Powwow Highway
1989·Drama·1h 31m
7.1
★
Two Northern Cheyenne men take a road trip from Montana to New Mexico to bail out the sister of one of them who has been framed and arrested in Santa Fe. On the way, they begin to reconnect to their spiritual heritage.
Directed by Jonathan Wacks
native american
native american reservation
indigenous peoples
jailbreak
rickety old car
best friends
road film
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Cast
A Martinez
Buddy Red Bow
Gary Farmer
Philbert Bono
Joanelle Romero
Bonnie Red Bow
Amanda Wyss
Rabbit Layton
Sam Vlahos
Chief Joseph
Wayne Waterman
Wolf Tooth
Roscoe Born
Agent Jack Novall
John Trudell
Louie Short Hair
Graham Greene
Vietnam Vet
Wes Studi
Buff
Rodney A. Grant
Brave on Horse
Tony Frank
Captain Roberts
Crew
Toyomichi Kurita
Director of Photography
George Harrison
Executive Producer
Russell Towery
Stunts
Junie Lowry-Johnson
Casting
Isis Mussenden
Costume Design
Don Diers
Art Direction
Dody Dorn
Supervising Sound Editor
Ed Novick
Sound Mixer
Rick Barker
Stunts
Ben Loggins
Stunts
Popular Reviews
11 reviews
Ingmar Wetzel
8.0★ · 05/13/26
Surprisingly beautiful movie
Surprisingly beautiful movie
Jacq
8.0★ · 05/11/26
Never lose hope
Never lose hope
Jacq
8.0★ · 05/11/26
Never lose hope
Never lose hope
Jacob Paddison
8.0★ · 01/09/25
Powwow Highway is many things. A buddy comedy, a spiritual journey, a rumination on what it means to be a part of a community, but at its core it's the purest form of the American roadtrip movie. Primarily focusing on two members of the Cheyenne tribe, Buddy Red Bow and Philbert, as they journey across the Americana landscape, from Montana to New Mexico, to free one of their siblings from jail after being framed for a crime she didn't commit. Along the way, the duo get into all sorts of hijinks while simultaneously learning about their tribe and slowly reconnecting with their spirituality.
The film expertly balances comedy and drama, never feeling like it leans heavily in one direction or another in a way that would be to the story's detriment. If it went more down the comedy route it would be too goofy for what the film tackles, if it was more a drama, Philbert's character and the film as a whole wouldn't be nearly as interesting, lacking that contrast needed between the two leads. And man is this film funny. The whole car speaker scene is a riot.
Powwow Highway deftly confronts the many issues facing the Native American population, mainly in the form of discrimination from police and specifically land rights, which acts as the springboard for which the film leaps from.
Any film with Gary Farmer in the lead and featuring Graham Greene in any role is bound to be good.
The film expertly balances comedy and drama, never feeling like it leans heavily in one direction or another in a way that would be to the story's detriment. If it went more down the comedy route it would be too goofy for what the film tackles, if it was more a drama, Philbert's character and the film as a whole wouldn't be nearly as interesting, lacking that contrast needed between the two leads. And man is this film funny. The whole car speaker scene is a riot.
Powwow Highway deftly confronts the many issues facing the Native American population, mainly in the form of discrimination from police and specifically land rights, which acts as the springboard for which the film leaps from.
Any film with Gary Farmer in the lead and featuring Graham Greene in any role is bound to be good.
Powwow Highway is many things. A buddy comedy, a spiritual journey, a rumination on what it means to be a part of a community, but at its core it's the purest form of the American roadtrip movie. Primarily focusing on two members of the Cheyenne tribe, Buddy Red Bow and Philbert, as they journey across the Americana landscape, from Montana to New Mexico, to free one of their siblings from jail after being framed for a crime she didn't commit. Along the way, the duo get into all sorts of hijinks while simultaneously learning about their tribe and slowly reconnecting with their spirituality.
The film expertly balances comedy and drama, never feeling like it leans heavily in one direction or another in a way that would be to the story's detriment. If it went more down the comedy route it would be too goofy for what the film tackles, if it was more a drama, Philbert's character and the film as a whole wouldn't be nearly as interesting, lacking that contrast needed between the two leads. And man is this film funny. The whole car speaker scene is a riot.
Powwow Highway deftly confronts the many issues facing the Native American population, mainly in the form of discrimination from police and specifically land rights, which acts as the springboard for which the film leaps from.
Any film with Gary Farmer in the lead and featuring Graham Greene in any role is bound to be good.
The film expertly balances comedy and drama, never feeling like it leans heavily in one direction or another in a way that would be to the story's detriment. If it went more down the comedy route it would be too goofy for what the film tackles, if it was more a drama, Philbert's character and the film as a whole wouldn't be nearly as interesting, lacking that contrast needed between the two leads. And man is this film funny. The whole car speaker scene is a riot.
Powwow Highway deftly confronts the many issues facing the Native American population, mainly in the form of discrimination from police and specifically land rights, which acts as the springboard for which the film leaps from.
Any film with Gary Farmer in the lead and featuring Graham Greene in any role is bound to be good.
Lia Martinez
6.0★ · 02/09/26