Wind River Review
R: strong violence, a rape, disturbing images, and language
The Weinstein Company, Acacia Entertainment, Riverstone Pictures, Voltage Pictures, Wild Bunch, Ingenious Media, Thunder Road Pictures, Film 44
1 Hr and 51 Minutes
Cast: Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Gil Birmingham, Jon Bernthal, Julia Jones, Kelsey Chow, Martin Sensmeier
INTRO: Last year, Taylor Sheridan singlehandedly wrote Hell or High Water which was one of 2016’s best movies mainly due to its screenplay and quiet performances. That film earned the Sons of Anarchy actor turned screenwriter an Oscar nomination. Now Sheridan has made his directorial debut with Wind River, a mystery thriller in the vein of HOHW and that previous project Sicario.
US Fish and Wildlife Service agent Cory Lambert (Renner) discovers a body in the rugged wilderness of the Wind River Indian Reservation. The FBI sends in rookie agent Jane Banner (Olsen), but she is unprepared for the difficulties created by the oppressive weather and isolation of the Wyoming winter. When she employs Cory as a tracker, the two venture deep into a world ravaged by violence and the elements.
THE GOOD: One of the best things aboutWind River is its casting. Yeah, you have Renner & Olson as the leads the side characters are all of native descent which benefits the authentic atmosphere of this mystery and its message. It shows that Sheridan took consideration to diversify his cast and not turn it into a whitewashed Hollywood production like Exodus: Gods and Kings or….Ghost in the Shell. It's as if while working with David McKenzie who directed Hell or High Water he taught himself how to direct a film of its type.
Since this takes place in the mountain zone during the Spring, surprisingly the cinematography features an abundant amount of beautiful white landscapes.
Besides his writing, Sheridan’s direction is rather impressive. Even when it's not showing off gorgeous landscapes, he does a fine job of directing action sequences. One of the best moments of the film is when Jane is doing a police procedural to rehabilitate crackheads. During that time she is distorted from a spray a suspect uses on her. When this is going on, you see POV, and full shots of Jane having an unclear vision onto what she sees as all she sees is red.
As Renner gives a quiet and stone cold performance (like a young Jeff Bridges), his monotone delivery and lack of charisma help him express a lot of emotion. For someone who said he didn’t visit an Indian reserve prior to filming, Renner does an excellent job imitating the mannerisms of a person who lived on the reserves for most of his life. You can clearly tell that his character, Corey has lived in that area all of his life, so his voice is similar to a Native. He may be a hunter, but his dialogue is full of wise old man quotes that border between insightful and cheesy.
What I love about Sheridan’s writing is that he balance dark themes but add some levity to it by incorporating humor but just a right amount thanks to Gil Birmingham who plays sheriff Martin Hanson. Birmingham is the comic relief of the film but just like his role in Hell or High Water.
Sheridan constantly infuses sharp lines of dialogue with deep yet sometimes preachy monologues that benefits these characters to becoming fleshed out. Ever so often some characters make some snide remarks that catches you off guard.
The film has an underlying truth that is frighteningly messed up where crimes committed on reservations can often not go persecuted. There's even an intense scene where the body inspector refuses to put homicide on the cold, lifeless body’s death certificate. Because of this, officer Jane Banner takes matters into her own hands.
THE BAD: One of the things I don’t like is the unnecessary shootout climax that takes beats of Sheridan’s previous written works. It isn’t on a massive scale like Sicario or Hell or High Water especially since it is part of the reveal of the mystery, but its place at the exact moment where you get the indication that the third act has arrived.
The movie may seem like a Hawkeye/Scarlet Witch buddy cop film you never know you wanted. But it's not. It's actually actors being great actors in a murder mystery where you have a man who knows the reserves paired with an FBI officer solving a case. The only issue I have is primarily with Olsen’s character Jane. Though she is a tough as nails character and gives a fine performance, there isn’t much to her besides that she’s a cop from Vegas. That’s all you really get from her.
LAST STATEMENT: Wind River is a thought provoking murder/mystery that shines a light on reservation laws while being a solid directorial debut from Sheridan
Rating: 4/5 | 82%
Super Scene: Cory’s cold vengeance
