‘Geronimo: an American Legend’

Walter Hill’s 1993 film chooses the path of classicism here and it works--most of it. The film tries to set the record straight about the implacable war leader of the Chiricahua Apache, one of the last Native American commanders to be restricted to a reservation. When he escaped its confines in 1886--a breakaway that is at the film’s heart--the event made news nationwide. Because “Geronimo” was more interested in demanding respect than gaining sympathy, the movie inevitably ends up being more than a little cold around the heart. As Geronimo, Wes Studi (left) would elicit respect from a stone. With Jason Patric (right), Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman and Matt Damon (HBO Monday at 10:30 a.m.).