Incident at Oglala

Stars: Leonard Peltier, John Trudell. Executive producer and narrator Robert Redford visited Leonard Peltier, a Native American serving a life sentence for the murder of two F.B.I. agents, some 12 years ago. After a long struggle with prison officials, Redford and director Michael Apted (Coal Miner's Daughter, 28 Up, Thunderheart) were allowed to film Peltier in prison and bring his story to the screen. On the morning of June 26, 1975, F.B.I. agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams entered the Jumping Bull area of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation driving unmarked cars in pursuit of a suspect. Shortly thereafter gunfire erupted between the agents and Native Americans, and the agents were later found next to their vehicles, killed execution-style at close range. Incident At Oglala rewinds to before that fateful day and describes the atmosphere at Pine Ridge: during the period of May 1973 until the incident, the people lived in a virtual reign of terror. Bureau of Indian Affairs-puppet Dick Wilson routinely sent his "goon squads" after people who didn't comply with his politics, such as members of the American Indian Movement (A.I.M.). In this climate, two unmarked cars entering an A.I.M. stronghold unannounced at high speed was a calling card to open fire. In the ensuing manhunt, two of the three suspects were caught, tried, and found innocent. Peltier, who was in Canada, was eventually extradited, tried, and found guilty. While being extremely even-handed, Incident At Oglala makes a good case that evidence was falsified and witnesses coerced to make the charges stick in the second trial. A powerful documentary. Audience: People who watch Apted's Thunderheart should be interested in seeing the true story on which it was partially based.