Skinwalkers (2002)

The story revolves around the legend of the skin walkers or "S Dubs", a folk legend from Utah about the spirits of murdered Indians returning to seek revenge upon those who disrespect the land.

Director:

Chris Eyre

Writer:

James Redford

Stars:

Harrison Lowe, James Dalgai, Adam Beach

6 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harrison Lowe	...	Roman George
James Dalgai	...	Navajo chanter
Adam Beach	...	Jim Chee
Saginaw Grant	...	Wilson Sam
Nicholas Bartolo	...	Tommy Nakai
Jon Proudstar	...	Davis Nakai
Misty Upham	...	Nina
Drew Lacapa	...	Bobby
Sheila Tousey	...	Emma Leaphorn
Wes Studi	...	Lt. Joe Leaphorn
Apesanahkwat	...	Capt. Butler
Marla Frumkin	...	German wife (as Marla Finn)
Michael Greyeyes	...	Dr. Stone
Ryan Polequaptewa	...	Doug (boy at youth center)
Noah Watts	...	Ruben Maze

Storyline

Faced with the murder of three medicine men, Navajo police must find the culprit. That the murders appear to be the work of a Skinwalker, or bad medicine man, complicate and illuminate the detective's work.

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Plot Keywords:

navajo indian | navajo reservation | tuba city arizona | ganado arizona | arizona | 

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Taglines:

Detective Leaphorn trusts hard facts. Officer Chee trusts ancient tradition. Their beliefs will be tested as they try to catch a mysterious killer.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Most of this movie was made in and around Superior Arizona. Some scenes are from Globe Arizona. The steep cliffs shown in numerous scenes is called Apache Leap. Ironic being this movie and series was based on the Navajo Indians. The Movie U Turn was also famously filmed here as well.

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Goofs

The knife found in Chee's tire is held in place by grey putty, clearly seen and covering the tire tread.

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Quotes

Dr. Stone: Hey, this goop you had on here, Yarrow Root? So, tell me, Officer Chee, what does Yarrow Root have over Bacitracin?
Jim Chee: It's free...

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Connections

Featured in Coyote Waits (2003)

User Reviews

A great Who-Dunit!

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.

Details

Official Sites:

PBS

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 November 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Skinwalkers - kostajat haudan takaa

Filming Locations:

Apache Leap Mountain, Superior, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carlton International Media, Granada Entertainment, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1