A Good Day to Die serves the dual purpose of highlighting the life of charismatic Native American activist and political firebrand Dennis Banks, as well as tracing the origins of AIM, a politicized organization dedicated to the protection of Native people. Featuring interviews with Banks, several Native American activists, and a wealth of archival footage, A Good Day to Die weaves together a fascinating story of cultural and sociopolitical struggle that is a crucial part of American history, yet largely unknown by many people. Banks is the central focus of the film, and through a series of interviews, he recounts the story of his life. Removed from his home at an early age, Banks was placed in a government-operated Indian boarding school, where young Native children were stripped of their culture and language, and educated to be "normal" Americans. Indian boarding schools where children were beaten for speaking their native language are just one chapter in the dark and brutal history surrounding the treatment of Native Americans, and a crucial part of who Dennis Banks would become.

After running away from the boarding school, Banks joined the Army, after which he turned to alcohol in his civilian life, and ended up in prison, where he became politicized. In the 1960s, as protests against the Vietnam War were dividing the country, and the Civil Rights Movement was fighting to make America more inclusive for African Americans, Banks and other Native Americans began to gather in Minneapolis. This was the beginning of the AIM (American Indian Movement), a political action group that relied on militancy in a way similar to the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. AIM made headlines in the 1970s for occupying the office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington D.C., a standoff against federal troops at the Wounded Knee monument in South Dakota, and a deadly shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation, also in South Dakota. These three events are the ones most closely associated with AIM, though A Good Day to Die only really focuses on the incidents at the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Wounded Knee, while the shootout on Pine Ridge is treated as nothing more than a minor incident in the history of AIM, when it is really the one event most closely connected with the organization.

In some areas, A Good Day to Die feels like a more complete and comprehensive documentary most notably when it deals with the life of Banks himself. The portions of the film dealing with the formation and early days of AIM are also quite interesting, but those familiar with both subjects will likely feel that the documentary falls short towards the end. Crucial information about the American Indian Movement is either barely mentioned, or not mentioned at all, and as a result, the film feels a bit incomplete at least for those who have more than a passing knowledge of the subject matter at hand. As an example, the film never really touches upon the incalculable damage wrought upon AIM by the FBI through their Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO), and that is a huge part of the picture. And while the film does a solid job of profiling Banks, other key AIM members are not presented as fully realized portraits, but more as half-finished sketches. Still, despite these problems, the film does work as a whole, especially as an introductory lesson, serving as a nice companion piece to Michael Apted's seminal 1992 documentary Incident at Oglala, or Peter Matthiesen's book In the Spirit of Crazy Horse.

Video:
A Good Day to Die is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen. The overall picture quality is good, with a crips clean image, vibrant colors, and no noticeable artifacts or defects. There is, however, a considerable amount of archival footage that is not the best quality.

Audio:
A Good Day to Die is presented in English in 2.0 Stereo. The sound quality is good, with audio levels and a sound mix that remain consistent throughout the film.

Bonus Material:
There is more than an hour of deleted interview footage with several individuals that appear in the film. Some of this footage offers more historical insight into the American Indian Movement, as well as aspects of Dennis Banks's life.

The Film:
More of an introduction to the life of Dennis Banks and the formation of the American Indian Movement, A Good Day to Die is informative, but not comprehensive. It serves as a good starting point for learning more, and overall it is a very well made documentary, well worth watching.