The film Incident at Oglala - Movie Review Example

Running head: The film Incident at Oglala The Oglala incident is a film produced and narrated by Robert Redford. Redford was an advocate of Leonard Peltier who is in Leavenworth prison for the murder of two FBI agents. At the time of the incident, Peltier a highly recognized American Indian leader was among other colleague, but he was singled out because he was a leader of the American Indian. The film brings to light the picture of the incidence and the reservation of Indian to South Dakota. The picture of the house on fire and a vast landscape demonstrates an automobile graveyard, or a magnificent vista.

In the film, the producer shows a picture of distressed people after their country was occupied in Wounded Knee, an incident that happened in 1890 and a massacre of Indians. In this time, there was a conflict in the community between traditional and activist Indians organizations. There was much shooting, violence and then in June, 1975 another incidence that result to two FBI agents death at an Indian village in Oglala, S.D (Ebert, 1992). The film desire to uncover out who killed the FBI. Many theories are evidenced when trying to explain the circumstances surrounding the murder.

Witnesses confessed that there was a possibility that the shooters had no intention of their target and that they were FBI agents. The prosecutor investigated Indians who were linked into the murder, but two were acquitted, one released, and Peltier was a link to the gun found at the murder scene led to his conviction of murder in April 1977 (Ebert, 1992). The Robert Redford film brings out the injustices in the nation as well as racism. The justice system is demonstrated as having to intimidate anyone to convince prosecution of individuals through false witnesses.

One of the government witnesses, a mentally disturbed woman recounted her testimony. Moreover, there is an unknown “Mr. X” who confessed that he knew who killed the FBI agents, and it was not Peltier. The case involved conflicting evidence of casings and rifles, the handling of suspects, the behaviors of the FBI agents and how the vehicles were identified. Therefore, Redford paints a picture that Peltier did not receive a fair trial (Ebert, 1992). The director of the film, Michael Apted, reconstruct people encounter on the time the agents were felled by a bullet.

According to him, the agents most likely were killed in a mistaken identity, but there has to be a prosecution for the killed officers. The government only option was to vindicate the four Indian who were at Ogala at the time of occurrence and who for their own safety had guns to protect themselves (Ebert, 1992). Redford and the team in the movies do not claim Peltier was innocent and nor was he guilt, but their case is whether Peltier received a fair trial. According to the evidenced they amassed, the trial was inadequate.

For example, the FBI declined to be interviewed, whereas Peltier and the U.S. attorneys were interviewed (Ebert, 1992). Listening to Peltier interview, one is convinced he is telling the truth. He recounts the “war zone” and says his case is all about the incidence of Wounded Knee. The conflict between the government and the people of Oglala in 1973 has never settled and thus why Peltier, an activist for the Indian in Oglala is being persecuted. One is left wondering whether there is a conspiracy against American Indian Movement by the government (Ebert, 1992).

Redford and the team bring to light a picture of violence, poverty and the conflict that exists between the Oglala nation and the Federal government, the tension that has existed since the Wounded Knee in 1973. It is with utmost faith that one can conclude that Leonard Peltier was convicted wrongly. This documentary produced by Robert Redford and directed by Michael Apted shows that the case was partisan, and the FBI agent and the government prosecutors colluded to convict Peltier (Ebert, 1992).

The Oglala incident resulted to three death, FBI agents and an American Indian Movement member and who his death prompted no prosecution. The issue of race cannot be separated as Indian is demonstrated as a less human being in consideration to the FBI agent. The government handling of the Native American Indian a minority community is part of discrimination and racist (Ebert, 1992). The documentary is informative, and it explains the Oglala incidence from a different point of view. It brings out the atmosphere at the time, and the issue of alcohol abuse and unemployment were manifold.

The issue of a seventy one day siege in 1973 was still in the memory. Wounded Knee resulted to the highest murder rate in the country (Ebert, 1992). Peltier looks older than the photographs at the time the FBI agents were murdered. His moustache has become gray. He looks resigned and dreams of days with his friends before the unfortunate conviction of murder. Peltier also recounts that he knows the real killer of the FBI agents, but he not ready to reveal it. He has been in the penitentiary for sixteen years and has not succeeded in the retrial request.

For him, there is no hope for an acquittal (Ebert, 1992). The director of the movies tries to justify the injustices of the white people in the government. Their action has no any sympathy to the ordinary citizen and in this case the American Indian. The government can afford to ignore the death of an Indian and involves too much attention to the FBI agents only. References R Ebert. (1992, June 26). Incident at Oglala. Retrieved from http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/incident-at-oglala