Murder in Big Horn is a true crime documentary about several different cases in Big Horn County, Montana. The area is largely populated by Indigenous people. If you’ve followed true crime, you’ll know the rate of murdered and missing Indigenous women is outrageously high compared to the population.
This is a huge problem in the United States and Canada where these people have been treated like trash for hundreds of years. Murder in Big Horn takes a look at how this is a major issue in a small neck of the woods up in Montana. It brings to light a group of people who are finally getting attention.
What was good about Murder in Big Horn
There is a clear message in this true crime documentary. Not every film or series needs to have an agenda. This one is an important one to get out there. Living in a part of the world without a huge population of Indigenous people, it’s not something discussed enough.
Murder in Big Horn hits on the right cylinders with this goal. You will feel something for the families and friends of the missing or murdered girls discussed. Although you’ll also realize this isn’t simply a case of the white man being a boogeyman to them, you’ll definitely come away realizing not enough is being done to help a race of people who have been ignored for centuries.
Murder in Big Horn is dark but it does spare the viewers from a lot of the specific details. Many of the cases examined have a body. Because there aren’t a whole lot of suspects, notes on exactly what happened to these young girls, many under 18, are kept out of the spotlight. This was probably for the best. It would have gotten too heavy to know all of the gory details.
The mix of family and journalists speaking was done well. When there are too many reporters on camera, I feel like a true crime documentary will soften. Some of the main authority figures we see in this documentary are Indigenous, too. This felt like a smart and necessary move to make this click. I think we get too caught up in thinking people who live on reservations are in their own little world. They’re not.
Maybe the best thing this documentary provided was reasoning as to why some natives may be harming others. The history of how they were stripped away of their glory and introduced to drugs and alcohol seems to be the logic behind it. Even if many of these crimes against Indigenous people are done to each other, the horrid history is where it all began.
What could have made Murder in Big Horn better
I would have liked to see some suspects. Only one name comes up as a possible culprit. This isn’t a “who dunnit” as much as it is a “we’ve got a problem.” Little evidence is provided. The sleuth in me felt a little cheated at trying to figure out who was behind any of these crimes.
There is definitely a lot more we could have seen out of Murder in Big Horn. Relegated to a tiny area where these crimes have taken place, a little more history of the Crow people and other tribes would have delivered an extra gut punch.
The message is clear, however. People outside and inside of the community need to do more.
Is Murder in Big Horn worth watching?
Yes, this was a great documentary series. Whether you know about this problem or not, the documentary covers cases that are sure to be brand new to you. It’s not another lame Ted Bundy audio documentary or the examination of something with a million podcasts out there already. This is fresh, unsolved, and in need of a solution.
Overall Score: 8 out of 10
This was a unique take on true crime. I don’t think I’ve seen anything yet about the murders of Indigenous women. Because so much of what happens in their communities is closed off from the rest of the world, it took a strong effort to make this one come true.
Fortunately, as we see in the documentary, cases of murdered or missing women from areas like Big Horn County are finally going into the national spotlight. There isn’t the same kind of disconnect. Documentaries like this help get those stories out to dopes like me who don’t have quite as much of an understanding as to how bad it is.
Practically Trouble 