Customer Reviews

The Dark Wind [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

If you want a really good adaptation of a Hillerman novel, try Skinwalkers or Coyote Waits. If you want a passable movie for a Saturday night, try this one.

It is rare that a movie stays close to the book it is based on, but The Dark Wind is one of the few exceptions. Despite a couple of changes that didn't affect the story line, this was exactly the same as the book.

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 -

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.

If you love Hillerman's Chee-Leaphorn Dine' series, this is the one for you. Even tho I'm hearing, I like to turn on the closed captioning, esp when a language other than English is being spoken. And this version does it's best to put the Dine' words into English, unlike the PBS versions which say "Speaking Navajo." Ugh. Ok, Lou D.P. is Mex-American and Fred Ward (yep THAT Fred Ward from _Tremors_) is white, but so what. They're given a much better script that's true to the Chee and Leaphorn that Tony Hillerman wrote. In this one, Chee is doubtful who he is and where he belongs and Leaphorn is the steady one. PBS's had it reversed!?!

This one's the keeper. Don't even waste your time with the PBS versions. I suffered thru the first two and won't bother with any future ones. Which sux cause Wes Studi and Adam Beach are great actors. But you can't make the proverbial silk purse out of the proverbial sows ear.

"Enemies unseen... Fears unspoken...... A dark wind has entered his soul"
Jim Chee, local rookie cop is guarding a windmill that is periodically being put out of business when he hears a plane crash. This leads to many mysteries including a body with a message in its mouth. This takes place on the reservation so we have an overlap of authority in the search for clues, between the local authorities (Lou Diamond Phillips as Officer Jim Chee, Fred Ward as Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn) and the Feds. There is also overlapping rights between the Hopi and the Navaho.

If you have read Tony Hillerman then you will recognize your old friends. It is also nice to see the area where the story takes place around the Navajo reservation in Arizona and New Mexico. Of course being a different media there is some consolidation of characters and allowance for acting stile over written character description. The movie is still fun to watch.

The Dark Wind (Jim Chee Novels)

I am a TONY HILLERMAN FAN.Lou Diamond Phillips plays an interesting Jim Chee.Gary Farmer was great and Wes Studi would be a better fit in the Joe Leaphorn part he has native soul.I am a fan of Fred Ward although I thought he did little to make Leaphorn ledgendary.

This is my favorite Hellerman movie. Lou Diamond Phillips is well casted as Jim Chee. I have seen other three Hillerman stories produced by Robert Redford for PBS which do not cast charactors as well with this one. I have never read Hellerman's books. On the other hand, my wife is a fan and read many of his books. She cannot read Hellerman's books and not think of Lou Diamond Phillips as Chee.

If you enjoy this movie, try Thunderheart with Val Kilmer.

I watched this twice before really understanding it all and am I glad I did. I think Lou Diamond Phillips can really act and I thought his understanding and wisdom of Jim Chee's native American heritage and his more modern life as a peace officer was very well put together.I think he expressed it just as well. I felt this was worth watching and I will be viewing it again.

This is one of my favorite movies, and I gave my video tape copy away. So, needing to replace it, I ordered this DVD. I am glad to have it, as I will view it about once a month. However, I found on playing it the first time that the volume was lower than I expected, so had to increase it via the TV volume. A small problem and a slight disappointment, but otherwise I am pleased to have it. Lou Diamond Phillips and Fred Ward (who play Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn respectively) are two of my favorites, also. Screenplay follows the book plot pretty close. Maybe, when fortune permits, I will order the video tape version.