History Film / TheDarkWind

->''"The Navajo believe that when a man does something evil, it is because dark wind has entered his soul."''

->"''The Navajo believe that when a man does something evil, it is because dark wind has entered his soul."''

''The Dark Wind'' is an American mystery film made in 1991, directed by Errol Morris (''Film/TheThinBlueLine'') and adapted from the novel of the same name by Tony Hillerman.

* WrenchWench: Edna Nezzie, a Navajo bulldozer driver who is interrogated at one point in the film, has looks that fit with the trope.

It is set on the Native American reservation shared by the Navajo and Hopi tribes, with tensions simmering between them. The main character, Jim Chee (Lou Diamond Phillips), is a Navajo police officer who has been transferred there a week earlier. Initially, he's sent to investigate the mundane case of vandalism at the local water pump, but things soon take a turn for the worse when a body is found killed in accordance to Navajo's "skinwalker" fashion. Soon, there's also a suspicious fatal crash of a small plane, whose pilot was a known drug-runner. It is up to Jim Chee to unravel the mess and find the bigger picture.

''The Navajo believe that when a man does something evil, it is because dark wind has entered his soul.''

'''The Dark Wind''' is an American film made in 1991 by the director of ''Film/TheThinBlueLine'', and adapted from a novel of the same name. It is set on the Native American reservation shared by the Navajo and Hopi tribes, with tensions simmering between them. The main character, Jim Chee, is a Navajo police officer who has been transferred there a week earlier. Initially, he's sent to investigate the mundane case of vandalism at the local water pump, but things soon take a turn for the worse when a body is found killed in accordance to Navajo's "skinwalker" fashion. Soon, there's also a suspicious fatal crash of a small plane, whose pilot was a known drug-runner. It is up to Jim Chee to unravel the mess and find the bigger picture.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: The jewellery thief likes his father

* WrenchWench: Edna Nezzie, a Navajo bulldozer driver who is interrogated at one point in the film, has looks that fit with the trope.

* RomanticPlotTumor: Thankfully averted: when Gail Pauling appears as a young woman in distress, one might expect her and Chee to become connected, but there isn't even a kiss between them! This move frees up screentime for exploration of Chee's character.

* IncestIsRelative: For traditional Navajo, apparently, sleeping with the member of the same sub-tribe counts as incest. When Jim finds out that the thief on the run has slept with the girl of the same tribe in spite of trying to return to the traditional ways, it's a major tip-off to him that [[spoiler: the guy might not be alive any longer.]]

* DarkAndStormyNight: The final showdown occurs during one.

'''The Dark Wind''' is an American film made in 1991 by the director of ''Film/ThinBlueLine'', and adapted from a novel of the same name. It is set on the Native American reservation shared by the Navajo and Hopi tribes, with tensions simmering between them. The main character, Jim Chee, is a Navajo police officer who has been transferred there a week earlier. Initially, he's sent to investigate the mundane case of vandalism at the local water pump, but things soon take a turn for the worse when a body is found killed in accordance to Navajo's "skinwalker" fashion. Soon, there's also a suspicious fatal crash of a small plane, whose pilot was a known drug-runner. It is up to Jim Chee to unravel the mess and find the bigger picture.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The ritual dance around the fire, while wearing wolf's skin. Granted, [[spoiler: Jake]] does say that he simply enjoyed the skinwalker role and did it for kicks, but still.

* DeadAllAlong: The supposed jewellery thief from Jake's store turns out to be his by the end.

* [[spoiler: DeadAllAlong]]: The supposed jewellery thief from Jake's store turns out to be his by the end.

'''The Dark Wind''' is an American film made in 1991 by the director of Film/ThinBlueLine, and adapted from a novel of the same name. It is set on the Native American reservation shared by the Navajo and Hopi tribes, with tensions simmering between them. The main character, Jim Chee, is a Navajo police officer who has been transferred there a week earlier. Initially, he's sent to investigate the mundane case of vandalism at the local water pump, but things soon take a turn for the worse when a body is found killed in accordance to Navajo's "skinwalker" fashion. Soon, there's also a suspicious fatal crash of a small plane, whose pilot was a known drug-runner. It is up to Jim Chee to unravel the mess and find the bigger picture.

* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler: Jake West]] is driven by revenge when he embarks on his murder spree and only uses the “skinwalker” rituals to make his involvement less obvious. Soon, however, he begins to enjoy it and does a ritual dance around the fire just for the hell of it.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The ritual dance around the fire, while wearing wolf’s skin. Granted, [[spoiler: Jake]] does say that he simply enjoyed the skinwalker role and did it for kicks, but still.

* ChekhovsGun: The circus poster on the wall of Jake’s West shop. [[spoiler: It foreshadows his circus past and ability to escape from bonds.]]

* CorruptCop: [[spoiler: Agent Johnson]] is one, setting up [[spoiler: Jake West’s son]] to be killed so that he can manipulate the father into killing all accomplices in his drug trade operation when he no longer needs them. He also thinks nothing of intimidating Chee into dropping his investigation.

* [[spoiler: DeadAllAlong]]: The supposed jewellery thief from Jake’s store turns out to be his by the end.

* FauxAffablyEvil: [[spoiler: Jake West]]. He’s nice in the first meeting with others, and we see him entertaining young kids with some of his tricks. However, he is very much merciless when it comes to his revenge.
* FireForgedFriends: Jim and Dashee start off distrusting each other and implicitly racist towards’ each other’s group. By the end of the film, they work together and genuinely care about each other.

--> Joe:''"No, because I know something that Agent Johnson doesn’t."''
--> Jim: ''"What is it?"''
--> Joe:''"How slow you work."''
* IncestIsRelative: For traditional Navajo, apparently, sleeping with the member of the same sub-tribe counts as incest. When Jim finds out that the thief on the run has slept with the girl of the same tribe in spite of trying to return to the traditional ways, it’s a major tip-off to him that [[spoiler: the guy might not be alive any longer.]]

* OccamsRazor: At one point, Joe Leandgren give
* PrecisionFStrike: Gail Pauling when she finds out about her husband’s death.
--> : ''How the fuck did you manage to crash a plane into the mountain in the middle of the fucking desert!''

* RomanticPlotTumor: Thankfully averted: when Gail Pauling appears as a young woman in distress, one might expect her and Chee to become connected, but there isn’t even a kiss between them! This move frees up screentime for exploration of Chee’s character.

* TitleDrop: More like the entire tagline drop at one point (see above), when Jim Chee lectures Gail that Navajo don’t believe in revenge.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: The moment when Jim draws a mind map on paper to help him figure out what happened. It’s literally just pencil moving on grid paper in extreme close up, yet it somehow feels almost gripping.