Coyote Waits (2003) (TV)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Jan Egleson

Writers:

Lloyd 'Lucky' Gold (teleplay)
Tony Hillerman (novel)

Release Date:

16 November 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery

Tagline:

Two Navajo cops race to unravel a dangerous web of myth, murder, and greed.

Plot:

Two tribal cops uncover a plot involving a lost fortune, an historical artifact and a mythical Coyote on a Navajo reservation. |

Plot Keywords:

Second Part | Part Of Trilogy | Sequel | Native American | Murder

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Adam Beach	...	Jim Chee
Candice Costello	...	Jen
Jimmy Herman	...	Ashie Pinto
Gary Kanin	...	Judge
Wes Studi	...	Joe Leaphorn
Sheila Tousey	...	Emma Leaphorn
Mark Kilburn	...	Doctor
Alex Rice	...	Janet Pete
Graham Greene	...	Slick Nakai
Jill Scott Momaday	...	Mary Keeyani
Keith Carradine	...	John McGinnis
Sheri Foster	...	Blue Lady
Jack Burning	...	Hosteen Nakai
Long Nguyen	...	Huan Ji
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Jay Kennedy, FBI

Runtime:

USA:107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Navajo | Vietnamese

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Granada Television

Goofs:

Continuity: When officer Chee is driving on the deserted road, passing through several small tunnels, close-ups of him behind the wheel show a roof rack instead of the light bar for his Dodge Dakota patrol vehicle. This happens twice in this series of scenes.

Movie Connections:

Features Skinwalkers (2002) (TV)

Not as fulfilling as it should have been

Based on a Tony Hillerman novel, "Coyote Waits" brings back characters familiar to viewers of "Skinwalkers" and 1991's "Dark Wind", which starred Fred Ward and Lou Diamond Phillips. If you have not seen the previous films, you can still enjoy "Coyote Waits" for its own sake.

Adam Beach reprises his "Skinwalkers" role as "Jim Chee", alongside other "Skinwalkers" veterans, Sheila Tousey, and Wes Studi. None of the three are actually Navajo, though they are Native American. Personally I think casting should be based on the best actor for the part, and would have liked to see Phillips reprise his role. Beach is not a Navajo either and is still learning his craft; Phillips is a seasoned veteran. (Before folks get upset let me say this, tribal background should be taken in account when casting Native American roles. It is insulting to insist the tribes are interchangeable. Recall how silly it was for a Swedish accented actor to play a Frenchman in "Good Will Hunting"? It is the same point here.)

Presented in letterbox format, the scenery is at once mystical, isolating and all-encompassing. The production values lift it above "made for tv" status. The language, mild by todays standards, does use the popular term for excrement several times, but not gratuitously. The scenery is beautiful. The picture-postcard-blue of one scene's sky is so beautiful it brings a tear to the eye.

The plot is not as meaty as it could have been and some roles could have been eliminated without too much loss to the whole.

The intentions are good but there comes a time when intentions should be removed from the equation. "Coyote Waits" is not as fulfilling as it could have been, regardless of its intentions.