The Indian Runner (1991)
David Morse, Viggo Mortensen, Benicio Del Toro
Sean Penn announced his retirement from acting, then wrote and directed this emotionally raw, somewhat sprawling film, suggested by Bruce Springsteen's song "Highway Patrolman." David Morse is the title character, an upstanding citizen and peace officer who tries to help his troubled--and troublesom... (read more) Sean Penn announced his retirement from acting, then wrote and directed this emotionally raw, somewhat sprawling film, suggested by Bruce Springsteen's song "Highway Patrolman." David Morse is the title character, an upstanding citizen and peace officer who tries to help his troubled--and troublesome--brother (Viggo Mortensen), recently returned from Vietnam. The brother and his girlfriend (Patricia Arquette) have bad news written all over them--but Morse does what he can to be protector, to no avail. Penn, whose model was John Cassavetes, favors long scenes that draw intense emotions from his cast, which includes Charles Bronson (in an unusually low-key role), Sandy Dennis, and Valeria Golino. But it's as depressing as Springsteen's song. --Marshall Fine
Flixster Users
R, 2 hrs. 6 min.
Directed by:
Sean Penn
Release Date: Jun 01, 1991
DVD Release Date: Dec 11, 2001
Your Rating
Your Friends' Ratings
No recent reviews.
Flixster User Reviews
powerful and raw, has the hallmarks of a future great director. rough around the edges.
Sean Penn's impressive cannon of directorial work started with this little gem. We know from the beginning this is based on a Bruce Springsteen song, in other words, don't expect a riotous laugh-fest. This is a typically (for Penn) raw drama, direct ... (read more) Sean Penn's impressive cannon of directorial work started with this little gem. We know from the beginning this is based on a Bruce Springsteen song, in other words, don't expect a riotous laugh-fest. This is a typically (for Penn) raw drama, direct and immediate, about familial ties, with great performances and little in the way of whistles and bells. Penn's films always have such a lovely, unhurried feel to them. He thinks nothing of letting a song take over the narrative, running its entire length with no dialogue to interrupt it. I don't know what took me so long to see this, its beautiful.
b4 into the wild......................sean penns masterpiece....................THE INDIAN RUNNER.......................
I saw this because it was based on the Springsteen song Highway Patrolman off his 1982 masterpiece Nebraska. The film follows the song almost to a T with a few side stories built in to make you really feel for the characters. It marked one of Viggo M... (read more) I saw this because it was based on the Springsteen song Highway Patrolman off his 1982 masterpiece Nebraska. The film follows the song almost to a T with a few side stories built in to make you really feel for the characters. It marked one of Viggo Mortensen's first staring roles as well as Sean Penn's directorial debut.
It was also murderously depressing to the level of a Kate Winslet movie, and it has parts that just drag. I was also completely lost on the Indian runner tangent Penn added to the story.
Ce film est superbe, d'une merveilleuse simplicité, avec un casting parfait, et cette simplicité est puissante, d'une beauté formelle certaine et d'une certaine émotion.
One grows up as he starts to identify himself less with Frank and starts to see the need to be something like Joe.. And this is from Sean Penn..
Viggo Mortensen shines. All around great drama. Great first effort from Sean Penn in the directors chair.
Op je 31ste zo een volwassen film maken? Chapeau! En Sean Penn heeft een neus voor talent want Viggo is ongeloofelijk en zelfs Benicio del Toro komt langs voor twee minuten.
Sean Penn debuta como director inspirado en los trabajos de John Cassavetes y Hal Ashby, con una historia sobre dos hermanos (los estupendos Viggo Mortensen y David Morse) que esta llena de alegorias baratas y un ritmo de caracol que hace perder el i... (read more) Sean Penn debuta como director inspirado en los trabajos de John Cassavetes y Hal Ashby, con una historia sobre dos hermanos (los estupendos Viggo Mortensen y David Morse) que esta llena de alegorias baratas y un ritmo de caracol que hace perder el interes. Penn es ambicioso, pero los resultados no son los mejores.
This is the movie that showed me David Morse is one of the best actors of our generation.
Critic Reviews
No recent reviews.
Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
All Rotten Tomatoes content is used under license from Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes, Certified Fresh, and the Tomatometer are the trademarks of Incfusion Corporation, d/b/a Rotten Tomatoes, a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment, Inc.
More Like This
No recent suggestions.
Bookmark This App
Make it easy to check out new movies! Click +Bookmark Movies at the bottom of your screen.
- Get Flixster
- iPhone (free!)
- Myspace
- Flixster.com
- iGoogle
- Settings
- Profile Settings
- My Account
- Help





