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摘要

In 1973, during Richard Nixon's second term, there was a lengthy confrontation in Wounded Knee, SD, between federal authorities and members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who occupied the historic site. The Activist, though fictional, borrows from those real events. Marvin, a lawyer and sympathizer whose Native American wife had died a few months earlier, and Bud, an Indian, are unjustly arrested and detained. Much of the action occurs in their small cells where they are visited repeatedly by a member of the Nixon administration and harassed by one of the sheriffs. As the story plays out, Nixon's political machinations and nefarious motivations are exposed as are the suspicious circumstances of Marvin's wife's death. By confining the action to the jail, writer/director Morin manages to evoke the dark paranoia associated with the Nixon years. Unfortunately, the portrayals lack nuance. Bud feels too much the noble savage, and the Nixon representative is smarmy and creepy. The women here don't fare much better. Bud and Marvin's lawyer is a pretty blonde with-you guessed it-oversize spectacles. VERDICT The intriguing political drama at the core of this film would have been better served by more complex character development. There may be some interest among students of the Wounded Knee occupation.-Joan Pedzich, formerly with Harris Beach PLLC, Rochester, NY.