New York Times, 05/08/1992, p.C15, "...Straightforward, meticulous documentary....INCIDENT AT OGLALA achieves what it set out to do..."
USA Today, 05/29/1992, p.5D, "...Convincing..." -- 3 out of 4 stars
Chicago Sun-Times, 06/16/1992, p.47, "...The documentary gives us a vivid picture of the Indian reservations of South Dakota....Peltier himself is one of the film's most convincing subjects..."
Los Angeles Times, 05/08/1992, p.F1, "...INCIDENT AT OGLALA is an even-handed cry of outrage, a coolly passionate documentary that focuses a piercing ray of light on an American scandal..."
Executive producer Robert Redford investigated the Peltier case in the 1980s with Peter Mathiessen, the author of IN THE SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE, a book decrying Peltier's conviction. Redford visited Peltier in prison in Marion, Illinois, in 1981, and became convinced of Peltier's innocence. At first, the actor tried lobbying politicians and judges; in the late 1980s, he decided that he needed to make Peltier's story even more public by making a film.
John Trudell, who is interviewed in the film, collaborated with Jackson Browne to create the soundtrack for the documentary.
"The only thing I'm guilty of is struggling for my people."--Leonard Peltier to interviewer
DVD Features:
Region [unknown]
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1:33
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
In 1974, in a true incident, two FBI agents were killed in a gun battle that erupted on a reservation in Oglala, North Dakota. Leonard Peltier, a leader of AIM (the American Indian Movement) was convicted of the murders. However, existing evidence suggests that Peltier did not commit the crimes, and that his arrest may have been politically motivated. British director Michael Apted, known for his probing documentaries (the 7 UP series), explores this question through interviews with witnesses, judges, US attorneys, Peltier, and a mysterious figure named Mister X--who claims to be the person who shot the two FBI agents. Narrated by Robert Redford, who has long been associated with Native American causes, the film makes a strong case that Peltier should at least receive another trial. It also reconstructs the chaotic time before the incident, when division between two factions on the reservation created an atmosphere of sheer terror. Released shortly before THUNDERHEART, Apted's fictionalized portrayal of Native American life in the 1970s, INCIDENT AT OGLALA presents a disturbing examination of the mistreatment of American Indians, and like Apted's film CLASS ACTION, the film also examines the U.S. legal system.