The tag line says that this is a story of a young Navajo who fights for a spot on the US Olympic Boxing team. Well, that was about .025% of this movie. The only reference to this at all is an Olympic Scout who sees him fight. Instead we get a story of a young man who struggles with his own demons and trying to overcome them. He is a boxer. That part they did get right. This movie is based on actual events. A young Navajo named Back Cloud who was a great boxer and had a troubled life.
Most of this movie deals with racism and stereotypes. Black Cloud is mad that he is a "Mixed blood Navajo." He fights lots of people, including Rick Schroder, who wrote and directed the film. The characters are good and develop well throughout the film. It is fun to see a little of life on and Indian reservation. I grew up doing Scouts and Order of the Arrow, so I have a soft spot for movies like this. I would recommend the film Smoke Signals more than this film though.
I was kind of disappointed by this film, however I did still appreciate it.
5 out of 10
