The Dark Wind

Starring:Lance Baker, Betty C. Barlow, Gary Basaraba, Billy Beck, Arlene Bowman, Guy Boyd, Charlie Carpenter (II), Blake Clark, Julia Collins, Kee Collins, Gary Farmer, Patrick Jensen, John Karlen, Neil Kayquoptewa, James Koots, Jane Loranger, Lonnie Mace, Fidel Moreno, Loren Nahsonhoya, Alice Y. Nez
Director: Errol Morris
Studio: Lions Gate
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Product Description
Filmed on location, The Dark Wind brings to life the popular hero of several Tony Hillerman best-sellers, Navajo Cop Jim Chee. Chee (Lou Diamond Philips) is a student of the old ways who wanted to be a medicine man before he became a lawman. Now as a cop covering the Arizona Territories belonging to the Hopi and Navajo Indians, he's torn between both worlds.

When the badly mutilated victim of a Navajo skinwalker is found on Hopi Land, Chee is suddenly plunged into a world of mystery, filled with drug dealers, F.B.I. agents, witchcraft, intertribal politics and revenge.
Features:

Full Screen Version

2.0 Dolby Stereo Suround

Digitally Mastered

Scene Selection

English Closed Captioning

System Requirements:
Running Time: 111 Minutes

Format: DVD MOVIE

Average customer rating:

Everyone Loves a Mystery!
Disappointing
Truest to form
FINALLY - A MOVIE THAT FEELS NATIVE AMERICAN!
Great Story, Mediocre Acting, Poor Tech

The Dark Wind
Starring: Lance Baker , Betty C. Barlow , Gary Basaraba , Billy Beck , and Arlene Bowman
Director: Errol Morris
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000JCFN6
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Product Description

Filmed on location, The Dark Wind brings to life the popular hero of several Tony Hillerman best-sellers, Navajo Cop Jim Chee. Chee (Lou Diamond Philips) is a student of the old ways who wanted to be a medicine man before he became a lawman. Now as a cop covering the Arizona Territories belonging to the Hopi and Navajo Indians, he's torn between both worlds.

When the badly mutilated victim of a Navajo skinwalker is found on Hopi Land, Chee is suddenly plunged into a world of mystery, filled with drug dealers, F.B.I. agents, witchcraft, intertribal politics and revenge.
Features:

Full Screen Version

2.0 Dolby Stereo Suround

Digitally Mastered

Scene Selection

English Closed Captioning

System Requirements:
Running Time: 111 Minutes

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Everyone Loves a Mystery!.......2007-03-20

Everyone has their favorites: Lou Diamond Phillips/Adam Beach, Fred Ward/Wes Studi, Errol Morris/Hollywoodesque. But everybody loves a mystery! I have enjoyed both Beach and Studi in the three PBS film versions of Hillerman's mysteries, so I was a little hesitant to "start all over again" with new faces. Heck, I'd already had to refigure these guys from the books! I'm happy to say that there is room for diversity. Phillips is terrific playing Officer Chee as a bumbling, cat-loving loner who is nevertheless tenacious and inwardly savvy about Indian ways. Fred Ward characterizes Lieutenant Leaphorn as a gruff, no-nonsense commander. Both are fitting and refreshing interpretations.

While not polished like the PBS fare, Morris' film has a definite authentic twang to it: location shots, like a real trading post (Shiprock Trading Post), a real Wigwam Motel, hogans and trucks that look old and dirty; Phillips and Ward wearing what look like real police uniforms, tacky and uncomfortable; the supporting cast, many of them speaking in Navajo and subtitled in English. Is it real cat food that Phillips/Chee actually licks off his fingers after spooning it out into kitty's dish?

What does the master say? According to Barnes and Noble, Tony Hillerman, in a 1999 online interview said, "Robert Redford has all of them optioned, and he hired Errol Morris to direct them. I have to say that I have seen worse movies. It wasn't released in the U.S. You can rent it in video stores, though, if you are hard up for something to see." Ouch!

Trivia holds that Morris did not finish the film "due to artistic differences" with Redford. It's also interesting that Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals) directed both Skin Walkers (2002) and The Thief of Time (2004) while Jan Egleson directed Coyote waits (2003).

Gary Farmer bridges the gap, playing Cowboy Dashee in The Dark Wind and Captain Largo in two of the PBS flicks. After all, we're really one big happy family. Aren't we? Thanking the Native people for their perseverance, guidance, and wisdom is the best any of these films can do, and they do.

Disappointing.......2007-01-21

This version of Hillerman just doesn't recreate the book's story for me. The actors are not putting out much effort and they are too obviously not Navajo.

Truest to form.......2006-08-21

I am a long time hillerman fan and waited anxiously for his movies. I have seen all of them and this is the truest to the hillerman "feel". Usually the movie is not as good as the book and this is true of all the movies. It is because the magic of the books is not the plots but the "color" which is difficult to transfer to film. Lou Diamond Phillips is Chee. He is better than Adam Beach. If you are a Hillerman fan then this is the best. The later ones are good but have been hollywooded up a notch.

FINALLY - A MOVIE THAT FEELS NATIVE AMERICAN!.......2005-03-11

Realizing that this is the first meeting of our Navajo Cop, Jim Chee with Joe Leaphorn, I think this is best presentation.

Slow and methodical is in keeping with Chee's character [never having read the book - I look forward to it]and I guess my understanding of the Native American persona.

I can emphisize with his quams and approaches to the given situations of death and clues. L.D.P. has set the character of Chee in my mind with a forcefulness that is entirely his own.

Searching for the missing man from prison and wondering if as Leaphorn suggest, he may be dealing with two people, kept me wondering too.

It was fun to see John Carlin [from Dark Shadows] in the role of someone who is kind to children and a shock the way his character turns out. Whoops! Chee started noticing the Kachina dolls in his living quarters.

Seeing the mutilated Navajo [on Hopi land] was a shock and left me wondering about a Skinwalker, who was he?

When Chee is ordered to find out who is tinkering with the well and sees the plane go down, he is suddenly plunged into the world of mystery, witchcraft [which I don't think he likes], F.B.I. agents and revenge. I like his solution to the well situation.

The F.B.I. seems to think he know more than he is saying.
I loved the locations the movie was shot in, the dumpster fire [grin] and finding the long lost truck. Hey, does he ever catch the green truck?

DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED -

Great Story, Mediocre Acting, Poor Tech.......2004-03-30

To begin with, this is not the PBS series. If you are familiar with Skinwalkers and Coyote Waits from PBS, this is far inferior. While the story is outstanding, the acting is wooden. Lou Diamond Phillips is a good actor, but he just can't pull off Jim Chee. Perhaps I would have had a different opinion if I hadn't seen Adam Beach's outstanding performance as Jim Chee first. I won't even get in to Fred Ward as Joe Leaphorn. Suffice it to say that Dark Wind is a Jim Chee novel, so there is little of Joe Leaphorn to be screwed up.

On the tech side, this is a really lousy DVD presentation. It is just a glorified VHS transfer. The sound is 2 channel, not 5.1. The presentation is full frame rather than widescreen, and there are plenty of funny intrusions from boom mikes and sun awnings.

Nevertheless, as cheap as this is going for, I am glad I bought it. The story is fantastic. Really good mystery. Only two complaints about the writing. First, there are several totally unnecessary uses of the F-word, as if they were just trying to get an R rating. I don't mind if profanity is necessary to the story, but even the actors sound like they don't think the word fits their lines. Second, do we really have to hear EVERYTHING that goes on in Chee's head? I mean really, the near constant voice overs get rather irritating.

Description

Dark Wind Woods a creepy Black And White short about a haunted wooded area that will creep you out hours after watching.My Dying Bride is another short of what nightmares are made of

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