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Wind River (2017)
The vengeance thriller genre has always been popular because its core emotion is universal and forgiveness has human limits. There are many ways to translate this theme to film and most involve ‘eye for an eye’ violence which is the narrative heart of Wind River (2017). The stand out feature of this film lies in the way it deploys stunning cinematography to tell a reality-based story with rising tension and emotional depth.
While protecting livestock from wolves in the snow-covered Wyoming mountains, wildlife hunter Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) discovers the frozen body of a barefoot 18-year old girl. The crime scene is on Indian Reservation land and beyond local jurisdiction so rookie FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) is sent to investigate. Her inexperience is quickly obvious and she calls on Lambert’s hunting skills and knowledge of the Mountain ranges. The investigation unfolds amidst deep distrust that locals have for outsiders and Lambert’s grief over the recent loss of his own daughter. His connection with the Indian parents of the missing girl adds a culturally sensitive and emotional layer to what would otherwise be just an action-based thriller.
There is little in this story that would earn praise for originality. Its pace is unhurried and the central characters are stereotypes that we have seen before. But it is outstanding in the way the majestic mountain-scapes are integrated into the storytelling through breathtaking panoramic aerial photography. Treacherous weather and the effects of sub-zero temperatures on the human body add to the hidden dangers and the impoverishment of life on native American Reservations. Lambert and Olsen are well-cast as two conflicted loners, giving character performances that drive the film without grandstanding. Dialogue is minimalist as you might expect in an isolated mountain community and a female FBI agent is not going to change that. While shootouts are obligatory in this genre, the violence is swift and essential to the narrative. The film’s suspense curve maintains audience engagement until justice and vengeance are served.
While this film comes with little fanfare, it has solid storytelling, exciting visuals, and well-crafted acting. It also has a subdued political theme not fully evident until the sobering on-screen end-credits message that, even today, no data is collected on the number of American Indian women reported missing. This disturbing insight into the status of today’s native American population is balanced by the positive feminist message that is portrayed in a young female heroine using her wits without the hyper-violence seen in so many recent releases.
Director: Taylor Sheridan
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Kelsey Asbille, Julia Jones
Seeing this tomorrow night!
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I love Jeremy Renner and panoramic vistas always lift a plot for me. Conventional, perhaps, but it sounds like something I’d like. Thanks for the review!
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Thanks Cindy. Its interesting to see mountainscapes used as a narrative palette to paint a big part of this story.
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Pingback: Movie Review: “Wind River” (2017)- The Winter Hunts – matiuadex movies
A nice winter movie to watch….
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A perfect description!
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A thrilling watch. Nice review.
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Whew! I was afraid to read your review, as I had just seen the trailers for this film and was intensely interested. Of course the visuals suck me in, being a native of Wyoming. And I enjoy Jeremy Renner. And the subject holds plenty of teeth. Perhaps it’s too bad that the teeth weren’t revealed till the end credits. The plot you describe reminds me of a book my book club read called Roundhouse by Louis Erdrich, which highlights the heartbreaking complexity of tribal law and jurisdictional calamities.
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Its a beautiful looking film and there could have been more emphasis on the racial injustice of unreported missing Indian women. You will enjoy this one.
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I finally got a chance to see this film. I liked it a lot. I wonder if perhaps the really important aspect of tribal/state/federal jurisdictions could have been better developed. The politics involved in reservation justice are a complicated mess that underserves the Native American populations.
The crucial thing about Lambert’s grief is that his daughter was half Indian. Had that not been the case, his entire integration with reservation law enforcement would have been an entirely different story. That he earned the trust of tribal leaders and residents speaks volumes about his character. Without his presence, Banner would have been quite literally left out in the cold. How many people recognized that the warm clothing she was given to wear on the initial snowmobile investigation were the very clothes of Lambert’s daughter.
I felt that everything about this film was superior to another recent hit movie about the western US, The Revenant.
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Thank you for sharing such interesting observations. As viewers who incline towards political readings of movies, we both would have preferred more exposition about what you call the tribal/state/federal jurisdictions. For other viewers, this would have cluttered the action-based thrust of the film.
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I suppose you are correct about that.
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Good review! I enjoyed it also and truthfully didn’t think I would as I was kinda meh ..on the title name. I don’t like reading too much about films before I see/review them – and was really glad I kept in the dark on this one. And then the title made sense too! ha!
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It is what some people call ‘a sleeper’ film; it sneaks up without much promotional fuss and delivers a solid story with great filming. Hard not to like.
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Total ‘sleeper’ film or do we say ‘sneaker’ film because it snuck up on you with a great story. 🙂
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I think it is coming next week in my country. Looking forward to see it. Nice review. Thank you.
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Just saw this today and loved it. Sheridan made a great debut as a director and Jeremy Renner kicked ass! This was an awesome review, please check out my thoughts (https://nerd-feed.com/2017/09/13/movie-review-wind-river/) and let me know what you think.
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Thank you Kieran. We both agree that it is great storytelling and visuals. I also enjoyed reading your excellent review.
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Thanks a lot! Hopefully, Sheridan can continue his great scripts and directing projects.
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