Episode 085: The Indian Runner (1991)

Sean Penn interprets a stark Springsteen song as his directorial debut and launches the career of Viggo Mortensen

Written & Directed by Sean Penn. Starring David Morse, Viggo Mortensen, Patricia Arquette, Valeria Golino, Charles Bronson, Sandy Dennis & Dennis Hopper

How is the world wrong about The Indian Runner?

From Andras: Sean Penn’s first film as a director is his best. Is it the first films of the 1990’s? A difficult character study based upon “Highway Patrolman”, a Bruce Springsteen song from his dark acoustic masterpiece “Nebraska” featuring three of the decade’s most defining cinematic performers; Patricia Arquette, Benicio Del Toro (in one scene) and Viggo Mortensen’s debut as a leading man/anti-hero. And yet…you don’t really hear people talk about this film much. That’s just plain wrong.