Coyote Waits

While watching this movie, you follow two Navajo police officers as they uncover the truth behind a series of murders.

This enjoyable, well acted, film keeps you guessing until the end.

Due to the scenery, it is visually entertaining as it maintains a good story line. At the same time, the characters are full of life and emotion, but not so much as to overwhelm the mystery lurking beneath the story line.

Adam Beech and Wes Studi both give good, believable performances.

As this is an intelligent persons movie, I would recommend this film to people who do not need graphic violence or bad language to enjoy a film.

This was my first Hillerman experience. Maybe the slowness of the beginning is necessary, but I was wanting to check out. It got better towards the end with several interesting twists that I was glad I stayed for. I enjoyed seeing the area of the reservation (or 'rez' as they say in the movie) and hearing a bit of American Indian mythology and stories. No special effects, just good acting and a good story.

"We just rearrange the mystery"

For those who have read the book, you will notice many instances where the story is altered, and people moved around. The most striking is that Emma is still alive, and the cat (Slim) is back. They had to add the character of Slick Naki to cut out about an hour of skinwalker investigation. I can say no more without giving away the mystery.

Jim Chee sits drinking coffee while partner Tribal Policeman Delbert Nez meets his demise. Chee catches the obvious perpetrator. A Navaho shaman, with a bottle in one hand and THE gun in his belt. Case closed.

Because of his guilt at not backing up his partner and at the insistence of Chee's on-again and off-again relationship with the defending attorney, Janet Pete, Chee must find out for himself what happened and if he may have made a mistake.

Because of a relationship through his wife, Emma, with Ashie Pinto's (the defendant) clan, and her insistence that Ashie is being railroaded, Joe Leaphorn must also investigate from a different angle. Emma helps in the investigation and lends support to Joe.

Both men are pushed into what looks like an endless number of overlapping mysteries of which the murder of Delbert Nez is just one. They - and we - must deal with the history of the CIA and that of witches.

OMG!!!! It was so cool to see home on the small screen, I just moved out east and was missing the Frontier, and there it was on PBS. You could see UNM in the background. That's where I used to eat, and I used to waltz around that campus!!!! I love any movie that films in my home state; there aren't any real mountains out here. Just grass. Having read the book and seeing it translated onto film is always hard because most of the flow and context is lost. Hillerman has developed these characters over a series of novels, and his fans are familiar with them and need no guidelines. For those that haven't read the book, they probably got lost in the story line. (I don't buy Adam Beach as a Navajo, he's too pretty. The acting itself is fine, though.)

As a longtime Tony Hillerman fan I looked forward to a better treatment of his Jim Chee novels than previous efforts. Visually Coyote Waits was very attractive but unfortunately was unable to impart the feel of the long lonely roads and the dry heat of the four corners region. The film was somewhat better at giving us a glimpse of Navajo culture, but unfortunately it was only a glimpse. In particular I missed the periods of silence and waiting we learned about in the books. Sure that's dead time in a visual medium, but that is important to the Navajo culture and the novels. The plot was very close to the novel, and the few concessions that were made were quite understandable. I hope we see more of Capt. Largo, Lt. Leaphorn and more insight into Officer Chee in future Hillerman treatments. All in all, worth a watch and certainly better than the formula mysteries we see regularly on broadcast TV.