Wind River, 2017.
Directed by Taylor Sheridan.
Starring Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Graham Greene, Gil Birmingham and Jon Bernthal.
SYNOPSIS:
When a young Native American woman is found dead in the snow on a reservation in Wyoming, the local sheriff calls in the FBI to investigate. The nearest available agent is very much a city girl and has to depend on a veteran tracker to help her find out who killed the woman and why.
After scripting Sicario for Denis Villeneuve and Hell Or High Water for David Mackenzie, Taylor Sheridan takes up the director’s chair, as well being on screen writing duty, for his third film in as many years.
Wind River moves from the barren New Mexican landscape of Hell Or High Water to the cold expanses of Wyoming in winter, where a young Native American woman is found dead in the snow. She’s been raped and beaten, but the cause of death isn’t homicide. That’s one complication. The other is that she lives on the reservation. Local sheriff Ben (Graham Greene) calls in the FBI and the nearest agent available is Jane (Elizabeth Olsen), a real city girl who struggles with the culture and the weather. She needs help and finds it in the shape of veteran local tracker, Cory (Jeremy Renner).
But for Cory this is a case that’s painfully close to home: it mirrors what happened to his own teenage daughter and it all comes flooding back when he finds himself in the bedroom belonging to the dead woman. His own daughter’s death brought about the break-up of his marriage to a Native American, although they manage to be civil to each other for the sake of their young son, who adores his dad. And he adores the little boy.
More importantly, especially from Jane’s point of view, is that he’s both well-known and respected on the reservation, so his involvement in the investigation is accepted without question. His connection with the dead woman’s father, Martin (Gil Birmingham, Jeff Bridges’ right hand man in Hell Or High Water) is especially strong. He can’t hide his hostility towards FBI agent Jane but, once Cory shows up, his mask of anger crumbles and the depth of his grief is all too apparent.
Sheridan places more emphasis than ever on the characters, with the principle cast working together as an ensemble, even though some scenes are pared down to just two of them. Nonetheless, there isn’t a weak link in the acting chain and both directing and screenplay are tight, lean and disciplined. The beautifully stark snowbound Wyoming landscape enhances this, often dwarfing and hindering the people, and the reservation gives the story a political edge, showing the bleak prospects for its young people. Prison is a way of life, a rite of passage for them. And there is no register for missing Native Americans.
Wind River sees Jeremy Renner give his best performance in a long time as the tracker – a killer for hire, if you like – whose painful past is never far from the surface. And underrated character actor Graham Greene puts in yet another classy piece of acting as the sheriff with a dry as dust humour and a protective attitude towards the fish-out-of-water Jane.
The film unfolds steadily – it’s not exactly slow, more unhurried – giving both characters and location ample time and space to explain themselves and develop. But when the climax comes, it’s fast and furious and you only realise it’s coming a split second beforehand. It all adds up to an absorbing, thought-provoking and surprisingly emotional modern western. That depth of feeling is always there, but Sheridan is too smart to over-cook it. Or any other aspect of the film. So far, it’s three out of three …..
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Freda Cooper. Follow me on Twitter, check out my movie blog and listen to my podcast, Talking Pictures.
Originally published September 5, 2017. Updated November 21, 2019.
