"Damn, this is a really good, really underrated epic film!

Watching this immediately after THE EMERALD FOREST, which was a much more shallow take on "white people vs. indigenous people," this felt so much more vibrant, clever, and thought-provoking. It's sad that this film inspired James Cameron's AVATAR; this uses the same template but in a much more intelligent direction. This is less of an "anti-Colonialism" story than it is a "the inevitability of human folly" story.

We follow several missionaries in the Amazon, trying to convert the local tribes. Meanwhile, a half-Cheyenne American mercenary identifies with the tribe and assimilates in with them, taking on the role of their God. What I loved about this movie was that none of these characters are really in the right and everyone's actions are morally ambiguous. The missionaries are not bad people and mean well, but they prove impotent in their efforts. The natives are portrayed three-dimensionally, and they're not perfect either. Diseases spread and a child dies; nothing about this is sugarcoated. There is conflict between Protestant and Catholics, between indigenous tribes, between all Christians and all Native Americans, and none of it matters in the eye of any omniscient God or Gods. Tragedy across the cultural barriers is just inevitable." -Gabe Rodiguez, Letterboxd

John Lithgow and Kathy Bates are great playing characters that initially seem like one-dimensional Bible-thumpers, but are given dimension over the course of the film. Aidan Quinn is given the biggest arc as the missionary who slowly loses his faith, yet even when he tries to resolve everything, he proves impotent. The casting of Tom Berenger as a Native American is somewhat questionable, but he does a good job as the character who so badly wants to belong and be part of a tribe, only to end up all alone. Daryl Hannah is probably the weak link in the cast, as her character just seems to exist for the sake of getting naked.

At over three hours, the movie's a bit too long and meanders a bit. I think audiences may have preferred the preachiness of DANCES WITH WOLVES and disliked the more pessimistic view of this film, which suggests miscommunication and violence are an inevitable cycle that will always continue. But 25 years later, this film is surprisingly mature, resonant, and features some strong filmmaking.