. I see this as a turning point for Penn, both artistically and personally. It is impressive that he not only directed this picture but he also wrote the story. Had he not come to and conquered this stage of life, he may not have gone on to do Mystic River or Dead Man Walking. He may not have kept directing to eventually make Into the Wild. This is a strong breakthrough and considering all the talent involved, it is no surprise it turned out to be a such a gripping drama.

Morse plays the good husband, loving son, and fair officer of the law in his small town. He is kind and very considerate. Then one day, he protects himself against a crazed gunman and shoots him down. The guilt and life altering reactions from his community (some praised him and some threaten him) don't shake Morse to the point of losing his grip on life but it is a traumatic experience nonetheless. About this time, his little brother (and former hell-raiser) comes back home from Vietnam. He is only around for a short time and on the way to their parents house, he jumps a train with no plans of returning. Morse can't understand his brother or why he would not go see his parents or rejoin life. This is a central theme for the rest of the film and as eventually Mortensen returns home due to tragedy in the family but he can't keep his head straight. He continually gets drunk and erupts into violence. Trying to pacify the inner demons, Morse can't change his brother and he always knows that the next outburst might be his brother's last. The performances and authentic family interactions are a core area of excellence here. Morse, Mortensen, and even Charles Bronson play right into writer/director Sean Penn's vision.

Right away we can sense a strong bond between the two actors (brothers) despite Mortensen's resistance to show it. He has been damaged and desensitized through combat, yet we see that he has always been "against the grain" and stood alone on his ideas of life. The pivotal scene in the bar towards the end with Morse and Mortensen is devastating. It is so sad and so perplexing to hear why and how Mortensen sees the world and his pain is obvious. He is unable to cope with a so called normal life and the idea of it actually makes him ill. I feel that most of his attempts to blend in are to mesh into the feelings he has for his big brother. Aside from the performances he has given for David Cronenberg, this is Mortensen at his best and is his earliest portrayal of brilliance. At his side is the low-key actor, David Morse, who has never been better. At one point, he is washing his squad car and a local woman relentlessly complains, chats, and simply wants some attention from him and Morse patiently complies and gives the woman someone to talk to. This is another important scene as we see that Morse's character is indeed strong like a bear and has much love to give. I have read that producers did not like Penn's ending since it was not what they perceived people would want as a finale or close to the story. Penn apparently stuck to his guns and shot the ending how he wanted and that was a big deal in this story (as well as one I'm particularly fond of). This is an intense family study of brotherly love and dedication while simultaneously exploring loss and the struggle of letting go. (B+).