Sean Penn directs THE INDIAN RUNNER with considerable assurance, extracting superb performances from David Morse, Viggo Mortensen, Patricia Arquette, and even Dennis Hopper - who by 1991 had become quite repetitive in his portrayal of supporting evil characters - and the tired vigilante Charles Bronson perform well above average.
The score by Jack Nitszche deserves plaudits for versatility and effectiveness, and cinematography by Anthony Richmond is top notch, with particularly inspired sequences involving an Indian runner who keeps appearing at crucial points in the film.
Penn's script brims with sharp, credible dialogue that keeps stoking the bleak atmosphere, that becomes even darker, almost Satanic, when Mortensen comes on screen.
One feels for Morse as the cop trying to keep his family together only to be thwarted by death and his brother's incapacity to function as family member.
Definitely worth watching. 7/10.
The score by Jack Nitszche deserves plaudits for versatility and effectiveness, and cinematography by Anthony Richmond is top notch, with particularly inspired sequences involving an Indian runner who keeps appearing at crucial points in the film.
Penn's script brims with sharp, credible dialogue that keeps stoking the bleak atmosphere, that becomes even darker, almost Satanic, when Mortensen comes on screen.
One feels for Morse as the cop trying to keep his family together only to be thwarted by death and his brother's incapacity to function as family member.
Definitely worth watching. 7/10.