Sioux City - Amulett der Rache

I really liked this movie but I like Indian stories. This was a good yesteryear of a civilized Indian going back to his roots to solve the mystery of his birth mothers past. The full story comes out at the end. I've seen Lou play some good roles.

I am an Ojibwe American Indian. Once again I endured yet another Hollywood film that hopes to be a story about American Indians. And fails. As have so many. Phillips is a tiny part Cherokee. All his acting adult life he has used that tiny edge to star in some of the most awful films and TV series where he plays some ango writer'0s version of an American Indian. And fails. This one he actually produced. Some reviewers gave it a high rating. It is clear that when people know nothing at all about American Indians they can make up a story and pretend, with their good intentions, that they have done something. And failed yet again. Everything here is wpng. The story is trite and shallow. The great exploration of tribal beliefs is laughable. The painted chicken feathers pretending to be Eagle Feathers are everywhere. It is just sad how incorrect every detail truly is, even though Phillips was certain he was making something great. It is boring beyond endurance. The writing is childish. Most of the actors are stumbling, unprepared, and just foolish. Fail on all counts. But at least he had such good intentions.

I've always liked Lou Diamond Phillips and I thought this was a well done and entertaining movie. I'm coming to it late, but that's okay. Interesting native American spirit to it as well, which I've always found to be intriguing and beautiful.

Hard for me to suspend enough disbelief to watch this movie. Having grown up in Sioux City, I am aware that there are no Lakota Sioux reservations near there. Closest one is a Winnebago reservation in Nebraska. Lakota Sioux are further west in north central Nebraska and central South Dakota and have several reservations there. Dakota Sioux are more predominant in Sioux City. I also feel that the premise of the movie is somewhat demeaning to the people of the region. Additionally, I remember there being a strong push for the tribes to keep their children within the tribe and to try to raise them with the tribal heritage. A couple from Beverly Hills seems pretty far-fetched to the reality of this adoption scenario.

This is an interesting film for me in that I actually know someone like Lou Diamond Phillips's character in Sioux City. He's also an orphan Indian, in his case Chippewa, who was adopted and raised by Jewish parents. Unlike Lou's character, he shows no promise of becoming a doctor. I do wonder sometimes though if this individual's substance abuse problems might be partially the result of an identity problem. If you saw him now at the age of 36 you would not mistake him for being Jewish.

Lou Diamond Phillips faces an identity crisis in Sioux City. His mother Tantoo Cardinal gave him up for adoption at a young age to Mr.&Mrs. Goldman of Beverly Hills. He's grown up to be a young doctor interning at one of Los Angeles's hospitals. He gets a note from his birth mother with an amulet asking him to visit her on the reservation. When he goes there, he finds she's dead, victim of a fire of suspicious origin.

In Lou Diamond Phillips's multi-cultural background is part Cherokee Indian and he's certainly taken on Indian roles and done them quite well as he does in Sioux City. He directed this film and it's a good one that was obviously a labor of love for him. Sad in this day and age a film like Sioux City could not find an audience because it's a good story of a man both solving the riddle of his mother's death and the riddle of his own identity.

Phillips got good support from Salli Richardson as the trading post owner on the reservation, Ralph Waite, not as lovable Dad Walton, but a vicious and corrupt local sheriff and Apesanahkwat as Lou's birth grandfather, a Lakota Medicine Man.

The cinematography at the Lakota Reservation was done with an obviously loving hand. It's a good effort by Lou Diamond Phillips and his cast and it's sad more people didn't get to see this.