User Reviews

This movie gave a moving portrayal of Native Americans, between ones that wants to dismiss their past and assimilate with the outsider and their cultures, and ones that wants to hang on to their tradition. It shows how some are struggling with keeping their tradition in the modern world that is continuously moving forward, while others are torn between accepting the new and keeping with the old, or even ones who are completely disillusioned with their heritage to the point of violent counter-reactions. It all comes down to a complicated clash between various characters and how each one resolves the issue within itself.

This was a good mystery film too, revealing little by little as to the motive for the murders.

Chris Eyre did a good job in this film, having seen his other movie Smoke Signals, he gives a somber atmosphere to both of these films. Not invoking the usual depressing ambience usually portrayed on these kind of environment, but not over-glorifying any aspects either.

All in all, a worthy film to watch.

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?

When you love characters in books, it sometimes makes you cringe to think some Hollywood types might ruin what makes them so interesting in the books. Fortunately, that's not the case here with Lt. Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee as created so memorably in Tony Hillerman's brilliant mysteries about the Navajo Tribal Police. While much had to be cut from the book to fit into a 90+ minute time slot on PBS, enough character remains and it bodes well if PBS continues to adapt these mysteries. Fans of the books will know what's coming in the character arcs, and the casting for this production, for all characters, is exemplary. Particularly Wes Studi ("Last of the Mohicans" and "Mystery Men") as Leaphorn. Also, nice directorial work from Chris Eyre. Highly recommended.

I'm a fan of Hillerman's mysteries, and had high hopes for Redford's film adaptations. I came away from Skinwalkers a bit disappointed. I should preface my comments by saying that I've read about two-thirds of the Navajo mysteries, and Skinwalkers is my least favorite, so in some sense my disappointment started with the choice of book to adapt. However, my main quibbles with the movie are independent of this issue.

The foremost problem is what I see as unfaithful characterizations of Leaphorn and Chee. In the books, Leaphorn's defining attribute is his preternatural intuition, which he backs up with methodical procedure--sort of an aging Navajo Adam Dalgleish. Chee's essence is that he's a good cop who has to overcome frequent waves of self-doubt. Both are men of few words, Leaphorn because his mind is always whirring, Chee because he's moody by nature. Perhaps most distinctly, the relationship between the two is extremely unequal: Chee is in awe of Leaphorn's reputation, and as such is perpetually worried about making a wrong move within Leaphorn's view. However, what the Skinwalker movie does is take a single dimension of the characters--the fact that Chee is an active participant in Navajo spirituality and Leaphorn is not--and make that their defining contrast. This distorts Leaphorn in particular almost beyond recognition: rather than the icy logician of the books, whose attitude toward Navajo spiritual tradition is at worst pragmatic, the movie renders him as sort of a reservation Dirty Harry (with a smaller gun), informed primarily by cynicism about human motives. Given this, there's nothing for Chee to be in awe of, and their collaboration is presented as an equal division of labor, with Chee providing the "Navajo insider" angle and Leaphorn the "hardheaded cop" grounding.

Beyond this, the plot of the movie diverged considerably from that of the book, for the worse in my opinion. Disparaging a movie for not being true to a book I didn't like all that much might sound like complaining about the small portions at a lousy restaurant, but the book did have some good moments, most of which got altered or left out. In particular, the book has an especially tense episode near the end when one of the principles is in grave danger, a scene that could have been adapted to great effect. Instead, the movie's denouement feels forced, as is not that exciting.

For fans of Hillerman's books, I strongly recommend seeing the film of The Dark Wind, which I think captures the feel of the books much better than does Skinwalkers. I have a harder time recommending The Dark Wind to those unfamiliar with the books, as it has a slow pace and will probably be hard to follow. I also liked the adapatation of Coyote Waits quite a bit, less than The Dark Wind, but much more than Skinwalkers.

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.

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!

A made-for-TV film, based on a book by Tony Hillerman. A writer of whom I've read nothing yet, nor seen any of the other adaptations of his work. So I can't compare this film to the book. It's about an Indian legend involving "Skinwalkers" or shape-shifters, or more commonly called, "bad medicine men". Indian residents of the state Utah are getting murdered. Evidence points toward such a being with mythical powers as the the evil-doer. Or could it just be a human killer, working his own, personal agenda?

A decent film, that, while featuring little action and tension, never gets boring. The murder mystery plot (with two investigating police officers teaming up, both with native roots) unfolds at a decent pace and feels cleverly enough put together. It's more about the characters and story. About the only actor I was familiar with, was Wes Studi, playing the grumpy Lt. Leaphorn. The one actress I probably liked the most, was Sheila Tousey, who played his wife. She had such a kind, honest and spirited character. The rest of the cast was a mixed bunch. Adam Beach did a fair job in carrying the film as a semi-leading character (Lt. Leaphorn's local help, officer Jim Chee). There's little to no violence & bloodshed in this one. Something worth watching on TV when it comes on, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to seek it out. I got my copy during sales period for about $3, so I have no regrets. An okay watch.

I just have to say after being a fan on Tony Hillerman's for years that I was afraid what would happen to my favorite characters if they were adapted to the big screen. I was afraid I would fall asleep as I did in the Lou Diamond Phillips version. However Wes, Adam, Chris and everyone associated with this project did a great job. I look forward to more adaptations. Thanks Mr. Hillerman for taking a chance on your characters that you created being adapted for film.

Having read several of Tony Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee mysteries, I was excited to learn that one would be the first American series of PBS' Mystery.

Wes Studi portrayed the "uptight" Leaphorn very well. I first saw him as the scoundrel Magua in Last of the Mohicans, a part well suited to him. Adam Beach was also great as the more sensitive and perhaps a little naive Jim Chee. Although I guessed who the villain was in this story, it was close to the end when Leaphorn and Chee also discovered the truth.

I grew up seeing Native Americans or Indians always the enemy. It is good to see a story of Indians and their cultural ways in an everyday setting.

....to, maybe, a series of adaptations of Hillerman's books? PBS, Robert Redford, Tony Hillerman and company has done a decent job here. I would have thought that, given the material, they could have given us at least two full hours (maybe three?) to flesh out the story a little but, hey, I'm not complaining here. The casting was superb. I was thrilled to see Sheila Tousey as Emma Leaphorn. Tousey, who played Maggie Eagle Bear in 1992's "Thunderheart," is probably one of the least appreciated actors working today. Wes Studi plays Joe Leaphorn a little close to the chest, but the casting of him playing opposite Adam Beach was brilliant. Alex Rice is the perfect Janet Pete. I would think, also, that this quintessentially American series would be something that PBS would be able to sell back to the Brits. Let's all deluge our local PBS stations with demands for more ...perhaps with a pledge to show we're serious?

Robert Redfords PBS "Mystery" adaptations of Tony Hillerman's Navajo police novels completely ruins the two main characters, Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn. Chee in the books was a regular guy who also happened to be deeply involved in his people's culture, to the point of learning to be a "singer" or healer. In the films he is already an expert on all things spiritual, the mystical Indian stereotype who has no real personality, no faults to speak of, no doubts about anything, no insecurities. In Hillerman's books, Joe Leaphorn was a "legendary detective" who was also a highly educated scholar, at least as if not much more knowledgeable about Navajo and Native American culture and religion than Chee. But though Leaphorn knew about it all, he didn't live it in the mystical sense, not being particularly religious himself. Leaphorn's god was logic and a belief that everything that happens, happens for a reason. In these crappy movies, poor Wes Studi's version of Leaphorn has been made into a man who knows virtually nothing about his own culture, doomed to be forever "educated" by the know it all mystic man Chee. This makes Chee ever superior, which is very ironic, because in the books, Chee always feels vastly inferior to Leaphorn because of his much greater police knowledge, education, and experience. And it was this part of the relationship that made their two characters so interesting when thrown together.

Producer Robert Redford took two fairly complex characters (by paperback mystery novel standards) and mooshed 'em down into nothing but two more Indian stereotypes.

Redford's first effort to adapt Hillerman (which his company now tries to pretend never existed) was Errol Morris's "The Dark Wind." While that flick was no masterpiece, it was head and feet above these slow, dumbed down TV movies.

My comments may be a little late to the party, but this was the first one I've seen adapting one of Tony Hillerman's Navajo mystery novels to the screen. After seeing the movie and reading some of the comments, it is evident there are too many reviewers getting caught up in the location and tribal origin of the actors chosen, thus, obscuring the fact that this is a decent, enjoyable, and satisfying movie. If it compels a few people who haven't had the opportunity to pick up any of Hillerman's work and start enjoying the unique mixture of Navajo Indian culture and old-fashioned who-dun-it, then it did its job.

Though I haven't read all of the series, including the book this movie was based upon, the movie was a respectable representation of a typical Hillerman novel. I think one reviewer was right on the nose when they mentioned that both Leaphorn's and Chee's character, the two principle individuals in a good number of the novel series, were not entirely faithful to the book. That may have been necessary because in the books, both of them don't say anymore than necessary and there are a lot of character thoughts expressed to the reader, something that can't be done as easily through a movie unless the director uses a voice-over approach to express the thoughts. It wouldn't have worked, so I'm glad it wasn't done. Still, as an avid reader, Joe was overly stoic and Chee had a little too much gee-whiz kind of look. Believe me, these are small quibbles for what is otherwise an admirable job to play these two decidedly different men.

What is over-emphasized is the repeated complaint of those who say the characters didn't look Navajo-like or that the locations didn't represent the Navajo nation in general. As far as them not looking Navajo enough, I'd be willing to bet most of them didn't get that while watching the movie, they probably learned that little tidbit of information through the movie sites with extensive biographical info on the actors. So, exactly how many people who watch the movie who aren't from the immediate area are going to give a cactus prick about the actors not matching the tribal features of most Navajos? Precisely zip. Were these people also ones to object to Graham Greene playing the part of a Sioux native American in Dances With Wolves, considering he is a Oneidan native from Canada??? I doubt it. I'll watch Graham Greene playing anything, whether the part calls for native North American or not. Busting the chops of those who put together this movie because the wrong ancestry of the actors who were put in just should nitpick more important things like bills from Congress. The location complaint is just as bogus, it may have been too flat but it doesn't detract from the essence of film.

It isn't a perfect film, but it was well worth the time spent and I'll be looking out for more of these adaptations. It is a tribute to Hillerman's work that his would be the first mystery series based on an American novel to be produced through Mystery, who has provided such a terrific portfolio of British based mysteries for a long time.

This beautifully cast motion picture really brought to life Tony Hillerman's Skinwalkers. It is impossible to exact a movie from a novel and I am glad to see that James Redford did not even try. What he did was give life to Chee and Leaphorn who I know so well in my mind. He also brought life to a place of beauty and pain that few people even know about. It think this movie was very well acted by Wes Studi, Adam Beach, and the rest of the supporting cast. I would love to see more of Tony Hillerman's wonderful southwest brought to the screen. This movie as well as his novels give us an insight into a culture that is fascinating and mystical. He also has a way of bringing a mystery together from many different angles that came across beautifully on screen.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation of Tony Hillerman's "SKINWALKERS". The casting was excellent, as was the location shooting. the only problem we had was with the editing. I hope there will be more presentations of HILLERMAN's books in the near future.

Tony Hillerman is one of my favorite authors. He can weave a tale that really grabs me. To finally see one of his stories come to life on the screen is a great pleasure to me. I suggest that if you haven't read any of Hillerman's works, that you go out and get some.

Perfect cast brings to life an engrossing mystery. James Redford did such an excellent job with the writing that I look forward to seeing more of his work. I hope they make this a series instead of a one movie deal. Maybe they could create quality American Mysteries to air alternating with the British mysteries.

The only really good thing I can say about this movie is that it inspired me to re-read the book. The book had some scenes that would have made wonderful cinema such as the interogation of a murder suspect who gleefully confesses to the committing the crime but claims to have used a rifle instead of a knife, the surprise reception for Chee at his first session as a healer, the discovery of the true identity of the shotgun artist, Leaphorn's rescue of Chee that unintentionally delivers him into the hands of the real murderer, and the ironic circumstances that rescue Chee for the second time. What was the reason for discarding these potentialy terrific moments and replacing them with a script that was almost on the same level as the type of Hollywood TV detective series that gets justifiably canceled in its first season?

Some other elements from the book that were missing or barely noticeable in the movie include the thrill of Chee being able to prove himself to the legendary Leaphorn, the intricate convergence of both detectives towards the same suspect from different evidence, Leaphorn's map, the evidence of how some Navajo endure the hassle of nearly impassable roads in order to live in locations of isolation and visual splendor, and of course the original method used by the murderer to commit his crimes.

Perhaps someday America will produce a mystery series on par with the best that England has to offer. Tony Hillerman's novel are certainly the proper raw material for such an endeavour, but to me this movie is a major irritant as I can not help seeing how it squanders the opportunity to have created something truly excellent.

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 never read the books so how faithful they're is beyond me. With that being said I genuinely enjoyed it. I thought Adam Beach and Wes Studi have good chemistry. The stories are well written, the acting's good and there's a lot of good suspense in each episode. The character development's believable. I noticed that most of the whites are depicted as dirty and untrustworthy and some of the mysteries are a little predictable if you look hard enough. Those are just nitpicks though as this's a great miniseries and i'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good mystery.

"Sun will be created - They say he has planned it all." Skinwalkers are witches in the Navaho legends and can fly or turn themselves into a dog or wolf. This mystery involves the conflict between Skinwalkers and shaman and bilagáana medicine. Then again it may be a straightforward set of independent murders. In any event, it looks like someone is out to kill Navajo Tribal Police Officer Jim Chee (Adam Beach) and he has not got a clue as to why.

As with all of Tony Hillerman's stories you have the feeling you are there. In fact, if you have visited or lived in the area (Four Corners canyons) that the mystery takes part in, you will be better able to identify with the people and landmarks. And as with his other books, there is an overt and covert story.

This is the TV version of Skinwalkers with Robert Redford. He has a habit of redfordizing (twisting) stories for his agenda. This book was so strongly written that I thought Redford did not have a chance to modify it. I was wrong. He changed the whole underlying primes of the story. One may think that Redford did not read the book although history has shown him to have modified several stories to suit his agenda such as Three Days of the Condor (1975). Maybe due to time constraints, many of the Navaho traditions that make Hillerman's work unique were glossed over.

The book is much more in-depth and the motive and additional characters made the mystery much more intriguing. Even the previous attempt at Hillerman films The Dark Wind (1991) was closer to the feel. However, on the positive side without Redford would anyone have made this TV film?

I grew up on the Navajo Nation, and right away in the first 30 minutes I see that the movie was filmed over 200 miles away from the Navajo Nation where the story takes place.

The movie has been filmed in the Phoenix area and the buildings that were shown were not anywhere near where they should have been.

The first movie based on a Tony Hillerman movie had actually been filmed on the Navajo Nation. Too bad Redford decided to stray from the book.

The casting is very dissapointing to see only people who succeed in butchering the beautiful language that we speak.

The Navajo Police cars and uniforms are correct, but Joe Leaphorn is a Navajo character that does not know the lanuguage and customs. This is not correct... Leaphorn in all the Hillerman novels knows the customs and traditions.

In the Dark Wind, Leaphorn was played by a Non-Indian who was able to speak Navajo. Lou Diamond PHillips did a much better job in attempting to speak Navajo. It appears that Adam Beach who butchered Navajo in Wind Talkers is doing a great job of butchering Navajo again here.

it's now 44 minutes into the movie and i'm very dissapointed that i missed Malcom in the Middle.

I recently watched "Skinwalkers" again and enjoyed it more than I did the first time around. As I wrote in my Coyote Waits review, etc., I dislike that moviemakers think Native tribes are interchangeable. I am not only talking about the mispronouncing of words or the expression of cultural ideas, but something more apparent at first glance... somatotypes. Major tribes have different body types, facial structure, ways of speaking, dressing, walking, and even hair styles. They can be as different from each other as they are to non indigenous races. For example: Comanche tend to be tall, muscular and golden skinned. Navajo necks tend to look shorter with the head seemingly very close to the shoulders, in both genders. Sioux have killer cheekbones, while Apache faces are broader, and their legs are shorter; Mohawk noses tend to be "hawkish" and they "look indian" even if the person is a mixed blood with blonde hair and blue eyes! I could go on and on, but you get the point. I also find it amusing that Adam Beach's character pointed out Apache somatotypes in "Smoke Signals", so the actor cannot possibly be unaware. You will see more Navajo in Skinwalkers than I recall seeing in Coyote Waits, and I bet you will soon start recognizing who in the film is a real Navajo and who is not... giving you an appreciation of what some of us keep complaining about.

I thought Adam Beach was better in this film and I thought the plot was better. They still didn't film in the right locations as the Navajo are Mesa people, but the scenery is beautiful just the same.

Michael Greyeyes can do an insane smile better than anyone since Martin Landau. Even if you haven't seen the other films in the series, you can enjoy this film as it doesn't pull in important references from the others. It has problems, sure, but I enjoyed the ride.

Movies in sub-cultural settings become exceptional when you quickly forget that it is, in fact, a sub-culture. Within minutes of the opening scenes of "Skinwalkers", I no longer dwelt upon the thought that a murder movie on an Indian Reservation is an unusual setting and, instead, focused on the murder mystery itself. In this sense, it reminds me of "Barbershop" (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0303714) in its ability to portray a particular sub-culture in America without actually dwelling on the differences between that sub-culture and America as a whole.

In other words, these movies become successful when you are drawn into the story so deeply that you realise that the sub-culture is as much a world in its own right as the so-called "majority" of America.

I would love to see this film turned into a weekly series. There's certainly enough potential depth of storylines to allow that.

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.

I'm not a Native American so I cannot comment on the accuracy of the customs presented or on whether the actors "butchered" the language. As a non Native American, however, I can say the movie was very entertaining and educational. It presented a different perspective and gave me insights I never had.

As for the previous reviewer's comments, I can understand why he might be upset. When Hollywood first started doing movies on African-American culture, they presented "facts" that I disagreed with. In the long run, however, things got a little better.

Skinwalkers is a beginning.