Product Description

No Description Available.
Genre: Mystery
Rating: R
Release Date: 16-DEC-2003
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24951 in DVD
• Brand: PHILLIPS,LOU DIAMON
• Released on: 2003-12-16
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 111 minutes

Customer Reviews

Great Story, Mediocre Acting, Poor Tech
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.

True Hillerman
I'll never read another Tony Hillerman book now without picturing Lou Diamond Phillips as Jim Chee and Fred Ward as Joe Leaphorn. This movie would move slow to viewers not acquainted with Hillerman's work. But slow and methodical is exactly the way the tribal police approach crimes and solve problems in his books. This one remains faithful to the story, almost exactly following the book. If you aren't a Hillerman fan, you will be. After watching this movie, you'll be back to order the author's backlist of Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn mysteries!

One of Tony Hillerman's best stories told well.
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.