''War Party'' (released in the Philippines as ''Toy Soldiers Too'') is a 1988 film directed by

Franc Roddam Francis George "Franc" Roddam (born 29 April 1946) is an English film director, businessman, screenwriter, television producer and publisher, best known as the creator of ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' and the director of ''Quadrophenia'' (1979). He is ...

and starring

Billy Wirth William E. Wirth (born June 23, 1962) is an American actor, film producer, and artist, perhaps best known for his role as Dwayne in the 1987 film, ''The Lost Boys''. Life and career Wirth was born in New York City to a lawyer father and an art ...

and

Kevin Dillon Kevin Brady Dillon (born August 19, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Johnny "Drama" Chase on the HBO comedy series '' Entourage'', Bunny in the war film ''Platoon'', and John Densmore in the musical biopic ''The Doo ...

. Set in present-day

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, it explores the tension and mistrust that can characterize interactions between Native Americans and

White American White Americans are Americans who identify as and are perceived to be white people. This group constitutes the majority of the people in the United States. As of the 2020 Census, 61.6%, or 204,277,273 people, were white alone. This represented ...

Plot

A group of re-enactors attempt to stage a 100th-anniversary battle between US Cavalry and Blackfeet Indians. Racial hostilities and a real gun lead to some all too real casualties, and three young Blackfeet men are caught in the middle. The film follows their flight for freedom in the face of an angry community which has mistakenly blamed them for the violence.

Cast

as Sonny Crowkiller *

as Skitty Harris *Tim Sampson as Warren Cutfoot *Jimmie Ray Weeks as Jay Stivic *

Kevyn Major Howard Kevyn Major Howard is a Canadian actor best known for his role as "Rafterman" in Stanley Kubrick's '' Full Metal Jacket''. Life and career After acting in high school, Howard moved to Los Angeles and Hollywood in the late 1970s. His headshot ...

as Calvin Morrisey *

Jerry Hardin Jerry Hardin (born November 20, 1929) is an American actor. Hardin has appeared in film and television roles, including the character nicknamed Deep Throat in ''The X-Files''. Hardin was born in Texas and studied acting at London's Royal Academ ...

as The Sheriff *

Tantoo Cardinal Tantoo Cardinal CM (born Rose Marie Cardinal; July 20, 1950) is a Canadian actress of Cree and Métis heritage. In 2009, she was made a member of the Order of Canada "for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing ar ...

as Sonny's Mother *

Bill McKinney William Denison McKinney (September 12, 1931 – December 1, 2011) was an American character actor. He played the sadistic mountain man in John Boorman's 1972 film ''Deliverance'' and appeared in seven Clint Eastwood films, most notably as Capt ...

as The Mayor * Guy Boyd as Major Crawford, National Guard *

R.D. Call Roy Dana Call (February 16, 1950 – February 27, 2020) was an American film and television actor. He appeared in several films including '' 48 Hrs.'' (1982), '' Brewster's Millions'' (1985), ''At Close Range'' (1986), '' No Man's Land'' (1987), ...

as Posse Member #1 *

William Frankfather William Frankfather (born Billy Joe Frankfather; August 4, 1944 – December 28, 1998) was an American actor. Early life Frankfather was born in Kermit, Texas on August 4, 1944. Career Frankfather guest-starred in many popular television seri ...

as The Governor *

M. Emmet Walsh Michael Emmet Walsh (born March 22, 1935) is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 films and television series, including small but important supporting roles in dozens of major studio features of the 1970s and 1980s. He starred in ''Bl ...

as Colin Ditweiler *

Dennis Banks Dennis Banks (April 12, 1937, in Ojibwe – October 29, 2017) was a Native American activist, teacher, and author. He was a longtime leader of the American Indian Movement, which he co-founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1968 to represent urb ...

as Ben Crowkiller / Dead Crow Wolf *

Saginaw Grant Saginaw Morgan Grant (July 20, 1936 – July 27, 2021) was a Native American character actor. He appeared in ''The Lone Ranger'', ''The World's Fastest Indian'', ''Community'', and ''Breaking Bad'' and was a musician, pow wow dancer, motivationa ...

as Freddie Man Wolf *

Rodney A. Grant Rodney Arnold Grant (born March 9, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as "Wind In His Hair" (Lakota: ''Pahíŋ Otȟáte'') in the 1990 film ''Dances with Wolves''. Grant, a Native American, was raised on the Omaha Reservat ...

as The Crow

Production

Filming largely took place on the

Blackfeet Indian Reservation The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Monta ...

in Montana. A few scenes were filmed in Glacier National Park, in the town of

Cut Bank, Montana Cut Bank is a city in and the county seat of Glacier County, Montana, Glacier County, Montana, United States, located just east of the "cut bank" (gorge) along Cut Bank Creek. The population was 3,056 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census ...

and in the town of

Choteau, MT Choteau is a city in and the county seat of Teton County, Montana, United States. It lies along U.S. Routes 89 and 287, (the latter terminating at the former in this city) approximately east of the Rocky Mountains, near Flathead National F ...

Release

The film was released in the United States on September 15, 1988. In the Philippines, the film was released as ''Toy Soldiers Too'' on July 3, 1992, connecting the film to the unrelated 1991 film ''

Toy Soldiers A toy soldier is a miniature figurine that represents a soldier. The term applies to depictions of uniformed military personnel from all eras, and includes knights, cowboys, American Indians, pirates, samurai, and other subjects that involve ...

''.

References

External links

* * 1988 films 1988 drama films Blackfoot in popular culture Films about Native Americans Films set in Montana Films shot in Montana Films directed by Franc Roddam 1980s English-language films {{1980s-drama-film-stub