Wind River

Wind River

Starring Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Graham Greene, Kelsey Asbille

Directed by Taylor Sheridan

The Story:
On the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, expert hunter and tracker Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) finds the frozen corpse of young Natalie (Kelsey Asbille), who was found in the snow without shoes, adequate winter attire and blood around her.  Cory is saddened because Natalie was a friend of his daughter's who also died in the snow three years earlier.

The FBI brings in Special Agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen), a rookie in every sense of the word, to determine if Natalie's death is indeed murder.  She begins an investigation with Cory's help, and also the aid of Tribal Police Chief Ben (Graham Greene).  Banner is unprepared for the Wyoming cold, and even though she's out of her element, she wants to stay and help uncover Natalie's death and find her possible killers.

As the investigation unfolds, Cory and Jane rely on each other to uncover the mystery as well as survive, because the truth is something that could kill them both.

The Synopsis:
There has been a few times where, when the movie ends, you're just left speechless over what you just witnessed.  It means you're left spellbound over the film you watched, and because it struck a nerve so deep in you that you couldn't find the words to speak.

"Wind River" left me speechless. 

Director Taylor Sheridan (who also co-wrote the script, and also wrote the scripts for "Sicario" and "Hell or High Water," for which he earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay) hits on all cylinders, combining a riveting, compelling, nuanced story with a stellar, more-than-capable cast, and a setting that's equal parts beautiful and deadly.  It's the perfect trifecta to create an alluring tale that's deeply character driven and has you glued to the screen.  While some parts seem slow, it's actually like how an expert archer carefully grabs his arrow and pulls the bow back.  When he releases, it's a rush of adrenaline and excitement, and that's exactly what happens when Sheridan metaphorically releases his arrow - the action comes unexpectedly and fast-paced, jolting you from your seat in pure shock and awe.

The story is as compelling as they come, because it's based off a true story.  I've never studied Native American law, but I read some information regarding the basis for the movie, and it's truly shocking (from imdb.com):
"During the course of the shoot, writer-director Taylor Sheridan was visited on set by some Shoshone tribal leaders who astonished him with the revelation that, at that very time, there were 12 unsolved murders of young women on a reservation of about 6,000 people.  Due to a 1978 landmark government ruling (Olpihant v. Suquamish), the Supreme Court stripped tribes of the right to arrest and prosecute non-Indians who commit crimes on Indian land.  If neither victim nor perpetrator are Indian, a county or state official must make the arrest.  If the perpetrator is non-Indian and the victim an enrolled member, only a federally-certified agent has that right.  If the opposite is true, a tribal officer can make the arrest, but the case must still go to federal court.  This quagmire creates a jurisdictional nightmare by choking up the legal process on reservations to such a degree, many criminals go unpunished indefinitely for serious crimes."

This is the basis for Sheridan's tale, as a Native American woman is found dead, and murder is highly suspect, but the legal system is so discombobulated that it looks almost impossible finding the possible killers, if there even was a crime.  The story is passionate and deliberate, without diving into the Agatha Christie style of having all the suspects in a room and slowly deducing who committed the crime.  Instead, Sheridan leaves little clues to the identity of the killer and doesn't introduce characters as possible suspects.  It's a deeply engrossing tale that left me feeling uncomfortable throughout, because I didn't know what was coming next.  There's a constant sense of dread and anticipation, like walking on the razor's edge.

Along with the story,  Sheridan does some highly effective cinematography tricks that throw off the viewers and makes it a more enriching tale, especially one moment that I won't spoil, but needless to say it was pretty spectacular, and something I've hardly seen in any movie in recent memory.

Juxtaposed with the story is the top-notch acting talent Sheridan brought in.  Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen already have epic on-screen chemistry (both play as Avengers in "Age of Ultron" and "Captain America: Civil War;" Renner as Hawkeye and Olsen as the Scarlet Witch), and they bring it in epic fashion to this small-world tale that has a larger world impact.  Both characters need each other, but not in a romantic way, to which Sheridan doesn't even begin to imply.

Renner's Cory is an expert tracker and hunter, who serves as the all-around good guy who suffered a tragic loss and used it to become a better man.  The opening scene shows him shooting wolves to keep the sheep safe, and that's how he acts towards humans as well.  We know he had a daughter and she died, and now has an ex-wife and younger son.  Other than that, we're not given a lot of his backstory, and that's alright: we know all we need to know. 

Elizabeth Olsen plays Jane Banner, a FBI Agent who is very inexperienced on the field, but has a huge heart.  She wants to stay on and solve the case because she's emotionally invested in Natalie's death, and is fierce and fearless, albeit a bit green when it comes to the whole.  She relies on Cory's tracking and personal knowledge to help piece together the clues and try to get one step ahead.  She shows interest in Cory's personal story, but not because she's seeking a romantic relationship, but because she truly cares.

The major character in the film is the setting itself.  For a film being released at the end of summer, it's starkly different from the warm, sunny weather you see outside.  Taking place in Wyoming, the fields are covered in rich, white snow, and it's visibly freezing, so much so I felt cold watching the film, because I was so immersed in the story.  The landscape is beautiful and also unforgiving, as Natalie's body is found in the snow, and the setting is used perfectly to continue the story and lead to a satisfying, brutal finish. 

The Summary:
A compelling story that shines an important light on Native American society, coupled with an amazing cast and a harsh, unforgiving landscape, "Wind River" is that rare film that leaves you speechless at the end, vastly amazed at what you just saw.

The Score: A+