Skinwalkers

I noticed that "Skinwalkers" was filmed in the Phoenix area, but Mr. Redford knew that he'd not be filming taboo places around Phoenix as was a problem with "Dark Wind".

Navajo and those associated closely with the language will note that the actors are not flawless by any stretch, but at least they tried. Adam Beach is interested in the language and the people. I give credit for trying... twice! ("Windtalkers")

Tony Hillerman's books are always going to be better than his movies. I think the reason that they made Leaphorn so ignorant of his people's ways is so that bilighana (Anglo) (and you have to admit that most people watching any movie are not going to be Navajo) can understand why Chee does some of the things he does. Makes sense to Navajo and friends, but most others would just turn it off thinking it "weird" without the movie explaining thoughts and motives.

I hope this is enough of a success that they will try ALL of Mr. Hillerman's books which honor the beauty of a gentle people and their beautiful home. I would like to see them try Navajo actors, but Adam Beach is giving an admirable performance, especially in capturing the wonderful quiet ways of the Navajo.

I just caught this on PBS for the first time and immediately noticed all the errors and shortcomings I had planned to document before seeing they had been mentioned by viewers already. Morris Bitsie in particular has commented accurately, as have all the people who vastly preferred the book(s).

It just begs the question to have the benefit of Tony Hillerman's own acknowledgement in the afterword that the process of making a movie is very different from that of writing a novel. But to see the movie set on the low desert instead of the high plateau of the Navajo nation is almost as sacrilegious as giving short shrift to the actual language, religion, and culture of the Dine themselves.

As a former student at Northern Arizona University with many friends on the nation, I was dismayed to see Hillerman's sensitive and intricate plot and characters chopped up, re-sorted, and spat out as yet another Hollywood style detective yarn. Only the mere fact that all the main characters were at least Native Americans saved it, though the usual all-Indians-look-alike-so-why-bother-to-get-real-Navajos aspect is so obvious as to be ludicrous.

Because I want to see better versions of Hillerman in the future, and I think Adam Beach has an appealing start toward a real Jim Chee, I rated this about four points too high at a 7 of 10. Next time I want to see real Navajos, however.

I just saw this movie, and I would like to say that this was a great mystery. The setting is in a Navajo county, Adam Beach plays a cop and a medicine man that makes sure things in town are going the way they are supposed to, and Wes Studi plays a good detective. When a murder of a medicine man takes place, Beach and Studi join together to solve the crime. The movie is great because it shows you how the Native American life is. The roles that Beach and Studi play, are roles of heros that would do anything in order to set things right. I cannot wait to see Coyote Waits. This movie was very good and I would highly recommend people that like mystery films, to see this movie.

A long-time fan of the books, I watched the film a little on edge. Could they do justice to Hillerman's sensitivity for The People and not get bogged down in a dusty melodrama? My reaction when it was over was mixed. The characterizations were fine; I had already casted the role of Leaphorn to Wes Studi, so I had no complaints about the cast. Ultimately, it was the pacing that diminished the movie. There is a lot of ground to cover in this story, especially with the counterpoint of Emma's illness intruding throughout. It all unravels too quickly, and this robs the story of the deliberative drama Hillerman spins out so well. And speaking of ground to cover, where were the panoramas of the Southwest?

Way to go Jamie! A great job! We hope this turns into a series.

I like the fact that all the actors and the director were of Native-American descent, it gives the story more authenticity.

A murder happened in an Indian country, thus the investigation and trial were subject to the jurisdiction of the tribe. This shows great aspects of Indian Law and culture. I highly recommend that law professors use this movie to teach the students how the justice system operates in an Indian Country. As a student of American Indian Law, I found that they were a minority group the was really hurt by the people that came to North America to find a land of freedom. Those who came in pursuit of happiness almost destroyed those who were living here so peacefully. I cannot believe that the American Indians were given land, but not given the right to use the water on the same land. Sorry, I am getting carried away in tangent here. I like anyone who gives any minority group an opportunity to be portrayed as `human beings' rather than the traditional stereotypes.

The mystic side of the culture is shown as well, and it is done with details on their symbols and witchcraft.

I think that the casting was wonderful, giving Native Americans a chance to shine. It would be a great to see a minority group that seldom has the chance to be portrayed in a positive fashion to have a series where they are not the `nasty, dumb guys' Jamie is following his dad, Robert Redford's, footsteps and breaking new ground in the American film industry! I am big fan of the entire family and will give them my whole heartedly support in any way I can! Robert Redford has given an endowment to the American cinema, as well as the International cinema like no one else I know of. It is so nice to see the second generation moving in the same direction!

Suspenseful, extremely well written and very educational! BRAVO!