- Network: SHOWTIME
- Series Premiere Date: Feb 5, 2023
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Critic Reviews
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Moving. ... Benally and Galkin tell the story in the format of the true-crime genre while also making it something more than that.
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By turns enraging, inconclusive and damning, Murder in Big Horn tells a story with deep roots and few easy answers.
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Access is key to the doc’s success. By amplifying those voices on the ground and capturing expert opinions on the legal framework and journalistic responses to the cases, Benally and Galkin strike that balance between emotional and informative. The directors deliver a layered portrait.
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“Murder in Big Horn” is at its best when it digs into the historical factors that have led us here, including colonization efforts that sought to tear down the female leaders of Indigenous communities and the kidnapping of children.
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It’s a well-made series that exposes corruption, trafficking and injustices perpetrated on families.
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This series will prove disappointing for true crime fans looking for a cheap thrill. And history buffs should look elsewhere, like last year’s riveting “Lakota Nation Vs. United States,” for a more comprehensive background about how the American government deliberately destroyed the cultures of indigenous peoples. But make no mistake: “Murder In Big Horn” is as harrowing as shows like this get.
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If this show seems one-sided, its villains edited to appear almost cartoonish, that’s a fair criticism. But if these [law enforcement] dudes aren’t willing to speak for themselves here, maybe that’s on them. ... But in any event, Murder In Big Horn provides education on and promotes awareness of a pressing issue facing Native American women, and that feat alone makes it something of a must-watch.
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It’s an atmospheric, moody production, relying heavily on images of the bleak, windblown environment of the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations. ... At the same time that it exposes the flimsiness of those verdicts, though, the show allows that some responsibility may lie with a native community that doesn’t value itself enough to keep its daughters safe.
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At times it’s poignant, at times it points to seeds of provocative ideas, and it’s generally righteous in its message. But it’s also an ill-formed jumble, dominated by passion.
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Nobody cracks a case, or tells a very coherent or useful story. ... No one currently employed by the FBI, BIA or the various police departments offers any official comment on the cases, which makes it easier for implications to go unanswered. ... At the same time, the non-indigenous subjects who do speak aren't sufficiently grilled. ... It's not until episode 3 that the subjects making these arguments concede that the crimes being discussed may well be Crow-on-Crow, a little late for objectivity.