A friend of mine worked on this film. A fellow American Indian, she asked why the leads (Chee & Leaphorn) weren't played by American Indian actors, she was told it was because "there aren't any box-office Indian actors". It was insulting to have Lou Diamond Phillips and Fred Ward take the leads from Indian actors. "Dances with Wolves" came out tight around this was scheduled for release. Despite not having box-office Indians, it was a hit. And Dark Wind went straight to video.
Review of The Dark Wind
