The Indian Runner
Dir: Sean Penn
1991
****
Sean Penn based his screen play on Bruce Springsteen's song "Highway Patrolman". I don't really see it myself. What is obvious though is that at the relatively young age of 31, Penn understood film and had learned a lot from his heroes, most notably Cassavetes to whom he dedicates this film to along with Hal Ashby. Like a Cassavetes movie, this is an actors film. The pace is slow but the performances are strong, for a directional debut it's pretty amazing. It bombed quite unfairly on release and still hasn't claimed the love its due. Rectify this people!