Wind River follows U.S. fish and wildlife agent Cory Lambert as he discovers a frozen corpse in the frigid forest of the Wyoming Wind River Indian Reservation. When he reports it into the local authorities, FBI agent Jane Banner is sent in to investigate the murder alongside the reservation's police force. Due to her unfamiliarity with the harsh landscape, Banner teams up with Lambert in hopes they can find the culprit.
Wind River is written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, the screenwriter behind the recent strong Sicario and Hell or High Water screenplays. All three films are crime thrillers and Sheridan has steadily traversed sketchy subject matter ranging from Mexican drug cartels to Texan bank robberies to a murder in a Wyoming Native America reservation. Sheridan's advanced north geographically and slowly made his way further west in regards to his crime dramas. Sicario relished in suspense, Hell or High Water delighted in moral conflict, and Wind River savors an unforgiving environment. Wind River is first and foremost a crime thriller, but the underlining western sensibilities ring true.
In conjunction with his cinematographer Ben Richardson, Sheridan frames the icy surroundings as bleak and lifeless as if to say the weather affected the attitude of the inhabitants. Despite the destitute demeanor of the domain, Richardson still manages to muster together some beautiful shot compositions akin to Lubezki's illustrious images from The Revenant (albeit, without the constraints of filming purely with natural light). An element of the camerawork that I found particularly fitting was how some shots were taken from amidst the brush to mimick a predator's point-of-view. While Wind River is hardly the first film to utilize secluded shots like this, it tied in exceptionally well considering Lambert is a hunter. Lambert and Banner are on a hunt to find the person responsible for this heinous act, and throwing in the possibility that the characters are being watched added an element of intrigue.
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' score then reflects this aesthetic with a a haunting, ethereal sound evoking the toll an inhospitable territory can take on one's soul. The story's quite straightforward, but I won't really go into that because the best part of a crime drama is watching the investigation unfold. Sheridan's screenplay follows the suit of his preceding scripts as he once again captures the intricate actualities of his characters' humanity. Sheridan's quite gifted in that regard, and so it goes without saying that I can't wait to see what he does next!
Jeremy Renner imbues Cory Lambert with plenty of emotional nuance, making him out to be a man hardened by the experiences he's endured. Renner plays the part exceptionally well as one of his more complex roles to date. Alongside him, Elizabeth Olsen accentuates a determined spirit in spite of Jane Banner's inexperience that throws her straight into the action. Olsen isn't afforded as much to do when compared to Renner, but her established rapport with the Avengers costar carries over nicely. Meanwhile, Gill Birmingham and Graham Greene also turn in proficient supporting performances as the victim's father Martin and the head of the reservation police Ben.
In summary, Taylor Sheridan seems to be well in his element for his second directorial feature, and I won't be surprised to see Wind River accumulate some awards love later in the year. In line with the snowy surroundings, Wind River's harsh and relentless storytelling paints a harrowing, realistic picture audiences would be hard-pressed to forget.
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