Top 5 Wes Studi Performances

Widely considered one of the greatest Native American actors of all time, Wes Studi has been a regular fixture in cinema since the early 1990's.  As a major figure in Native American activism, Studi, who also served an 18-month tour in Vietnam, participated in the Wounded Knee Incident at Pine Ridge Reservation in 1973, before making his big-screen debut in The Trial of Standing Bear in 1988.  Here's five of his career best roles:

In his first collaboration with Michael Mann, Studi portrayed one of the greatest villains in 90's cinema in Magua, the Huron Indian Chief hell-bent on revenge against the British Colonel Munro in The Last of the Mohicans.  Magua has his own reasons for being so dusty: his kidnapping at the hands of the Mohawks, the loss of his wife and subsequent whipping by Munro all see him swear to kill the Colonel and his two daughters.  He's ultimately killed in an exhilarating stand-off with Chingachgook, but not before getting his revenge against Munro: after leading an ambush against the British forces, Magua wounds the Colonel and, whilst telling him his plans to end his bloodline, cuts out his still beating heart.  

With an all-star cast that included Matt Damon, Robert Duvall and Gene Hackman, Studi stole the limelight in Walter Hill's portrayal of the events surrounding the surrender of Geronimo in 1886.  Fuelled by a string of broken promises and unnecessary provocation by the U.S. government, Studi's stoic, charismatic Geronimo leads a band of 30 Apache warriors in evading capture and reclaiming the land that is rightfully theirs.  Pursued by U.S cavalry lieutenant Charles Gatgewood (Jason Patric), whose begrudging respect of the Apache leader puts his duty in question, Geronimo eventually surrenders, resigning himself to a life away from his homeland.  It was a homeland that Geronimo would never see again, remaining as a prisoner of war until his death in 1909.  

Studi again teamed up with Michael Mann for the 1995 crime thriller Heat, and whilst his role might not have been dialogue heavy, his presence is magnetic in every scene in which he appears - something not easily achieved when measured against that Pacino performance.  As Detective Sammy Casals, Studi is part of Lt. Vincent Hanna's (Pacino) team tasked with bringing down the crew of armed robbers that includes Robert De Niro, Tom Sizemore and Val Kilmer.  Again, amongst a star-studded cast, Studi stands out with a performance full of controlled aggression and assurance.  No-one has ever cocked a shotgun better.  

Yves Simoneau's film adaptation of Dee Brown's stunning, heartbreaking book is full of incredible performances, including Adam Beach as Charles Eastman, August Schellenberg as Sitting Bull and Gordon Tootoosis as Red Cloud.  As Wokova, Studi brings to life one of the most incredible figures of the period in a stunning performance.  The Paiute religious leader was said to be able to control the weather, but is most well-known for founding the second episode of the Ghost Dance movement.  Practised by the victims of the Wounded Knee Massacre, the Ghost Dance would reunite the living with spirits of the dead, bringing them to fight on their behalf, as well as making the white colonists leave, and bringing peace, prosperity, and unity to the Native American people.  It is believed that this practise contributed to Lakota resistance to assimilation under the Dawes Act, which was followed by the death of 153 men, women and children at the hands of the United States Army at Wounded Knee in 1890.  

Set in Kansas in the early 1900s, Studi plays Sam Franklin, a bounty hunter of Cherokee descent and former scout for the U.S. Army who has renounced his Native heritage, adopting the white way of life in the belief that it's the only way to survive.  He is tasked with tracking down a Kickapoo youth (brilliantly played by newcomer Fox Frank) who has escaped from an Indian boarding school, designed to force his assimilation into white society, after being taken from his family.  Premiering at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, The Only Good Indian deservedly earned Studi several nominations and awards for his career-best performance.

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