This review of “Black Cloud” was published by the Arizona Daily Sun in October 2004.

Black Cloud delivers dramatic punch

By Ed Odeven

Having conversed with Cal Bahe, the inimitable Navajo boxing coach, on several occasions after the filming of “Black Cloud,” much of which took place in and around his hometown of Chinle, I was eager to see the finished product.

The wait was well worth it. “Black Cloud” is one of the best movies I’ve seen in recent years. It possesses a winning combination of memorable drama, astute social commentary and terrific boxing.

First-time producer Rick Schroder, who also wrote, directed and starred in the film, crafted a one-of-a-kind movie that’s not a copycat of any previous boxing movie.

Black Cloud (Eddie Spears, a Lakota Sioux Indian) is a talented, young Navajo boxer filled with anger. Early in the film, we see this hostility when a white rodeo cowboy named Eddie Young (Schroder) returns to the Navajo Nation and attempts to rekindle his romance with Black Cloud’s stunning girlfriend, Sammi Haskie (Julia Jones), with whom he had a son.

Sammi lambastes Eddie for not being a father to his child. Eddie insults Black Cloud, his heritage and his manhood. What happens next is no surprise: The two get into a fight, and Black Cloud pummels Eddie so badly that he has to visit the hospital.

This gets the attention of Sheriff Powers (played by country music star Tim McGraw, making his motion-picture debut), who visits the rez and says Black Cloud is in trouble with the law. But Black Cloud’s boxing coach, Bud (Russell Means), declines to turn him in.

Later, U.S. Olympic boxing scout Norm Olsen (Peter Greene) visits Bud’s gym and offers Black Cloud a chance to earn a spot on the U.S. team. Black Cloud vehemently opposes the idea, says he’s not at all interested, that he’d only want to represent the Navajo Nation.

A turning point occurs when Black Cloud and Sammi go to fill out paperwork at a government agency in an attempt to get a place to live on the rez. At the office, a sleazy government official (played by a slimmed-down Wayne Knight, of “Seinfeld” fame) informs Black Cloud that he’s of mixed blood, and thus cannot be placed on the waiting list.

This infuriates Black Cloud. “My blood is poisoned and there’s nothing I can do,” he says later.

His coach tells him, “So, you are a mixed blood? So what. We’re all mixed up in some way.”

Black Cloud’s anger over finding out he’s of mixed heritage negatively affects his relationship with Sammi and numbs his senses.

“You can’t think you are so full of fear,” Bud says to him. “Your daddy’s a drunk, your mom’s dead and you’re a mixed blood. A lot of people have it worse.”

These words aren’t comforting at the time, but they get him thinking. While spending time with his grandfather (Saginaw Grant) at a traditional hogan, Black Cloud learns the true story of his ancestry, how his great-great-grandfather, known as Whitewolf, was half-white, half-Navajo, and how his great-great-great-grandmother was attacked and raped when confronted by three American soldiers decades ago.

“(Nevertheless,) we accepted him as our own,” Black Cloud’s grandfather says.

That intimate talk deeply moves Black Cloud, inspires him in the process, and helps him understand who he is and who he’d like to become. He vows to stay out of trouble, stay by Sammi’s side and become an Olympian.

It’s uplifting to see Black Cloud’s natural talents take over in the boxing ring as the movie progresses. We see a focused fighter using his skills to defeat foe after foe in the Golden Gloves national tournament.

“Black Cloud” was made, by Hollywood standards, for a mere $750,000. Filming lasted just a month.

The movie, however, does not feel low-budget. Convincing, purposeful dialogue and superbly played roles make up for the financial shortcoming. (Or as Means stated after the premiere Sept. 27 at the Harkins Cine Capri in Scottsdale, “This movie shows Indian people as human beings.”)

Many of the scenes were shot near Bahe’s home in Chinle and his boxing ring — including Damon Bahe Boxing Club members, especially his son Lowell, an eight-time national junior boxing champ with Olympic potential who, Schroder says, was the inspiration for the main character in this picture — was used for some scenes in the movie.

The cinematography, featuring breathtaking views of Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly, is nothing short of brilliant.

All this is a credit to Schroder’s talents as a filmmaker.

This is not a run-of-the-mill boxing movie dominated by clichs.

***

“BLACK CLOUD”

Three and a half stars (Daily Sun)

Starring: Eddie Spears, Julia Jones, Tim McGraw, Rick Schroder, Saginaw Grant

Directed by Rick Schroder. Rated PG-13 for violence and language including sexual innuendo.