Dark Winds - Dark Crimes in the Navajo Nation

Dark Winds is a four-season series set in the 1970s on the Navajo Nation near Monument Valley, Arizona. It follows Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and his deputy, Jim Chee, as they investigate a series of violent crimes on the reservation. More than a police procedural, the show offers a portrait of Navajo life at the time - its hardships, resilience, and spiritual depth - all filtered through a dreamy, sometimes surreal atmosphere that recalls Twin Peaks.

The show’s greatest strength is its characters and the performances behind them. Zahn McClarnon, as Lieutenant Leaphorn, is extraordinary. He is one of those actors many viewers will instantly recognize without necessarily knowing his name, which makes his performance here feel all the more satisfying. This is his first leading role in a television series, and he fully rises to it. His face is remarkably expressive even in stillness: the camera lingers on his eyes and mouth, revealing grief, restraint, and buried emotion. There is something deeply rewarding about seeing a middle-aged actor receive this kind of recognition after years of relative obscurity. For McClarnon, this feels like a career-defining performance.

The supporting cast is compelling as well. Jim Chee is confident, impulsive, and charismatic, while Officer Bernadette Manuelito, played by Jessica Matten, brings intelligence and quiet strength to the story. Their dynamic adds another layer of tension and feeling to the series.

The mystery stretches across multiple seasons and includes brutal violence, conspiracies, action, and crime-solving. I do not want to say too much about the plot, because part of the pleasure of Dark Winds lies in watching it unfold on its own terms. What I can say is that the suspense is sustained remarkably well, and the show consistently held my interest.

Another major strength of the series is its setting and atmosphere. The landscape is so vivid that it becomes a character in its own right, and the cinematography captures the stark, lonely beauty of the desert with real elegance. Some of the nighttime shots are so striking they could be paintings. Just as compelling is the show’s attention to the details of everyday Navajo life, from homes and routines to ceremonies and spiritual practices. The fusion of a crime drama with the spiritual dimension of Native life gives the series a distinctive identity.

The show also contains unmistakable Lynchian touches: surreal visions, an isolated setting populated by eccentric figures, a sense of dread hanging over the land, and eruptions of shocking violence that force its characters into difficult moral choices. Like other works in this tradition, Dark Winds is interested in what it takes to preserve your integrity when confronted with evil.

If you are a fan of Twin Peaks or Fargo - another series in which McClarnon gives a memorable performance - Dark Winds is well worth your time.