Dark Winds is a 2022 6 part TV drama from AMC based on the Leaphorn & Chee Novel series by Tony Hillerman arrives on DVD and Blu Ray from Acorn.
The series set in 1971 New Mexico opens with two inciting incidents, one being a Robbery involving a helicopter and the second incident being the murder of an old man & a young girl in a motel room which may or may not be linked.
These incidents happen in the jurisdiction of Navajo nation cop Joe Leaphorn (Zach McClarnon) is investigating both with the help of Tribal sergeant Bern (Jessica Matten) & the newly transferred Deputy Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) who isn’t all what he seems to be.
But Joe must also report to shady FBI Agent Whitover played by Noah Emmerich whose character is a million miles away from his role in The Truman Show.
While the plot may sound like the standard sort of cop show murder mystery type show that is a dime a dozen on tv but what makes it unique is that it’s set around the Navajo Nation and the culture of those people told by Native Americans in front & behind the camera shot on location in New Mexico.
Over the half dozen episodes which make up this first season the narrative structure moves to different times and gives the viewer the puzzle pieces that viewers need to solve the mystery plus flesh out the motives of the people involved.
When it comes to the cast the lead character Joe Leaphorn played by Zach McClarnon is a cop trying to serve and protect his people but he’s a loving husband to his nurse wife Emma (Deanna Allison) he’s also grieving the loss of his son who died in an industrial accident.
The supporting cast are equally strong; I like the relationship between Leaphorn and his fellow cops particularly with Jim Chee who mirrors the elder cop and how Sergeant Bern is spooked by the Native American mysticism which takes the narrative into the supernatural.
There are also good performances from Rainn Wilson as a second-hand car salesman who is highly religious but has temptations of the flesh, drinking and gambling alongside an appearance in a couple of episodes from John Diehl who appeared in Miami Vice who plays a white landowner that is being pressed by the main bad guys that are trying to push him out.
The mystery that makes up most of the narrative is nothing we haven’t seen before in other cop shows but for me I would say the series’ biggest strength is how it portrays the traditions within the Native American, whether it be how two young Navajo women one is dealing with an upcoming birth and other is coming into womanhood alongside how the community deals with the death of their people.
As a tv series Dark Winds is a compelling watchable drama with engaging performances it has strong production values despite some less than successful CGI and the use of day for night filter in the two final episodes anytime it’s used it takes me out of the film or tv show but this is a mild nitpick.
When it comes to its physical media release I am reviewing the series BluRay which has a 30 minute documentary with interviews from cast, crew & executive producers Robert Redford and Game Of Thrones author George R.R Martin author who helped shepherd the show into fruition.
Dark Winds released by Acorn Media International is available on Digital, Blu Ray and DVD from November 27th
The Film Collective Scotland 
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