SummaryDecades after covering up his classmate’s murder, Michael (Michael Greyeyes) has moved on from his reservation and fractured past. When a man who shares his violent secret seeks vengeance, Michael goes to great lengths to protect his new life with his wife (Kate Bosworth) and boss (Jesse Eisenberg) from the demons of his past.
Directed By:Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.
Written By:Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.
Wild Indian
Metascore
Generally Favorable
74
User score
Mixed or Average
5.7
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
74
77% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
23% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Sep 7, 2021
88
It seems clear that Corbine wanted to make a personal movie, not a history lesson or morality play aimed at hypothetical white viewers, and it's impossible to look at the finished product without feeling that he succeeded.
Feb 3, 2021
83
Wild Indian is a bold, anger-wreaked character study, creating a deeply unsympathetic antihero who nevertheless inspires some pity and understanding.
User score
Mixed or Average
5.7
0% Positive
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
100% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Nov 17, 2021
6
WILD INDIAN is a film about the different paths that arise for people after experiencing traumatic events in their childhood. I really loved the concept, but ultimately I feel like it falls a bit flat. It starts very strong, but I think otherwise fails as a character study, and I didn’t really feel anything for Makwa, any sort of relief or regret of what he did. He shows that of course, but again, did I feel it? Not really. Ted-o I think was a really interesting character that I wish we could have dived more into. I would have loved to see maybe more of his downfall. The story references and tries to mirror the story of Cain and Abel, which I think is a really interesting way to take a story like this, and I like that side of the film a lot. It’s just focused on so little unfortunately and is quickly forgotten, similar to the flashback images at the start and end of the film. Overall, I think the cinematography by Eli Born is beautiful, as well as the dark brooding score by Gavin Brivik. There’s so much here that you can like, but I think there’s also reasons why not to. But really I think the most distracting/disappointing part was Jesse Eisenberg. I love Jesse, don’t get me wrong. I think he’s great in everything I’ve seen him in. But the presence of him being in a total of like 3 minutes of the film, seems like a bit of a miscast. The director and writer, Lyle Corbine, seems that he has a lot going for him and he should definitely have your sights on him for the future. Can’t wait to see what else he’s able to work on and accomplish!
Sep 4, 2021
6
Good performances from both leads, but the ambiguity around Makwa is confusing. I like that the Native American director explores unusual places in terms of representation; however, I think that his speech falls short. The 'American Psycho' approach is kind of interesting, but it feels like the story is trying to excuse Makwa à la 'Joker.'
Sep 2, 2021
80
The ensuing violence and its aftermath are chilling, woeful and utterly consistent with the tragedy that began long before a fateful afternoon in the woods.
Feb 3, 2021
80
Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.'s feature debut represents indie cinema at its most stark and elemental.
Feb 3, 2021
75
Mostly compelling but unfocused, Wild Indian dips its narrative feet in a slew of themes, all worthwhile, and doesn’t commit to any of them as its guiding star in the murky sky of its ambition. As the filmmaker tries to bind all of the moving parts, the whole turns scattered-brained and structurally disjointed.
Oct 27, 2021
60
Corbine Jr.’s debut is a lean, disconcerting and impressively shot character study. Hovering on a glimmering knife edge, there are flashes of brilliance here.
Feb 3, 2021
58
The great shock of Wild Indian is Corbine isn’t afraid to paint Makwa as more of a sociopath than a victim. The filmmaker destabilizes that false dichotomy to such a frightening degree that audiences might see him as a simple monster as opposed to an overflowing vessel for centuries of genocidal trauma.
Feb 19, 2022
5
As thrillers go, this slowburning tale of a pair of adolescent Native American cousins from troubled backgrounds who get caught up in a dangerous situation has its moments at the film's outset but it drops the ball when their adult selves eventually seek to come to grips with their past. Given the picture's thoroughly unlikeable protagonist, needlessly slow pacing, inexplicable plot developments and soliloquies containing observations that seem to lose something in translation, this alleged mystery/crime saga never quite comes together in an engaging or satisfying way. The fine supporting performances of Chaske Spencer and Phoenix Wilson help to prop up this offering, but the stilted portrayal of Michael Greeneyes and the wasted casting of Jesse Eisenberg and Kate Bosworth present a decidedly mixed bag on the acting front. Director Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.'s debut feature could use some definite spit and polish on a variety of fronts, especially in light of its overall attempts at saying something meaningful but not really saying much of anything at all. Indeed, how this one managed to garner four Independent Spirit Award nominations is perhaps the film's biggest mystery of all.
Production Company:
- 30WEST
- BoulderLight Pictures
- Cinereach
- Grey Hour Production Services
- Handsome Watson
- Logical Pictures
- MM2 Entertainment
- Pureplay Entertainment
- Rebellium Films
Release Date:Sep 3, 2021
Duration:1 h 30 m
Awards
C&I Movie and TV Awards
• 6 Nominations
Red Nation Film Festival
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
Film Independent Spirit Awards
• 4 Nominations
