Lt. Britton Davis (Matt Damon) tells the story about how he joined the hunt to stop the Apache chief Geronimo (Wes Studi). As the US soldiers get closer to the man known as Geronimo, they soon realize how wrong this world is.

Walter Hill is one of the great tough-guy directors. Despite some hiccups like the trainwreck that is SUPERNOVA (2000) and the wrong-headed and transphobic THE ASSIGNMENT (2016), Hill’s career has been one of the best in terms of action cinema. Being raised with a deep love of the Western, Hill has continued to make modern-day Westerns that will put hair on your chest. 

He said every movie he directed was a type of Western. So with the amateur theory in place, Hill is one of the great action directors with hits such as 48 HOURS, THE DRIVER, and RED HEAT. But when he made an actual Western proper the results were always interesting. Cut to GERONIMO: AN AMERICAN LEGEND(1993). Despite a slightly misleading title, This is a movie about Geronimo, even if he isn’t the focus or main character. 

The screenplay was written by the great John Milius (CONAN THE BARBARIAN, DILLINGER) who turns a simple story of the American west into a complex tale of legends, modern day warriors, and failure. Geronimo may be wrongly treated, but Milius shows that both he and some of the US troops are just warriors cheated by the system. 

As an overall film, It’s sadly underrated. Logic and pacing are out the window. But the film has a scenic view with plenty of downtime to be sucked into the time period. The film is bathed in a warm orange haze. Realism isn’t the point. This is a legend brought to life with a witty and large than life screenplay. In terms of casting, Wes Studi (Michael Mann’s HEAT, DANCES WITH WOLVES), dominates every scene he is in. Also rounding out the cast are fine performances from Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Matt Damon, and John Finn. Jason Patric is top-billed but sadly he comes off as flat and uninteresting. 

Twilight Time brings GERONIMO to shiny life with this impressive visual showcase. This is one of Hill’s best-filmed movies, and every shot is a sight to see. The disc comes with two audio options. First up is the 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio mix. It looks like it was recorded yesterday. Bold and smooth with no hiss or pops. The second track is the slightly softer English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio mix. English subtitles are included.

In terms of extras we are limited to an Isolated Music track and the original theatrical trailer. The disc itself holds some liner notes by Julie Kirgo.

The Film 3.5/5

Audio/ Video 5/5

Extras 1/5 

Director- Walter Hill

Cast- Jason Patric, Wes Studi, Gene Hackman

Country of Origin- US

Writer: Tyler Miller