To round out my movies of the week, I just finished watching Incident at Oglala, a documentary about the Leonard Peltier case, directed by Michael Apted.
If you've seen Thunderheart, a lot of the documentary will seem familiar--in fact, Apted made Thunderheart immediately after Incident, presumably inspired by what he learned, and cast John Trudell, one of the talking heads, in the lead.
Leonard Peltier is an AIM member who was convicted of the murder of two FBI agents in a shootout at a Sioux reservation, on June 26, 1975. The documentary, which does not shy away from its advocacy, makes the compelling case that Peltier was convicted due to behavior by the FBI that was at best abusive, and at worst criminal. While it seems to me unlikely that Peltier committed the murders, it is almost irrelevant, given how likely it is that he was convicted on fraudulent evidence.
The final third of the movie disintegrates a bit--too much minutia on firing pins and documentation of faked evidence. Also, there is an unfortunate (but true) introduction of a "Mr. X", who says he did murder the agents. Peltier and the other two men accused of the murder agree that this guy did it, because they saw him--but they won't say who it is.
I find this all a bit absurd, until I remind myself that someone did murder the guys, and it seems likely that it wasn't Peltier or the other two men. So Mr. X seems as likely as any other. But if the other three saw him, why didn't they tell their lawyers at the time? Why didn't they mention it until the guy came forward?
There may be believable answers to these questions, but Apted not only doesn't explore them, he makes a serious mistake in introducing Mr. X at the end, rather than incorporating his presence all along. The fact that Peltier and others discuss the events of that day without mentioning the fact that they saw the guy who killed them--and that you don't discover this til near the end of the movie--casts a shadow on the rest of their story. It is at this point that Apted's advocacy position gets out of hand, I think, and he doesn't realize that he's seriously flawed what has been a credible presentation up to that moment.
But even if you don't buy off on Peltier's innocence, there is a great deal to enjoy in the first 2/3rds of this movie. I learned, among other things, that Apted wasn't making that shit up in Thunderheart (in fact, he understated the problems). It provides a fascinating look at life on the Sioux reservations in this tense time in the early 70s, when there were more murders in this one community than in the rest of South Dakota.
It also explained a great deal about the context in which the shootout took place. Consider that two white FBI agents followed a pickup truck into the heart of a camp, and that everyone on both sides agrees that, at the time, this was a suicidally stupid act that requires explanation. Consider that they were hauling ass after this pickup truck to question a guy who was accused of stealing a pair of cowboy boots, and you have to start wondering what the hell the FBI is doing in the area--this is the best they can do with their time?
Apted also knows how to choose a talking head. Everyone tells a fascinating tale and has a story to sell, and they all do their job with conviction. The Sioux, the defense lawyers, the US attorneys, the government representatives, even the jury foreman, are all compelling and interesting.
Robert Redford narrates, accompanied by an interesting soundtrack that was produced largely by Jackson Browne and John Trudell.
I love these sorts of documentaries, so it's possible my recommendation is biased. Still, this is considerably above average for its kind. Well worth a look.
And if you haven't seen Thunderheart, then get your ass out there and rent it right away. Val Kilmer, Sam Shepard, and Graham Green (in his best screen role to date, unfortunately) star, along with the aforementioned John Trudell--and David Crosby comes along for a brief cameo.
I am not the sort who goes ooooh, ahhhh at magical mystical mumbo jumbo shit, and I just love this flick.
