4K Blu-ray Review: Thunderheart

Synopsis: Val Kilmer, Sam Shepard and Graham Greene star in this powerful murder mystery. Kilmer stars as Ray Levoi, a hotshot FBI agent who's thrust into a strange new world when he is sent to solve a murder on an Indian reservation. Hand-picked because of his part-Sioux ancestry, Levoi is teamed with a legendary older agent (Shepard) to capture a radical Native American protester. But once on the reservation, Levoi encounters the irreverent local sheriff (Greene), and the tribe's religious leader (Chief Ted Thin Elk), who knows secrets about Levoi's own lost heritage. And as Levoi's awareness of the native culture grows, so does his belief that the U.S. government has framed an innocent man.

Main Feature: Thunderheart is an underrated gem, part neo-noir, part western. The thriller from director Michael Apted is a showcase for Val Kilmer and his brooding side, but gives a nice meaty lead role for him. The always reliable late great Graham Greene is a scene-stealer. In other hands, this is a film that could've gone south really fast, in the most negative of ways, but Apted handles everything deftly, and it certainly holds up to this day, especially with relevance to recent years of news. The UHD presentation is stellar, giving a nice grain to the bareness of the desert. 

Bous Features: Only a few extras are on the disc, but still are quite enjoyable. An audio commentary from writer John Fusco (sourced from a 2024 Blu-ray) and theatrical trailer are the carryovers from past releases, but the new addition is archival interviews with the cast and crew. While enjoyable, it is a brief 11 minutes or so. I am not surprised this film did not get more extras from Sony, but perhaps a boutique studio like Criterion or Kino Lorber will be able to give a treasure of bonuses in a future release. 

Final Call: While lacking in the extras department, Thunderheart is a true diamond int he rough, with the 4K upgrade a testament to the thriller genre and the film's heritage. 

Grade: B+