The Indian Runner

R

Released Sep 20, 1991

2h 6m

Drama

List

74%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

After getting into trouble with the law, violence-prone Frank Roberts (Viggo Mortensen) seeks help from his brother Joe (David Morse), an even-tempered policeman. Frank hopes to start fresh, and his brother has faith that he can do it. So Joe agrees to let Frank stay -- despite the admonitions of his wife, Maria (Valeria Golino), who would rather not have Frank in the house. And though he performs well at first, Frank's inner turmoil eventually erupts, creating chaos in their once tranquil home.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Rambling, indulgent and joltingly raw at times, Sean Penn's first outing as a director takes a fair amount of patience to get through but has an integrity that intermittently serves it well.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Penn's first project as writer/director is a film out of time, drenched in an overbearing '60s world-view which veers between the dated and the dopey.

Feb 9, 2006

Full Review

Janet Maslin

New York Times

Loose, rambling and sometimes rudderless as it is, "The Indian Runner" has a fundamental honesty that gives it real substance.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 20, 2003

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

The film is slow and pretentious, but it's a feature debut and Sean Penn, a distinguished actor, is good with his cast.

Rated: C+

Apr 29, 2011

Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Muscular if overwrought drama with great performances.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 5, 2006

Full Review

Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

Rated: 3/5

Nov 10, 2005

Full Review

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Bruce L

I think my expectations for this film were too great. Mortensen role was over the top and it was really difficult to generate any compassion for him as a character. The film is overlong, with multiple vignettes that are incoherent and don't really add enough background to the characters to sufficiently explain the dynamics of the family. I think both Charles Bronson, Dennis Hopper and Sandy Dennis were wasted in this film.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/03/24

Full Review

jwcdood

THE INDIAN RUNNER is a well cast and well directed drama with outstanding and engaging performances by all (some of their best). And, the period correct soundtrack is excellent as well. What a sleeper; I'm really glad I watched it!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/30/23

Full Review

gioconda d

I heard Sean Penn speak about this movie in LA [which he wrote & directed. } He spoke about how difficult it was for hims to raise money for film projects that he directed while he was offered millions for acting. It's a shame because the two movies I've seen he directed are truly excellent. Viggo Mortensen at the prime of his looks, Valerie Golino, an excellent Charles Bronson, Sandy Dennis & David Foster's truly heart-wrenching performance as the brother of Viggo's character who cannot understand or tame his wild raging younger brother. After all these years the movie seems better than when I first saw it. Too bad for the cinema world Sean could not raise money to direct more than 2 films.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

All star acting performances by these actors when they were younger. A little long and drags in places but it connects the dots.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/24/21

Full Review

Audience Member

It's a bit of a chore to get through, but it has some excellent performances and drama. It speaks some interesting truths about devotion to blood ties. The end will probably frustrate you though, as real it may be.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/27/18

Full Review

Audience Member

It’s a bit long and hard to get through at times, but it’s worth seeing once. It isn’t the most engaging of stories but it’s got some intense moments and an interesting take on family

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/28/19

Full Review

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Sean Penn

Director

David Morse

Joe Roberts

Viggo Mortensen

Frank Roberts

Valeria Golino

Maria

Patricia Arquette

Dorothy

Charles Bronson

Mr. Roberts

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Synopsis

After getting into trouble with the law, violence-prone Frank Roberts (Viggo Mortensen) seeks help from his brother Joe (David Morse), an even-tempered policeman. Frank hopes to start fresh, and his brother has faith that he can do it. So Joe agrees to let Frank stay -- despite the admonitions of his wife, Maria (Valeria Golino), who would rather not have Frank in the house. And though he performs well at first, Frank's inner turmoil eventually erupts, creating chaos in their once tranquil home.

Director: Sean Penn
Producer: Sean Penn, Don Phillips
Screenwriter: Sean Penn
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 20, 1991, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $152.9K
Runtime: 2h 6m
Sound Mix: Surround

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