In it, he plays the lone survivor of a Pawnee raiding party that has not fared so well in a skirmish with the Sioux. Before the surrounding Sioux close in to finish him off, he takes his moment to loudly try to educate them about their ancestry, personal hygiene, sexual habits, and whatever else he feels they might need enlightenment on. For a brief moment or two, he owns the movie.
(This movie was also the introduction (for most of us, although he'd been acting for 14 years by the time it came out) to Canadian Indian Graham Greene, as Kicking Bird. I mention him because he's gonna show up again, below.)
Magua say, "Understand English very well." ...
Wes Studi as Magua - from nativeamericanactors.tumblr.com
If "Dances with Wolves" was the first movie in which I saw Studi, Michael Mann's absolutely wonderful Last of the Mohicans (1992) was the one in which I really took notice of him.
An English Officer, leading some troops and a few civilians from Albany to Fort William Henry, has given an instruction to whom he believes to be a Mohawk scout, not knowing that Magua is a Huron who was taken in by the Mohawks after his village was destroyed by English soldiers. So, you could say that Magua has serious issues with the English.
The Officer punctuates his instruction with, "Do you understand?". After hearing Magua mutter something in Huron (NOT at all complimentary) he asks, "What did you just say?". Magua, looking straight at the Officer he's leading into an ambush, replies, "Magua say, 'Understand English very well'."
Wes Studi is mesmerizing here, playing an adversary who has reasons for being what he is. I truly think he deserved a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination for this. He probably wouldn't have won as Gene Hackman took it for his role of "Little Bill" Daggett in "Unforgiven" that year and was pretty well unbeatable, but he should have at least been nominated.
"NOW what?!!!" ...
Wes Studi as Hanover - from weirdwildrealm.com
... would make a fine alternate title for a guilty pleasure of mine, Deep Rising (1998), in which Treat Williams appears to be having the time of his life playing a boat captain for hire, in the South China Sea, who keeps finding plenty of reasons to utter that exclamation.
Famke Jannsen ("Goldeneye", "X-Men") plays a con-woman on a floating casino, apparently playing her in Sandra Bullock mode.
And, Wes plays Hanover, the leader of a pack of mercenaries who hire the boat to launch a bit of piracy against that casino, only to discover it wrecked by a monster, with only a few of the passengers (including Jannsen) and crew still surviving.
In truth, to call this movie "dumb" is a disservice to the word. But, it is a "fun" dumb, and makes you wonder, "Where the Hell is Mystery Science Theater 3000 when you really need it?". This is absolutely perfect material for it.
As for Studi here, he has a demise (earned) that is worth the price of admission by itself. If his kids ever saw it, I'll bet they just ate it up. :-)
"That's not very Navajo." ...
Wes Studi as Joe Leaphorn and Adam Beach as Jim Chee
from italychile.blogspot.com
Author Tony Hillerman wrote a series of novels, set in the Navajo Nation ...
from nnrecovery.navajo-nsn.gov
from destination360.com
... and mostly about Sergeant Jim Chee and/or Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn; both of the Navajo Tribal Police.
Chee is very enamored with the old ways, wants to become a spiritual healer and still has superstitions around bodies and burial sites.
Leaphorn is almost a polar opposite; having been born on the reservation but raised outside of it. He has little tolerance, and even less patience, with those superstitions; preferring reason and logic.
One of his quirks is the map of the reservation he keeps on his wall, using pins with different colored flags to mark the locations of various crimes and incidents. He once admitted that he doesn't know how it helps him to solve crimes other than the fact that it seems to help him think.
Four of Hillerman's novels have been made into one film and three made for TV movies; thanks to Robert Redford's production company.
The Dark Wind (1991) was a theatrical release, with Lou Diamond Phillips and Fred Ward as Chee and Leaphorn, respectively. Nice piece of work; worth seeking out.
But, the really good versions are the three that were made for PBS's American Mystery series: Skinwalkers (2002), Coyote Waits (2003), and A Thief of Time (2004). These are the ones pairing Adam Beach and Wes Studi.
In "Coyote Waits", we run into evangelical Christian/con-man Slick Nakai ...
Wes Studi as Joe Leaphorn and Graham Greene as Slick Nakai
Modified from avalon-medieval.blogspot.com
When we meet him here, he's using his Cadillac as a taxi, delivering someone to Leaphorn's house. When Leaphorn inquires about his driving a taxi, Slick mentions losing his permit to set up his revival tent on reservation land.
Leaphorn: "I heard about that. Something about a collection plate."
Slick: "Everything I get, I give to God. Everybody knows that. -- 'cept you."
(Slick is also in "A Thief of Time". I've a reason to bring him up. You'll see.)
In "Coyote Waits", Chee and Leaphorn are investigating the apparent killing of Officer Delbert Nez (a close friend of Chee's) by Ashie Pinto. Local Defense Attorney Janet Pete (also Chee's current girlfriend) has gone to Leaphorn's office to get his take on the situation.
On seeing the familiar map on Leaphorn's wall, with its colored pins ...
Janet Pete (seeing three yellow ones that Leaphorn uses for "oddities"):
"What about those yellow ones?"
Leaphorn (pointing to each in turn): "Here's Ashie Pinto's shack.
"Here's where Officer Nez lived. -- And, here's where he died."
Janet Pete: "Forms a triangle."
Leaphorn: "Very large triangle. Two Navajos, who might as well have lived on two different planets -- they met here. I don't think it was by chance."
Janet Pete: "You're sure about that?"
Leaphorn: "Nothing happens by chance."
Janet Pete: "That's not very Navajo."
Leaphorn: "No. That's me."
Now, I love these movies and consider Joe Leaphorn as my favorite of Wes Studi's roles.
But, not everyone agrees. Here's the reason I referred to Greene so much.
A visitor to the IMDB page for "Coyote Waits" wrote a review, in which he stated preference for Graham Greene as Joe Leaphorn, noting that in the books, Leaphorn had a way of interrogating you by putting you at ease and letting you talk and ramble on and on, while he's just sitting there and taking it all in, quietly putting the pieces together.
In contrast (he noted), Studi's version would look at you as if wondering how your scalp would look on his lodge pole.
I suspect that reviewer would take this photo ...
Wes Studi as Joe Leaphorn - from pbs.org
... and declare, "I rest my case!"
Ok! I have difficulty in arguing with that.
But, Hell! I still like the guy. :-)
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