The natural way to lead the review of “Dark Winds” premiering at AMC on Sunday is to note that it is a series written, directed and run primarily by Native Americans. Filmed on location in New Mexico, set in Navajo Nation. Tribal police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chi were screened from Tony Hillerman’s best-selling mystery novel.
Or you can chase and say: Thank god Someone finally offered his TV show to Zahn McClarnon.
Lakota on his mother’s side, McLanon, is one of the most trusted support players on television and has been improving the shows that others have been better charged with. He attracted attention as the “Fargo” killer Hanzi Dent and the “Westworld” robot warrior Akecheta, taking up some stereotypes and noble savage and investing in them with real emotion. His best showcase was the candid cowboy crime drama “Longmire”. There he lived a vibrant life with enthusiastic, talented, and forever frustrated tribal police officers.
He plays the cop again in “Dark Winds” — he plays a supporting role in another Native American-led series, the comedy “Reservation Dogs,” but this time he’s at the center of the action. Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is in charge of the police station in the Navajo settlement. When a double murder occurs, the FBI carries out an investigation, but all responsibility and suffering belongs to him. Power in terms of underfunded, understaffed tribal functions when chief FBI agent Noah Emmerich suggests that the murder may be more noticeable if Leaphorn helps a reserved armored car robbery. See the dynamics of.
This latest cop doesn’t have the smark that McLarnon wore in “Long Myr” or the blissful calm that he influenced in “Reservation Dogs”, but Leaphorn brings McLarnon to every role. Revive with the same quiet guarantee as. The lieutenant is all business, a classic western lawyer with the usual concise attitude and strong loyalty, especially his wife Emma (Diana Allison) and his soldier Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten). ) Has a strong loyalty. Living and working as a second-class citizen.
With his amazingly expressive face and witty but deliberate physicality, McLanon can convey the fear and frustration of Leaphorn in just a few words. His appearance and movement tell the story of when the Leaphorn had to bring the bodies of the murder victims back from the city sent for autopsy because the FBI didn’t care. However, McLarnon easily deposits his strength in the bank, like the scene where Leaphorn invites Joe’s new soldier, Qi (Kiowa Gordon), to a supper and makes him humor like his prodigal son. Can show relaxed humor.
“Dark Winds” is inspired by Hillerman’s third tribal police mystery, “Listening Woman,” and some of the main plot points in the novel. — Retained. The show’s creator, Graham Roland (“Fringe”, “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”), has changed a lot, primarily by incorporating non-fiction Qi.
The encounter between Leaphorn and Chee and their immediate cooperation like a father and a rebellious son did not cooperate until the seventh novel in the series, but is a concession to the ensemble drama format. But Gordon is easy to accept, as it brings sensibility and moody slaps (playing the wolf in the three “Twilight” movies) to the ambitious and conflicting Qi.
The performances of McLanon, Gordon, and Matten shine through a fair amount of solid dialogue and complexity, but they are not necessarily convincing plans. In particular, the role of the supernatural feels less intriguing than simply unsolved. However, “Dark Winds” has the sensibility to pull in and make up for storytelling failures. The visual arousal of the southwestern landscape and settlement of Chris Air (“Smoke Signals”), who directed four of the six episodes, is impressive, and the show is steadily, confused, and genuine in an intertwined community. Build a sense of.
It may seem that there are more calls to historical crime than the short-term murder mystery can handle. In addition to the inevitable themes of economic and judicial inequality, the story is linked to the reluctant sterilization of indigenous women and the transport of children to oppressive boarding schools. On the other hand, if you’re not sure you’ll get a second season, it’s a good idea to hit as many notes as you can while you have a chance.
Not everyone involved in “Dark Winds” is Native American. Starting with Hillerman (died in 2008), it includes executive producers Robert Redford and George RR Martin. (Redford also supported the pre-1991 Leaphorn and Qi features and the 2002 television movie series.) However, many of Roland, Air, the cast and all the writers are native, and it’s on the show. It makes a clear difference. In “Dark Winds,” “Reservation Dogs,” and “Rutherford Falls,” shows featuring indigenous communities make up one of the most distinctive sub-genres of television today.