A Thief of Time

This film for me and my wife is more entertaining than all the bloc-buster violent thriller/mystery/murder movies that abound. It is about real people making the best of their lives. They just happen to be Indian and the main characters are in law enforcement. The realistic acting and the great scenery more than make up for the slightly implausible plot. The sound track is by BC Smith, who also did the soundtrack for Coyote Waits, and is great. Adam Beach plays a tribal policeman who is a little bit accident prone and Wes Studi is the stoic consummately professional detective. There are many other fine either supporting or cameo roles by Graham Greene, Tantoo Cardinal, etc. We have also seen Coyote Waits, another adaptation of a Hillerman novel, and we greatly enjoyed it too.

I can understand a lot of the bad reviews since they seemed a bit random in what they pulled from the book and what they left out. So if you have not read the book you see a lot of bits that do not seem to be needed / part of the plot. And some of the altered dialog will make you cringe. So will the pronunciations if you are used to Tony Hillerman reading his books. Then there is Emma who is not supposed to be in this story because she died before it starts and screws up the plots of future films. But if you have read the book you will probably enjoy seeing the book on the screen. Alex Rice is just as stunning as she was her Wonderfalls appearance. If Adam Beach and Wes Studi had the same sort of screen presence you probably would not notice the missing bits as much. Dawn Lewis, while gorgeous in this, seems as totally out of place as an anthropologist as Rebecca Holden did as a mechanic in Knight Rider. Both Rice and Lewis tend to dominate the scenes they are in which can kind of lead the viewer, that does not know the book, off track since a lot of their character's linkage to the plots were cut from the film.

Being a big fan of this PBS series, I am shocked at how awful this "episode" actually is. The direction is pedestrian, the supporting cast is TERRIBLE, and our favorite characters are extremely uninteresting. As others have stated, I do believe this third film actually takes place BEFORE the second in the Hillerman series on PBS.

Perhaps it is Hillerman's original material, I don't know, but this latest edition could possibly kill future Leaphorn/Chee adaptations. The previous "Coyote Waits" is far, far superior. Frankly, I am shocked by how much I hated this film. It is totally off-the-mark in every way. Even it's one-sided portrayal of Christianity is offensive. (And, yes, it IS biased.)

I hope they film more in the series, because this would be a terrible conclusion.

Joe (Wes) & Jim (Adam) re-acquaint us with the beauty, isolation (psychological as well as physical) and utter terror of "murder most fowl" in the Navaho Southwest. Characterizations, settings and plot continually build .. . even if at times the personal asides leave us wanting "more" .. . with some interesting alternative choices as to "who done it?" Flashbacks (e.g. Peter Fonda . .. good to see him) provide clues but they don't go where you might think. Comic asides (e.g. the Preacher) are mild and appropriate. Where "Skinwalkers" and "Coyote Waits" start to drag .. . "Thief" engages the clutch and four-wheels you around the next corner, never quite sure what's there. Disagree with Joe Leaphorn's manic comment to Jim Chee to "slow down" for the potholes. Wrong ... there are no potholes in the plot, just tracks to follow. On to the next episode! Great photography (as always), appealing characters and more to explore!

I hope Robert Redford continues to make more films like this. Hillerman's books are wonderful, and as a young child raised in the Southwest his stories hit home! Adam Beach is a highly under rated and under used actor. Wake up Hollywood, not everyone thinks that your Mel Gibson's are cool! Many movie goer's today want to see films that make you think. I have seen all of the Redford/Hillerman series. They are thoughtful, scenic and have great plots. I'm hoping that if enough people write to Robert Redford he may decide to make a few more! Thank you Adam Beach and Tony Hillerman for great entertainment! If anyone get's a chance to read Tony Hillerman's latest book do so! It's great. I also recommend traveling through Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. Stop at every view site and feel the setting of Hillerman's books. Amazing experience.