Pow Wow Highway Reviews

The first Native American road movie follows many of that genre's conventions: a mismatched pair with different ideas on how to get to their destination, plus stops along the way that mix comedy and drama. The overlay here is that the men in that rusting 1964 Buick are traveling, at least for the first part of their journey, a highway that parallels the Bozeman Trail, the scene of many 19th century battles between white settlers traveling to the gold mines of Virginia City, MO, and Native Americans eager to protect their Northern Wyoming hunting grounds. Buddy Red Bow, well aware of the many indignities heaped upon his people, boils over with righteous anger, while Philbert Bono simmers gently with reflection. Because Bono is in the driver's seat (in more ways than one), Buddy has to dance to Philbert's rhythms. Their interplay is both amusing and provocative, and it allows the viewer to understand the yin and yang of the Native American psyche in the late 20th century, though it's clear the movie's ultimate sympathies lie with Philbert.