This week's DVD and Blu-ray reviews

The Exiles DVD, BFI In 1961 British-born director Kent Mackenzie made The Exiles, one of the first films to show the lives of Native Americans. Before this, they were usually portrayed as little more than savages in westerns, and Mackenzie, perhaps because of his non-US roots, could clearly see the huge gulf between this big-screen image and the reality. Set in LA, the film offers a day in the life of some of America's indigenous population, attempting to show how things are "not for all, but for many" in a John Cassavetes-style improvised drama. The cast, full of interesting names such as Frankie Red Elk and Delos Yellow Eagle, were mostly born on the dwindling reservation land their people were corralled into in the 19th century, and though they are only a generation or two from owning the country, it's clear their place in society is nowhere near the top, or even the middle. Now marginalised, they lead mostly aimless lives: drinking, fighting and idling away what's left of their time. Apart from its modern style, another way this film scores highly is in the way it documents the Bunker Hill area of LA, a once-rich neighbourhood caught here in decline but still with infinitely more charm and character than the office blocks that now stand there. This was the stomping ground of Raymond Chandler and Charles Bukowski, and Mackenzie's film captures its rundown glory and seedy boho glamour like nothing else. ALSO OUT THIS WEEK Adam Bittersweet romantic drama about a would-be scientist (Hugh Dancy) with issues. DVD, Fox Flawless Swinging 60s-set diamond-heist romp, starring Demi Moore and Michael Caine. DVD, High Fliers Johnny Mad Dog Grimly authentic fiction feature dealing with child soldiers in war-torn Africa. DVD, Momentum Ong Bak: The Beginning Martial arts prequel, directed by Tony Jaa. DVD & Blu-ray, Sony Pandorum Creepy, paranoiac sci-fi thriller. DVD and Blu-ray, Icon Pierrot Le Fou Reissue of Jean-Luc Godard's metaphysical crime romp. DVD and Blu-ray, Optimum