''North Star'' is a 1996 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film starring

James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...

, Christopher Lambert and

Catherine McCormack Catherine Jane McCormack (born 3 April 1972) is an English actress of stage and screen. Her film appearances include ''Braveheart'' (1995), ''The Land Girls'' (1998), ''Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' (1998), ''Spy Game'' (20 ...

. Directed by Nils Gaup, it was written by Sergio Donati and loosely based on Henry Wilson Allen's 1956 Western novel ''The North Star''. Lambert executive produced the film.

Plot summary

At the beginning of the

Nome Gold Rush The Nome Gold Rush was a gold rush in Nome, Alaska, approximately 1899–1909.. It is separated from other gold rushes by the ease with which gold could be obtained. Much of the gold was lying in the beach sand of the landing place and could b ...

in 1899, Sean McLennon (Caan), a Scots-Irish-American land baron, owns the majority of property titles surrounding Nome and declares that only American citizens are legally entitled to placer claims. He uses power, influence and nationalism to make local politics and law enforcement work in his favor. Unbeknownst to those outside of McLennon's gang, the original owners of the land were all killed on McLennon's orders. The gang's latest target, Hudson Santeek (Lambert) narrowly escapes the attempt on his life but not before witnessing McLennon's right-hand thug, Reno (

Burt Young Gerald Tommaso DeLouise (born April 30, 1940), known professionally as Burt Young, is an American actor, author and painter. He played Rocky Balboa's brother-in-law and best friend Paulie Pennino in the '' Rocky'' film series. He was nominated f ...

) murder Santeek's adoptive father - an elderly Athabaskan tribal chief - in cold blood. Santeek, who is half white and half American Indian, had "purchased" his surrogate family's land in a bid to keep miners away. Santeek returns to Nome to confront McLennon at knifepoint in his bedroom, but Sarah (McCormack) McLennon's young Irish immigrant

trophy wife A trophy wife is a wife who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband. The term is often used in a derogatory or disparaging way, implying that the wife in question has little personal merit besides her physical attractiveness, requires sub ...

, intervenes at gunpoint; McLennon disarms Santeek and the two engage in a fight. After Santeek floors McLennon, he kidnaps Sarah, steals a dogsled and rides off into the Alaskan wilderness. Without the permission of the local sheriff, McLennon forms a

posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

and treks out into the tundra to kill Santeek and rescue his wife. On the course of the journey, Santeek talks to his captive about her husband's murderous property deed scams, but she does not immediately believe him and re-avows her loyalty to her husband. However, when McLennon and his men locate Santeek's cabin hideout and shoot at it indiscriminately, Sarah pleas for her husband not to kill her abductor. McLennon notices that she is wearing a shirt made of animal skin that Santeek had given to her earlier to keep her warm. He erroneously assumes that she betrayed him and had an affair with Santeek. Calling her a "whore," he disowns her and orders his men to continue firing at Santeek's cabin. Santeek escapes while his pet wolf fatally lunges at the throat of one of the posse gunmen. Santeek's wolf then attacks the gang's sled dogs, but Reno shoots and kills the animal. With no clear objective and unfamiliarity with the freezing, unpredictable terrain, members of McLennon's posse begin to turn on one another, but McLennon kills the burnouts in his gang and sets out to finish the job he started. Meanwhile, back in Nome, Col. Henry Johnson ( Jacques Francois) and the

U.S. Marshals The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...

begin their own investigation of McLennon's land seizures, noticing that all of the original

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...

s are mysteriously deceased and that Santeek (the most recent disseisee) was witnessed in town alive. On the basis of this discrepancy, the federals declare

Martial Law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

on Nome and accompany the town's top lawman, Sheriff Lamont (

Nicholas Hope Nicholas Hope (born 25 December 1958) is a British-born Australian actor. Born in Manchester, England, Hope's family emigrated to the steel and ship building town of Whyalla, South Australia, where he was educated by the Christian Brothers. ...

) to bring McLennon and Santeek back for questioning. The enforcers locate McLennon and his gang, but McLennon refuses to obey their orders and the posse shoot Lamont and the other officials to death. McLennon and the surviving members of his gang eventually track and corner Santeek in a glacier cave. While Santeek scuffles with Reno, McLennon tips over a wood totem and Reno and Santeek slide down and fall through the sheath of a frozen lake. Reno drowns during the struggle, while Santeek, with his naturalist survival skills, makes it out of the icy water alive. Once again thinking that Santeek is dead, McLennon returns to Nome alone and conducts another town speech, reaffirming his mining policies to the chagrin of immigrant prospectors and the delight of his cronies. However, Johnson and the U.S. Marshals interrupt the huddle and arrest McLennon for the murder of sheriff Lamont and the other constables. Sarah, McLennon's disillusioned wife, had witnessed the massacre and ultimately informed on him. Soon after, Santeek returns to town to settle scores with the incarcerated McLennon, but finds the former had escaped from his cell and slit the throats of the jailguards in the process. McLennon breaks into his loft apartment (above the saloon which he had owned) and attempts to kill Sarah for turning on him, but Santeek appears behind McLennon and plunges a dagger into his back.

Cast

as Sean McLennon * Christopher Lambert as Hudson Saanteek *

as Sarah *

as Reno *Morten Faldaas as Smiley *

Jacques François Henri Jacques Daniel Paul François (16 May 1920 – 25 November 2003), known as Jacques François was a French actor. During a sixty-year career (1942–2002) he appeared in more than 120 films and over 30 stage productions. In 1948 he we ...

as Col. Henry Johnson *Mary M. Walker as Haina *Renny Hoalona Loren as Cheelik *

Frank Salsedo Frank Sotonoma "Grey Wolf" Salsedo (May 20, 1929 – July 3, 2009) was a Native American actor. He was often cast in smaller parts centered on his Native American heritage. As an actor, Salsedo has performed in movies such as '' The Ghost Danc ...

as Nakki *

Reidar Sørensen Reidar Sørensen (born 11 April 1956) is a Norwegian actor. He was born in Hemnesberget. He has worked at various theatres, including Trøndelag Teater, Det Norske Teatret, Riksteatret, Nordland Teater and Agder Teater. He was given the Amanda ...

as Bjorn Svenson * Hilde Grythe as Hannah Svenson * Sverre Anker Ousdal as Lindberg *

as Sheriff Lamont * Frank Krog as Big Tim *Norman Charles as Tonga

Production

Although set in the U.S. state of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

, the movie was shot entirely in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

in Maridalen, Møsvatn, and Orre bach.

References

External links

* * * * {{Mojo title, northstar, North Star 1996 Western (genre) films 1996 independent films 1996 films Films about Native Americans Films based on American novels Films based on Western (genre) novels Films set in 1899 Films set in Alaska Films shot in Norway American independent films Northern (genre) films Regency Enterprises films Warner Bros. films American Western (genre) films Films with screenplays by Paul Ohl Films with screenplays by Sergio Donati Films scored by John Scott (composer) Films based on works by Henry Wilson Allen 1990s English-language films 1990s American films