Thunderheart - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Thunderheart



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
One of the joys of this job is stumbling across films that you’ve long since forgotten, and I had COMPLETELY forgotten about 1992’s Thunderheart. A film that existed in the dated microcosm that was the early 90s, and was something I vaguely remember seeing in the VHS days of the late 90s/early 2000s, and promptly forgot about. And while it’s a treat to go back in time to when I was 10 years old, it also kind of strikes a chord in my heart strings after realizing that not only is Val Kilmer gone from this world, but so is famed director Michael Apted as well (Gorillas in the Mist, The World is Not Enough, The Coal Miner’s Daughter). I completely missed out on Sony’s 2024 Blu-ray release of Thunderheart, but decided not to miss the 4K UHD re-release this last week and to sit down and memorialize two great artists who may be gone in body, but not in our memory.

Val Kilmer plays Ray Levoi, a biracial White FBI agent with Sioux ancestry who is called upon for that very reason to go work on a case in the local Indian Reservation. It seems that a series of brutal murders has been going on, and the FBI wants to make sure that it’s not the local resistance (known as ARM) stirring up trouble with young bucks getting feisty. Ray’s boss knows that he’s a bit green behind the ears, but hopes that by adding him to the team, his racial history may soften things up for lead agent Frank Coutelle (Sam Shepard) to get things done.

Upon arriving there, the duo is met with expected hostility, but upon examining the body with the help of Tribal police chief Walter Crow Horse (the ever amazing Graham Greene), realize that something is off. Digging deeper and deeper, Ray begins to reconnect with his ancestry, and soon discovers that what he thought may have been ancient mumbo jumbo that his native American father spouted very well may be true. And to make matters even more interesting, Ray and Walter are soon caught up in a double cross that may put both the Reservation and the FBI in the cross hairs of a corrupt land grab that could destroy an entire people.

Thunderheart is sort of a relic of the early 90s, balancing a sociopolitical message with a traditional murder mystery, AND ancient Indian mysticism. While sort of weird by today’s standards, the early 90s were a hotbed for these types of action/thrillers, and it feels very VERY much like a product of its time. But while the film had a hard time breaking free from the cliches and tropes of the genre, Val Kilmer and both supporting agents (Graham and Sam) elevate the film into being a whole lot of fun, nonetheless. The film dances between rye humor, brutal murder mystery, and a heavy, heavy dose of ancient mysticism. And while it doesn’t always strike home on every beat, Thunderheart manages to be entertaining with Val Kilmer during his prime.

I will admit that the film lays the whole “white man bad, red man good” cliché that was popular during the 90s, but as I said, the clichés are overridden by excellent performances by our three leads. It doesn’t hurt that the late great Michael Apted has a fantastic eye for cinematography, and the South Dakota landscape is unbelievably haunting and beautiful.




Rating:

Rated R for language and for some areas of violence




4K Video: Video:

While I haven’t seen Sony’s 2024 remastered Blu-ray, I would be SHOCKED if they did anything other than take the same 4K master and put it on 4K UHD. And if this disc is anything to compare to, the Blu-ray has to look fabulous. Shot on 35mm film on location in South Dakota, Thunderheart looks like a product of the early 90s. It has a distinctly warm look to it, with honey wheat and light grays thrown in with pale primary shades. Skin tones look wonderfully accurate, although there is a VERY slight ruddy push to them (the 90s were famous for that ruddy push), and fine details are exquisite. You can see everything from the makeup on the old elder’s body, where they put fake bullet holes on his chest, to the sand and dirt that gets in between Ray’s fingernails while he’s digging up the body near the end. The high bitrate allows for a nearly artifact-free experience, with the ONLY thing I could complain about being some crush in the dusky environment where they find the final body. But overall, this is a very clean and stable production, and the 4K disc is top-notch.









Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio track found on the disc is most likely the same 5.1 DTS-HD MA track found on the 2024 Blu-ray, and it sounds good. Probably 4/5 if I had to give it a rating. Dialog is strong, but the surrounds and LFE are kind of anemic. It does everything well without any major distortions or problems, yet it feels just a bit THIN.

But the real gem here is that Sony decided to give us the original 2.0 theatrical audio mix in lossless DTS-HD MA. It’s meant to be expanded out into 5.1 via processing, but it sounds great in both that and the original Stereo as well. And this little gem happens to be exclusive to the 4K UHD and one of the major reasons I would consider upgrading if the video uptick doesn’t sell you on it alone. Strangely, it actually sounds better than the 5.1 mix, as vocals sound richer and fuller, and channel separation in the sides is more distinct. I’m not sure if the 5.1 mix was taken from a previous home theater release (most likely the same mix as the DVD), but this 2.0 theatrical mix is definitely not from the same source, and a real treat.







Extras:

• Audio Commentary with writer John Fusco
• Archival Interviews with Cast & Crew
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

Thunderheart is an imperfect movie that is definitely stuck in the time period that it was made, but strangely, still a lot of fun. I haven’t seen the film for almost 25-28 years, and I had forgotten just how good Val Kilmer was in his prime. Michael Apted’s strange amalgamation of sociopolitical/mystical/murder mystery elements is done quite well, despite feeling a bit dated. Sony’s 4K UHD looks and sounds great, taking the same lean extras from the 2024 Blu-ray and adding a set of new ones on as well to make the upgrade a little sweeter. Personally, I would have preferred that Sony package the Blu-ray together with the 4K to make a combo pack, but I’ve noticed that their MOD releases tend to be single-disc only. That being said, this is a great set for fans of the movie, and a flick that fans of classic 90s films should definitely check out.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Sam Shepard, Val Kilmer, Graham Greene, Fred Ward, Sheila Tousey
Directed by: Michael Apted
Written by: John Fusco
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, English
Studio: Sony
Rated: R
Runtime: 119 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: January 13th, 2026

Recommendation: Good Watch