Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thief Of Time is time well spent., April 19, 2005
I'm a fan of Tony Hillerman, having read most of his books. Frankly, I'm surprised at the middling ratings most people have given this movie. I thought it was wonderful, and the performances given by the cast were very satisfying. It's always a treat to watch a cast like this. My eyes are likely to brighten when I see the names Graham Greene, Wes Studi, Adam Beach and Tantoo Cardinal participating in a movie venture. I have added Sheila Tonsey and others to this last as well, having greatly enjoyed their roles in this series. Graham Greene has given another unforgettable performance as the oily Slick Nakai. I have to believe that he's now in my top five American actors. Tantoo gave a brief but typically engaging perfomance. Wes and Adam are now locked in my minds eye as Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn. It was good seeing Peter Fonda again in is role. Chris Eyre did a fine job directing, and conveying the intent of the novel. Included is an engaging bonus feature with Tony Hillerman.
The review below me made some defamatory comments intending to be caustic, but which are patently untrue. Any resemblance to a soap opera has entirely escaped me. His observation that this movie sneers at Navajo attitudes toward the dead, Navajo spiritual or cultural matters, is impossible. Anyone who is acquainted with Chris Eyre knows the integrity of the director, having directed Smoke Signals and Skins, and has shown is dedication toward negating stereotypes and prejudice. Seems that the reviewer below was just looking for an opportunity to flog around the term "injun". People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, and the below reviewer might be concerned that his education has failed him. Moreover, keep your eyes on Chris Eyre, who promises to be attached to quality movies in the future.
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and hope to see more. I will continue to devour anything written by Tony Hillerman, and seek out anything by these cast members.
My thanks are to Robert Redford as a co-producer of this series. I have admired the integrity of this man for quite some time, watching him place his effort and resources in the right place, time and time again. I tip my hat once again to PBS Pictures for distributing this series. PBS has been involved in offering us quality which is hard to find.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Mystery, November 7, 2004
I cannot agree with the negative reviewers. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, like I did the two previous ones in this series. I love mystery novels/films, and this one was not difficult to comprehend at all. An added bonus is the setting of the story in the for me - a European living in the US - completely new world of Native American history and culture. I don't know the novels of Mr. Hillerman, so I don't have the great expectations of someone who has read them. I think anybody who loves a good mystery and is interested in getting an introduction into Native American lore and culture of the Southwest should enjoy the movies in this series. I certainly hope there will be more of them.
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33 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
So So Hillerman, August 10, 2004
I really wanted to like "A Thief of Time", having read the book on several occasions. Unfortunately, the film makers decided to cram a complex mystery into a mere 90 minutes. While this worked with "Coyote Waits", the previous film in the series (although, they are being made out of order), it was not as successful here. While the overall plot of Hillerman's book remains essentially intact, it was so heavily condensed, and at times moved so quickly, that the viewer was required to pay extremely close attention at the risk of missing something critical to understanding the story.
Like the previous reviewer, I like Adam Beach and Wes Studi in the respective roles of Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn. Unfortunately, in an effort to popularize the characters for the viewing audience, the film makers have added some elements that just ring false: Joe Leaphorn as a victim of E.D.? Chee and Leaphorn as "buddies", as the film's ending implies? In Hillerman's books (yes, yes, I know I'm being a purist) there is some level of mutual respect between the two Navajo police officers, but it's the tension between the younger, traditionalist Chee, and the older, more modernist Leaphorn, that helps to propel the stories.
Overall, I rate "A Thief of Time" between the awful "Skinwalkers" and the rather better, more coherent, "Coyote Waits".
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