Wind River is a 2017 crime/mystery film written and directed by Taylor Sheridan. The film stars Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tracker and an FBI agent, who try to solve a murder on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming.
Okay, okay, what an interesting review for you all! So although this won’t be a super long review, I do want you guys to go into this film knowing a little as possible just like I did. I went into this movie completely blind not having seen a single trailer, review, or synopsis, but solely on the fact that people said it was pretty good. What a great way to experience a film, and especially this one! Wind River turned out to be another hidden gem, and although this review wasn’t published when the film was released, I’m glad I got to experience it in the cinema still.
So starting things off Wind River did a lot of things right, and the thing that stood out the most was the fact that the acting in this film was phenomenal. I’ve seen some good acting, but damn Elizabeth Olsen kills it in this film. The amount of passion and character she brought to every scene was great, and really contributed to making this a really immersive film. Jeremy Renner also did fantastic, but that’s almost expected as this guy always seems to put his all into every performance. One of the standouts in this film was definitely found in Gil Birmingham’s performance as his emotions that he played into his character felt so true and sincere that you really felt for the man as if he was an actually person living through these events.
Wind River also finds its strength within the smaller things. For starters, the film looks gorgeous and adds a different feel to its cinematography in the sense that it doesn’t feel like your stereotypical neo-western murder mystery film. It has a very bright and vibrant feel, and its uniqueness really helps it standout within the genre. The storyline and structure are also very good although it can be minutely predictable in some instances, but still provides resolution and suspense at the right times where those elements are needed. The film is like a giant crescendo to its main climax, and when shit hits the fan, it hits it hard.
Sure there’s a lot of praise to go along with this film, but Wind River is by no means perfect. Like I mentioned above, some parts are fairly predictable and the pacing really does slow down at times. This film also has a hard time using Jon Bernthal, and leaves the audiences with too much backstory than we porbably needed, but not enough time with great actors in very very small supporting roles. A more personal complaint came in the form of the bland score. It wasn’t memorable, provided no suspense, and was pretty forgettable by the time I walked out of the theater. In a day in age where score is so important, this film fails to provide something really impactful to the film.
While closing up this short review, I’ve come to the conclusion that most of Wind River’s mistakes are things that can be discreetly swept under the rug. Sure the pacing was the main issue of the film, but for the most part Wind River’s amazing performances, beautiful cinematography, and story really help it stand out in its mystery genre. In the end I was left with no choice other than to give Wind River a “Very Good” on theVade Review Bar. It is a film that will honestly catch you by surprise if you let it, and if not.. well, it’s still a great film.
