The Indian Runner

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The Indian Runner

R

1991

2h 6m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

15 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

Mar 26, 2009

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.

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Feb 9, 2006

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.

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Janet Maslin

New York Times

May 20, 2003

3.5/5

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

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Apr 29, 2011

C+

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

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Oct 5, 2006

4/5

Muscular if overwrought drama with great performances.

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Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

Nov 10, 2005

3/5

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 11, 2026

The Indian Runner = a *4* star Movie!

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jwcdood

@jwcdood Nov 30, 2023

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!

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gioconda d

@gioconda Oct 12, 2023

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.

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Oct 24, 2021

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

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Aug 27, 2018

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.

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Jul 9, 2018

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

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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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