Best American Indian
and Indigenous Films List

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Last Updated: 3/21/25
Note: It's simple and straightforward: the best of the best in American Indian/Indigenous cinema history. In order to be considered, the film must have received a rating of at least '6' from me, and one of the following first two criteria must be met while the third criteria is required:

1. The cast must be at least 50% American Indian/Indigenous, and/or at least a few American Indian/Indigenous thespians are cast in major roles.
2. The American Indian/Indigenous people are directly impacted en masse, and there's historical basis.
3. They must not be taken advantage of for looks only to be mowed down.

The third criteria means that many John Wayne pictures don't make the cut while I think of The Mission for the second criteria. Ultimately, the question to ask is: "Is the film American Indian/Indigenous enough?" Multiple parts (i.e. duology, trilogy, etc.) can be put together as one if there's a continuation in the narrative. Miniseries and telefilms are fair game, but anything made after the year 2000 and documentaries are excluded.

These films have shown brilliance in most, if not all, aspects: acting, characters, screenplay, plot, direction, editing, cinematography, and so on. They must also be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Then, I think about cultural phenomenon, uniqueness, famous movie moments, iconic scenes and/or lines, cinematic power, and timelessness.

This list is based on what I have seen so far and is limited to the top 10 with 2 honorable mentions and some, if any, notable exceptions to the rule. While ranking the films, I am simultaneously thinking about American Indian/Indigenousness before quality and quality before American Indian/Indigenousness.

A Final Word: I understand the list may be controversial because of the large presence of white actors and white or Mexican actors pretending to be American/Indigenous Indians, but in truth, there are not many good movies in existence. Hence, the first two ranked films are pretty much the standard of the genre.



  1. The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

    2. Full of action and war, The Last of the Mohicans is a unique masterpiece with a love story to boot. Although it's the best Daniel Day-Lewis movie, the best Michael Mann movie, the best American Indian movie, and the best Colonial movie, nothing is more impressive than Wes Studi's performance as Magua. It's so good that he was sadly robbed of an Oscar. Of course, the title says it all.


  2. Dances With Wolves (1990)

    3. What I love is the simplicity that's left open for translation. Easily the best part is how Dunbar is immersed into the Sioux culture. Near the end, his fellow soldiers show up. Dunbar takes place among them, but he looks out of place. Hence, it's the key moment of Dances With Wolves which is about human acceptance without bias. Not to be missed is the lush cinematography, and the buffalo hunt scene is terrific. Graham Greene and Rodney A. Grant turn in powerful performances.


  3. Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994)

    4. Squanto: A Warrior's Tale can be regarded as a lightweight Native American film when compared with Dances With Wolves and The Last of the Mohicans. Eric Schweig and Adam Beach do a good job of trying to make it work. If I had a choice between this and any 30's to 50's picture involving American Indians, I'm going with the former because it moves well, has nice costumes, and isn't objectionable in any way.


  4. Kings of the Sun (1963)

    5. I'm against the idea of a white thespian who's brownfaced to play a foreign character. But, based on the strength of Yul Brynner's acting, I'm going to let it slide. The truth is: without star power, Kings of the Sun would've never been made. It may be the only Hollywood film about the Mayans which is saying something. The nice part is the sight of Chichén Itzá which is the real thing.


  5. The Mission (1986)

    6. The Mission is a powerful film about the plight of the Guaraní people under the heel of Portuguese and Spanish colonizers. The reality is underscored by the loss of their homes because the Portuguese and Spanish viewed the land as an imperialistic opportunity to expand their empire while harvesting it for resources, most especially gold. There's a display of concern by the Jesuits, wanting to save them from a predictable wipeout of their culture and habitat.


  6. Thunderheart (1992)

    7. Despite being laden with American Indian clichés, Thunderheart isn't bad for a murder mystery picture that happens to take place on a reservation. Val Kilmer is terrific for a white character with supposedly Indian blood, and Graham Greene makes for an interesting guide. Shot on location in Badlands National Park and Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota, the cinematography is top-notch.


  7. Ulzana's Raid (1972)

    8. Like The Wild Bunch and The Hunting Party, Ulzana's Raid is a brutal Western picture. Believe it or not, the fighting between the US Army and various Apache nations in the southwest from 1849 to 1886 is the longest war ever in U.S. history which ended with the surrender of Geronimo. The brutality shown by the Apaches did happen for real.


  8. Son of the Morning Star (1991)

    9. Son of the Morning Star is a dramatic improvement over Custer of the West by getting nearly everything correct. Not only that, the story is told from two points of view: Custer's wife and a Cheyenne woman named Kate Bighead aka Antelope. Dances With Wolves' Rodney E. Grant appears as Crazy Horse along with other authentic Indians which are 150 in all. The film was shot on location in Badlands National Park and Buffalo Gap, South Dakota.


  9. Last of the Dogmen (1995)

    10. One of the better movies in Tom Berenger's oeuvre is Last of the Dogmen. It has a good story with fantastic cinematography of Montana which was unfortunately shot on location in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, and Mexico. This time, it's not inundated with American Indian clichés. In other words, they just get on with the show like The Last of the Mohicans.


  10. Running Brave (1983)

    11. Long forgotten and probably never recognized to begin with, Billy Mills shocked everybody by winning the gold medal in the 10,000 meters at the 1964 Olympiad Games in Tokyo, Japan. An American Indian, he was considered a long shot by not establishing himself as a contender on the world stage.



Honorable Mentions: Little Big Man (1970) and Fitzcarraldo (1982)

Notable Exceptions: None