Wes Studi gives threatening men enough conviction to make us take their reasons seriously. We value his watchfulness and quiet authority, and wish more parts offered the space that The Last of the Mohicans does not quite give him.
Fi1m perspective
Watch Wes Studi's face in The Last of the Mohicans (1992). As Magua, he seems to be thinking through his own purposes, however firmly the story places him against its hero. His stare is forceful, but the interest lies in how much feeling he allows into it. We believe that this man has reasons for his hostility. Studi gives us enough to want to understand them, without asking us to approve.
Michael Mann's film does not give him quite enough space. The central romance leaves both Studi and Russell Means, as Chingachgook, short of attention, while Mann and Christopher Crowe's screenplay sometimes gives the characters awkwardly modern-sounding lines. We were frustrated by how little time Magua gets, because Studi makes his motives feel worth exploring. The action and music make much of the solemnity work, so this remains a film we warmly recommend. We would gladly trade some of the speeches for longer with these two men.
His early breakthrough parts were Toughest Pawnee in Dances with Wolves (1990) and Magua, followed by the lead in Geronimo: An American Legend (1993). Those historical roles established his reputation, though his early career offered a narrow choice of Native American characters. A deep, rough voice is useful for playing leaders, and may make it too easy to keep casting him as one. Chief Yellow Hawk in Hostiles (2017) later drew again on his capacity for quiet authority. We value the humanity he brings to those parts, while remaining interested in what else he might be asked to do.
Heat (1995) provides a useful change of setting. Mann casts Studi as Detective Casals, a contemporary, non-Native role within a cop-and-robber film that takes its characters' loneliness seriously. The patient character work earns its length, despite a tendency to have people explain themselves too much. We would welcome more contemporary roles of this kind, where Studi need not arrive carrying the expectations attached to his historical parts. For anyone who knows only Magua, Heat is a good place to look next.
Biography
Wes Studi is a Cherokee actor and film producer. Born Wesley Studie on 17 December 1947 in Nofire Hollow, Oklahoma, he spoke only Cherokee until starting school and later served in the US Army during the Vietnam War. He began acting professionally in the mid-1980s with the American Indian Theatre Company in Tulsa.
Studi first gained attention for his role as the Toughest Pawnee in Dances with Wolves (1990). He is known for his performances as Magua in The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and Detective Casals in Heat (1995), as well as appearances in Avatar (2009) and Hostiles (2017). In 2019 he received an Academy Honorary Award, the first Native American to be honoured by the Academy.
