911:
884:
330:
drives to Mount
Rushmore. He climbs to the top, and standing on the head of George Washington, he ponders whether his plan is stupid, he once again sees Iktomi crawling across the paint can. Seeing this, he makes his tribute to Mogie by throwing the can of paint so that it drips down the side of George Washington's nose, almost like a rivulet of bloody tears. On the drive back, he sees a hitchhiker that looks like Mogie in his youth and laughs.
489:
Wounded Knee 1973 was the culmination of the violence that swarmed the rest of the decade at Pine Ridge, naming it the “murder capitol of the United States” with up to 170 murders to every 100,000 people in 1976. While no reservation in Canada or the United States is without cases of extreme violence, poverty, substance abuse, and hopelessness, Pine Ridge stands alone in the misery index.
288:
about disposing a pair of boots that connects them to the murder. Disguising himself with black paint on his face, Rudy sneaks up on the boys with a baseball bat and viciously beats their kneecaps, announcing himself as the ghost of the boy they murdered. While washing the paint off his face, he again sees Iktomi.
524:
Another aspect of western expansion explored in the film is the fact that the location of the
Wounded Knee Massacre is located on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The mention of the massacre and the honoring of the members of the 7th Cavalry with Congressional Medals of Honor is a not so subtle dig at the
502:
Alcoholism is depicted in the film in numerous ways, and as such is an exploration on the topic of alcoholism present within Native
American culture. On the Pine Ridge Reservation alcoholism is nine times the national average, and life expectancy is nearly half of that in the rest of the country. The
469:
Mogie and Rudy tell the story of
Wounded Knee over dinner with Herbie and Aunt Helen. “At that time, all Indian religious ceremonies were banned because were afraid of them” Rudy tells Herbie. It is obvious through Mogie’s anger during the story that the injustice of the Wounded Knee Massacre still
291:
Angered by a news report about a liquor store in the bordering town profiting off of alcoholic Native
Americans, Rudy sets out - again with a painted face - and sets the store on fire. Unknown to Rudy, Mogie was on the roof of the building trying to steal some alcohol. Mogie escapes and survives, but
488:
After
Wounded Knee 1973, the persecution, illegal arrests, prosecutorial misconduct and numerous as-yet-unsolved murders continued against various members of AIM and several residents of Pine Ridge. No action was taken by the federal government, not even a cursory investigation, against Dick Wilson.
436:
The harsh living condition and high rates of alcoholism and violence of this particular reservation is very apparent in the film. Mogie’s door is falling off of the hinges and every one of Rudy’s police calls involves either intoxication or violence or both. Unfortunately, the fictional film is a
325:
Responding to a police call of a man stuck in a trap, Rudy arrives outside a house to find that the victim, now dead, is Mogie's drinking partner. The owners of the house seems to have no remorse for the man's death. When Mogie finds out the story behind his friend's death, he goes to the family's
275:
Sioux brothers on the Beaver Creek Indian
Reservation in South Dakota. Mogie is unemployed and has a teenage son. Rudy, a police officer, struggles to care for his brother, nephew and the rest of the town through the hands of the law. Mogie resists Rudy's helpful attempts, preferring to drink and
533:
Another theme explored is that of the white justice for indigenous
Americans. The policies of the American government towards indigenous peoples are explored via Rudy becoming a vigilante and pursuing his own idea of justice. The anger that Rudy feels towards businesses selling liquor when welfare
287:
Rudy's friend tells him that rocks are very spiritual and Rudy begins to worry that something has gotten into him, turning him vigilante. He sees a teenage boy wearing the same shoes as the figure who ran away from the scene of the murder, and follows him. Rudy overhears the boy talk with a friend
520:
The theme of western expansion and the devastating effect this had on Native
Americans is most prevalent within the setting of the film. The Pine Ridge Reservation is in the shadow of Mount Rushmore, a gigantic monolith of American expansion and the desecration of sacred tribal grounds. America's
511:
explores the tragedy and depth of despair caused by alcohol amongst indigenous peoples of North
America, and brings the issue to the forefront in its almost brutal depictions of the disease. The lineage of alcoholism is also explored when it is revealed in flashbacks that both Rudy and Mogie were
329:
Mogie dies of pneumonia shortly after his son's 18th birthday. A letter Mogie wrote before his death asks Rudy to care for his son. Rudy finds out that the liquor store is being rebuilt, and will now be twice as big and have two drive-in windows. He buys a large can of oil-based red paint and
521:
founding fathers were carved into a mountain sacred to the Sioux, highlighting the lack of respect by Euro-American cultures for Native Americans. This theme becomes especially prevalent in the final scene, which takes place with Mount Rushmore hovering ominously in the background.
461:
when Rudy's friend is telling him how sacred rocks are ("like the Black Hills"). On December 29, 1890, while the U.S. 7th Cavalry was moving the Oglala to Pine Ridge, 300 Oglala were murdered and 25 members of the U.S. 7th Cavalry were killed during what has now been named the
432:
takes place is the largest reservation in South Dakota but the poorest reservation in all of the United States, with unemployment at around 80% and 49% of its approximate 28,000 live below the poverty line. These statistics have increased from 2002 when the movie was filmed.
283:
When Rudy is sent on a police call to an abandoned house, he finds the bloodied, dead body of a young man who has been kicked to death. Rudy sees someone in the darkness, but the stranger escapes and Rudy trips and falls onto a rock before he can identify his quarry.
481:, resulting in a 71-day stand-off. On February 27, 1973 AIM members and a handful of Pine Ridge residents seized the town of Wounded Knee to bring to light numerous murders, crimes and charges of corruption committed by the Pine Ridge Tribal Council and the Chairman,
29:
470:
haunts him. Through the rest of the film, Mogie’s satirical humor makes it clear that the white man’s power still looms over Pine Ridge through the faces of Mount Rushmore that ironically watch over the reservation, and that he hasn’t forgotten the past.
456:
were very sacred to the Lakota and the conflict between them and the United States originally started because the Lakota did not want mining to happen in the Black Hills, but the U.S. persisted when gold was found there. The Black Hills are mentioned in
564:
gave the film three out of four stars, citing, "To see this movie is to understand why the faces on Mount Rushmore are so painful and galling to the first Americans. The movie's final scene is haunting." Mark Holcomb of
417:, they became a fixture of the Plains. Following the enormous herds of buffalo for the subsistence, the Lakota were nomadic in nature. Today there are about 70,000 Lakota, 20,500 of whom speak the
507:, also known as "little skid row on the prairie". Mogie suffers from alcoholism, as many on the reservation do, and is diagnosed with a terminal liver condition as an effect of his drinking.
485:. As a result, FBI agents, the U.S. Marshall's Service, and the National Guard on the other side blockaded all entrances and exits leading to and from Wounded Knee.
251:(renamed the fictional Beaver Creek Indian Reservation in the film), which served as the setting in the novel. Lakota Sioux tribal police officer Rudy Yellow Lodge (
318:
Rudy tells Mogie that he started the fire, and Mogie replies that the one thing he can do to make up for it is blow the nose off of George Washington's face on
292:
is burned and severely scarred. Shocked, Rudy visits a friend to get instructions on how to deal with Iktomi's spirit; a combination of home remedies and a
280:, the trickster spider; this spider re-appears to Rudy early in the film and Rudy's attempts to help begin to wander outside the lines of the law.
534:
checks are released, by taking advantage of the alcoholism present on the reservation leads to him burning down one of these businesses.
276:
joke about the depressed state of their people and town. As a child, Rudy had been bitten by a spider, and Mogie told him it was
951:
550:
has an approval rating of 59% based on 58 critics' reviews. The site’s critics consensus reads, "Though at times melodramatic,
981:
941:
792:
170:
991:
986:
956:
641:
818:
857:
303:. After he is released from the hospital, Mogie, his son Herbie, Rudy, and Aunt Helen have dinner, and Mogie brings up
976:
591:
413:
The Lakota originated from the Great Lakes region where they were called Dakota. After they were pushed west by the
996:
966:
946:
1001:
971:
482:
445:
248:
525:
suffering Native Americans experienced at the hands of Euro-Americans during their western expansion.
474:
850:
Death of Raymond Yellow Thunder: And Other True Stories from the Nebraska-Pine Ridge Border Towns
441:
425:
478:
463:
346:
312:
256:
103:
774:
646:
573:
311:
Indian who testified against the 7th Cavalry. This conversation brings up the story of the
299:
During Mogie’s stay in the hospital, the doctors discover that he is dying, because of his
8:
936:
910:
883:
504:
181:
164:
895:
853:
567:
619:
581:, is a humorless slice of family melodrama that functions as cut-rate ethnography."
668:
503:
liquor-selling border town portrayed in the movie is representative of the town of
326:
house with a gun, but is dissuaded from using it when a child appears in the room.
452:, the reservation was divided into seven reservations, one being Pine Ridge. The
961:
921:
543:
449:
418:
367:
244:
121:
49:
755:
385:
373:
319:
304:
115:
930:
308:
272:
260:
259:), a former football star who was wounded in combat three times in Vietnam.
379:
340:
252:
236:
99:
558:
has an aggregate score for the film of 57 out of 100 based on 19 reviews.
901:
873:
729:
704:
598:
561:
453:
397:
391:
352:
293:
125:
107:
889:
906:
555:
358:
240:
111:
39:
300:
81:
879:
554:’ harsh depiction of life on the reservation is an eye-opener."
916:
437:
very realistic depiction of life on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
414:
277:
28:
255:) struggles to rescue his older, alcoholic brother, Mogie (
424:
Mogie and Rudy are Oglala Lakota as most residents of the
512:
abused by their father, an alcoholic in his own right.
685:
642:"Eyre exposes the heart and muscle beneath 'Skins'"
473:In more recent history, 1973 was the year that the
793:"Broken Wings flies at Tokyo Int'l film festival"
571:was more critical: "Like his popular 1998 debut,
515:
928:
528:
756:"Skins movie review & film summary (2002)"
263:makes a cameo appearance as Rose Two Buffalo.
428:identify. Pine Ridge, the reservation where
243:and based upon the novel of the same name by
909:
882:
322:. Rudy calls the idea crazy, and refuses.
27:
847:
691:
639:
448:, but after several wars, including the
772:
601:in the Theatrical Feature Film category
929:
640:Casselle, Tania (September 12, 2018).
440:Pine Ridge was originally part of the
408:
753:
537:
171:Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
666:
635:
633:
773:Holcomb, Mark (24 September 2002).
594:: Best Actor Award to Graham Greene
13:
247:. It was filmed on South Dakota's
14:
1013:
867:
754:Ebert, Roger (October 18, 2002).
630:
592:Tokyo International Film Festival
271:Rudy and Mogie Yellow Lodge are
922:Adrian C. Louis at Ploughshares
852:. Texas Tech University Press.
841:
811:
667:Levy, Emanuel (March 5, 2002).
952:Films based on American novels
785:
766:
747:
722:
697:
660:
612:
516:Western expansion and massacre
315:, which Rudy tells to Herbie.
1:
917:Adrian C. Louis official site
605:
497:
249:Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
982:Films directed by Chris Eyre
942:Films about Native Americans
529:Justice for Native Americans
7:
992:Films produced by Jon Kilik
819:"Prism sheds light on noms"
446:Fort Laramie Treaty in 1868
10:
1018:
987:American crime drama films
957:Films shot in South Dakota
577:, Chris Eyre's follow-up,
364:Lois Red Elk as Aunt Helen
165:Starz Encore Entertainment
584:
492:
403:Delanna Studi as Francine
239:American feature film by
220:
210:
187:
177:
155:
147:
139:
131:
95:
69:
57:
45:
35:
26:
21:
977:American vigilante films
483:Richard A. "Dick" Wilson
475:American Indian Movement
415:Ojibwe People (Chippewa)
848:Magnuson, Stew (2008).
442:Great Sioux Reservation
333:
266:
997:2002 independent films
967:Films about alcoholism
947:2002 crime drama films
426:Pine Ridge Reservation
361:as Herbie Yellow Lodge
355:as Verdell Weasel Tail
479:Wounded Knee Incident
464:Wounded Knee Massacre
388:as Teddy Yellow Lodge
376:as Sonny Yellow Lodge
349:as Mogie Yellow Lodge
313:Wounded Knee Massacre
1002:2000s American films
972:Films about veterans
647:Indian Country Today
343:as Rudy Yellow Lodge
294:sweat lodge ceremony
505:Whiteclay, Nebraska
444:established by the
409:Cultural background
382:as Rondella Roubaix
182:First Look Pictures
799:. November 4, 2002
538:Critical reception
394:as Mrs. Blue Cloud
168:Grandview Pictures
135:Stephen Kazmierski
73:Brenda J. Chambers
65:by Adrian C. Louis
779:The Village Voice
775:"Under the Scars"
568:The Village Voice
400:as Dr. Fitzgerald
228:
227:
1009:
913:
886:
863:
835:
834:
832:
830:
815:
809:
808:
806:
804:
789:
783:
782:
770:
764:
763:
751:
745:
744:
742:
740:
726:
720:
719:
717:
715:
701:
695:
689:
683:
682:
680:
679:
664:
658:
657:
655:
654:
637:
628:
627:
616:
203:
201:
91:Larry T. Pourier
85:Jennifer D. Lyne
53:Jennifer D. Lyne
31:
19:
18:
1017:
1016:
1012:
1011:
1010:
1008:
1007:
1006:
927:
926:
870:
860:
844:
839:
838:
828:
826:
825:. April 1, 2003
817:
816:
812:
802:
800:
791:
790:
786:
771:
767:
752:
748:
738:
736:
728:
727:
723:
713:
711:
709:Rotten Tomatoes
703:
702:
698:
690:
686:
677:
675:
665:
661:
652:
650:
638:
631:
624:Box Office Mojo
618:
617:
613:
608:
587:
544:Rotten Tomatoes
540:
531:
518:
500:
495:
450:Black Hills War
419:Lakota language
411:
406:
368:Michelle Thrush
336:
269:
245:Adrian C. Louis
213:
206:
199:
197:
190:
173:
169:
167:
160:
158:
124:
122:Michelle Thrush
120:
118:
114:
110:
106:
102:
90:
88:
86:
84:
80:
78:
76:
74:
64:
52:
50:Adrian C. Louis
17:
12:
11:
5:
1015:
1005:
1004:
999:
994:
989:
984:
979:
974:
969:
964:
959:
954:
949:
944:
939:
925:
924:
919:
914:
898:
887:
869:
868:External links
866:
865:
864:
859:978-0896726345
858:
843:
840:
837:
836:
810:
784:
765:
760:RogerEbert.com
746:
721:
705:"Skins (2002)"
696:
684:
659:
629:
610:
609:
607:
604:
603:
602:
595:
586:
583:
539:
536:
530:
527:
517:
514:
499:
496:
494:
491:
477:(AIM) led the
410:
407:
405:
404:
401:
395:
389:
386:Michael Spears
383:
377:
374:Gil Birmingham
371:
365:
362:
356:
350:
344:
337:
335:
332:
320:Mount Rushmore
305:American Horse
268:
265:
226:
225:
222:
218:
217:
214:
211:
208:
207:
205:
204:
193:
191:
188:
185:
184:
179:
178:Distributed by
175:
174:
163:
161:
156:
153:
152:
149:
145:
144:
141:
137:
136:
133:
132:Cinematography
129:
128:
116:Michael Spears
97:
93:
92:
87:Eugene Mazzola
71:
67:
66:
59:
55:
54:
47:
43:
42:
37:
33:
32:
24:
23:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1014:
1003:
1000:
998:
995:
993:
990:
988:
985:
983:
980:
978:
975:
973:
970:
968:
965:
963:
960:
958:
955:
953:
950:
948:
945:
943:
940:
938:
935:
934:
932:
923:
920:
918:
915:
912:
908:
904:
903:
899:
897:
893:
892:
888:
885:
881:
877:
876:
872:
871:
861:
855:
851:
846:
845:
824:
820:
814:
798:
794:
788:
780:
776:
769:
761:
757:
750:
735:
731:
725:
710:
706:
700:
693:
692:Magnuson 2008
688:
674:
670:
663:
649:
648:
643:
636:
634:
625:
621:
615:
611:
600:
596:
593:
589:
588:
582:
580:
576:
575:
574:Smoke Signals
570:
569:
563:
559:
557:
553:
549:
545:
535:
526:
522:
513:
510:
506:
490:
486:
484:
480:
476:
471:
467:
465:
460:
455:
451:
447:
443:
438:
434:
431:
427:
422:
420:
416:
402:
399:
396:
393:
390:
387:
384:
381:
378:
375:
372:
369:
366:
363:
360:
357:
354:
351:
348:
347:Graham Greene
345:
342:
339:
338:
331:
327:
323:
321:
316:
314:
310:
306:
302:
301:failing liver
297:
295:
289:
285:
281:
279:
274:
264:
262:
261:Winona LaDuke
258:
257:Graham Greene
254:
250:
246:
242:
238:
234:
233:
223:
219:
215:
209:
195:
194:
192:
186:
183:
180:
176:
172:
166:
162:
154:
150:
146:
142:
138:
134:
130:
127:
123:
117:
113:
109:
105:
104:Graham Greene
101:
98:
94:
83:
72:
68:
63:
60:
56:
51:
48:
44:
41:
38:
34:
30:
25:
20:
900:
890:
874:
849:
842:Bibliography
827:. Retrieved
822:
813:
801:. Retrieved
797:Screen Daily
796:
787:
778:
768:
759:
749:
737:. Retrieved
733:
724:
712:. Retrieved
708:
699:
687:
676:. Retrieved
673:Screen Daily
672:
662:
651:. Retrieved
645:
623:
614:
578:
572:
566:
560:
551:
547:
541:
532:
523:
519:
508:
501:
487:
472:
468:
458:
439:
435:
429:
423:
412:
380:Elaine Miles
341:Eric Schweig
328:
324:
317:
298:
290:
286:
282:
270:
253:Eric Schweig
231:
230:
229:
212:Running time
189:Release date
119:Lois Red Elk
100:Eric Schweig
89:David Pomier
75:Chris Cooney
61:
599:PRISM Award
562:Roger Ebert
454:Black Hills
398:Tina Keeper
392:Misty Upham
353:Gary Farmer
126:Misty Upham
108:Gary Farmer
77:Jeff Cooney
70:Produced by
36:Directed by
937:2002 films
931:Categories
907:Metacritic
829:6 November
803:6 November
739:6 November
734:Metacritic
714:6 November
678:2022-11-22
653:2022-11-22
606:References
556:Metacritic
498:Alcoholism
359:Noah Watts
241:Chris Eyre
221:Box office
216:87 minutes
157:Production
143:Paul Trejo
112:Noah Watts
79:Chris Eyre
46:Written by
40:Chris Eyre
16:2002 film
370:as Stella
224:$ 249,204
159:companies
140:Edited by
82:Jon Kilik
880:AllMovie
151:BC Smith
148:Music by
96:Starring
58:Based on
823:Variety
730:"Skins"
669:"Skins"
620:"Skins"
198: (
962:Paiute
856:
597:2003,
590:2002,
585:Awards
493:Themes
309:Oglala
278:Iktomi
273:Lakota
902:Skins
891:Skins
875:Skins
579:Skins
552:Skins
548:Skins
509:Skins
459:Skins
430:Skins
307:, an
235:is a
232:Skins
62:Skins
22:Skins
896:IMDb
854:ISBN
831:2022
805:2022
741:2022
716:2022
334:Cast
267:Plot
237:2002
200:2002
196:2002
905:at
894:at
878:at
542:On
933::
821:.
795:.
777:.
758:.
732:.
707:.
671:.
644:.
632:^
622:.
546:,
466:.
421:.
296:.
862:.
833:.
807:.
781:.
762:.
743:.
718:.
694:.
681:.
656:.
626:.
202:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
