''The Only Good Indian'' is a 2009 American

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Kevin Willmott Kevin Willmott (born August 31, 1959) is an Academy Award Winning American film director and screenwriter, and professor of film at the University of Kansas. He is known for work focusing on black issues including writing and directing '' Nint ...

. The film was shot almost entirely in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

—the only exception being a scene at

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

Ha Ha Tonka State Park Ha Ha Tonka State Park is a public recreation area encompassing over on the Niangua arm of the Lake of the Ozarks, about five miles south of Camdenton, Missouri, in the United States. The state park's most notable feature is the ruins of Ha Ha ...

—featuring locations such as the Monument Rocks and

Fort Larned Fort Larned National Historic Site preserves Fort Larned which operated from 1859 to 1878. It is approximately west of Larned, Kansas, United States. History The Camp on Pawnee Fork was established on October 22, 1859 to protect traffic al ...

. Filming took place in 2007-2008, and the movie premiered at the 2009

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

, subsequently showing at other film festivals. The film won Willmott "Best Director" honors at the American Indian Film Festival, as well as acting honors for

Wes Studi Wesley Studi ( chr, ᏪᏌ ᏍᏚᏗ; born December 17, 1947) is a Native American ( Cherokee Nation) actor and film producer. He has garnered critical acclaim and awards throughout his career, particularly for his portrayal of Native American ...

and Winter Fox Frank in his debut as the Kickapoo youth.

Plot

The story is set in Kansas during the early 1900s. A Kickapoo youth (newcomer Winter Fox Frank) is taken from his family and forced to attend a distant

Indian boarding school American Indian boarding schools, also known more recently as American Indian residential schools, were established in the United States from the mid 17th to the early 20th centuries with a primary objective of "civilizing" or assimilating Na ...

, designed to achieve to his assimilation into White society. When he escapes to return to his family, Sam Franklin (

), a bounty hunter of

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

descent, is hired to find and return him to the school. Franklin, a former Indian scout for the U.S. Army, has renounced his Native heritage. He has adopted the White Man’s way of life, believing it’s the only way for Indians to survive. Along the way, a tragic incident spurs Franklin’s longtime nemesis, noted `Indian Fighter` Sheriff Henry McCoy (

J. Kenneth Campbell J. Kenneth Campbell (born July 22, 1947) is an American film, stage, and television actor who has been cast in over 80 roles. He was born in Flushing, Queens, Flushing, New York (state), New York. Campbell studied acting under theatrical fight dir ...

), to pursue both Franklin and the boy. The film featured both the Kickapoo language and members of the Kickapoo tribe.

Cast

as Sam Franklin *

as Sheriff Henry McCoy * Winter Fox Frank as Charlie * Paul Butler as Harkin * Thirza Defoe as Sally * Christopher Wheatley as Mean Joe * Laura Kirk as Miss Harris * Delanna Studi as Aquene

Reception

The film premiered in 2009 at the Sundance Film Festival, and was shown at numerous other festivals. It won awards for its director and leads at the American Indian Film Festival. Robert W. Butler of the '' Kansas City Star'' thought that Wilmott was well-intentioned but did not fully realize the reach of revisionist history. Audiences have liked it but the film has not had wide distribution.''The Only Good Indian''
Rotten Tomatoes website; accessed 21 July 2016 ''The Hollywood Reporter'' praised Studi's performance. Travis Keune, reviewing the film at the Saint Louis Film Festival, said that it started with a great premise and, while the execution was flawed, it was worth watching.Review: 'The Only Good Indian'
We Are Movie Geeks blog, 20 November 2009; accessed 21 July 2016

References

External links

* *
"The Only Good Indian"
Sundance Film Festival website {{DEFAULTSORT:Only Good Indian 2009 films American independent films Cherokee in popular culture Films about Native Americans Films shot in Kansas Films set in Kansas Films shot in Missouri Films directed by Kevin Willmott 2000s English-language films 2000s American films