Denver Rocky Mountain News broadcasting critic Dusty Saunders gives his thumbs-up to "Into the West," the TNT mini-series that debuts on Friday.

"Forget all the TV shootout heroics of Matt Dillon and Wyatt Earp and dialogue like 'They went thataway.' Dismiss those cowboy-and-Indian flicks where the American Indians (often played by white actors) muttered 'Ugh . . . ' and then talked in broken English," Saunders writes. Anyone old enough to remember TV's Wagon Train? That was a Disneyland ride compared to the cross-country trek provided by Into the West, TNT's sprawling, six-episode, 12-hour epic miniseries in which Steven Spielberg served as executive producer."

Saunders says the series appears to accurately portray the tribal point of view. The series follows a Lakota and white family.

Among other Native actors, the series stars Irene Bedard, Russell Means, Eric Schweig, brothers Eddie and Michael Spears and Sheila Tousey. [IMDB Entry].

Part 1, "Wheel to the Stars," debuts on Friday. Check local listings for time and channel.

Get the Story:
Tale of two families (The Denver Rocky Mountain News 6/8)

Relevant Links:
Into the West - http://alt.tnt.tv/itw

Related Stories:
'Into the West' mini-series debuts on Friday (6/6)
'Into the West' series to debut next week on TNT (5/31)