Fans of the Kevin Costner-led series Yellowstone should take a few hours this weekend to watch Wind River on Netflix. As directed by Taylor Sheridan, co-creator (and sometimes director) of Yellowstone, this gritty tale shares many of the same characteristics as its TV counterpart, particularly in its views of Native American culture and the rugged wilderness — except rather than fighting over the vast plains of Montana, characters scramble to flee the snow-covered mountains of Wyoming.
“Cory Lambert is a wildlife officer who finds the body of an 18-year-old woman on an American Indian reservation in snowy Wyoming. When the autopsy reveals that she was raped, FBI agent Jane Banner arrives to investigate,” says the official synopsis. “Teaming up with Lambert as a guide, the duo soon find that their lives are in danger while trying to solve the mystery of the teen’s death.:
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Wind River, starring Marvel Cinematic Universe alums Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, opened in 2017 and grossed a modest $45 million against an $11 million budget. And while it earned high praise from the likes of Peter Travers who thought the film packed “an elemental power that knocks you for a loop” and praised the performances of Renner and Olsen as well as Sheridan’s unconventional storytelling style, this gritty “western” doesn’t pop up often in discussions amongst the general moviegoing public like it probably should.
At any rate, if you haven’t seen Wind River, here are a few reasons why you should check it out.
The Stars
Forget Hawkeye and WandaVision; if you really want to see Renner and Olsen dazzle on the screen, look no further than Wind River. He plays U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent Cory Lambert who stumbles upon the frozen remains of a young woman, and she plays the no-nonsense FBI Special Agent Jane Banner tasked with investigating the murder. Together, the pair form a fascinating team — he’s a quiet man with a tragic past who knows the lay of the land and the dangers hidden within it; she hails from modern society where a call for backup isn’t met with a laugh, and murder scenes aren’t blanketed with ten inches of snow overnight.
I don’t want to spoil the film for anyone who hasn’t seen it, suffice to say the pair must eventually see eye-to-eye in order to solve the horrific crime. Through it all, Renner and Olsen display remarkable chemistry as an odd couple who practically hail from different planets.
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There’s a terrific scene early on when Jane awkwardly meets her rugged male companions amidst the freezing elements, and it’s hard to tell which is sending more shivers down her spine. Olsen does a fantastic job conveying a hardened agent striving to maintain her authority in an awkward, even foreign environment.
Later, Cory and Jane share an intimate moment together where he reveals the details surrounding his missing daughter, and, as typical, Renner demonstrates a knack for what I like to call “subtle emoting.” You can see his pain, but only briefly, via subtle movements or gestures. Renner’s performance isn’t overdone, but expressive enough to draw real emotion.
The Supporting Players
I love great acting and, as stated above, Wind River has plenty of it. Renner and Olsen carry the film, but supporting stars Graham Greene and Gil Birmingham (of Yellowstone and Hell or High Water fame) bring plenty of fire. As the Tribal Police Chief, Ben Shoyo, Greene portrays an individual who has seen and lost too much to truly invest himself emotionally in any case. While Birmingham delivers an emotional performance as a grieving father trying to make sense of his daughter’s death.
As an aside, for another great supporting turn by Birmingham, other than Yellowstone, check out Hell or High Water (also scripted by Sheridan), where he plays a Texas Ranger pursuing two bank robbers alongside Jeff Bridges.
That One Scene
Yeah, sorry, I’ve got to venture into spoiler territory here, because my favorite scene in Wind River is an intense shootout that takes place during the climax. Actually, there are two really intense moments broken up by one perfectly placed flashback that explains exactly what happened to the victim. The first occurs when Jane and her team arrive at a drilling site where the dead girl’s boyfriend works. What starts as a cordial bit of questioning quickly escalates into a wicked stand-off.
Following that bit, Jane approaches Matt’s door and, well, all hell breaks loose. I had to pick my jaw off the floor the first time I saw that scene.
A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Tombstone where I watched a reenactment of the famed Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Having watched a number of films and documentaries on the fabled event, I was astonished to learn that the gunfight itself lasted a brief — but still very intense — 30 seconds.
I imagine that real-life moment looked and sounded much like the shootout in Wind River, albeit with fewer machine guns, which is actually pretty wild to think about.
The Underlying Narrative
On the surface, Wind River is a rather simplistic murder mystery, but percolating under the surface are darker truths about Native American life. Sheridan’s story is centered around the injustices faced by Native American women on a daily basis.
“Sexual assault of a Native woman by a non-Native couldn’t be prosecuted because it was a state crime on federal land,” Sheridan explained to Newsweek. “At the same time, if you were a Native accused of assaulting a non-Native, you could be prosecuted twice, once by the federal government and once by the tribal police. It was a double standard of medieval proportions.”
By the film’s end, the heroes have (mostly) emerged victorious and killed the bad guys, but Wind River doesn’t end in triumph. Instead, Sheridan concludes his story with a rather frightening title card: “While missing person statistics are compiled for every other demographic, none exist for Native American women.”
Here we have a dramatic thriller with more on its mind than delivering a simple-minded potboiler, and that’s what makes Wind River such a unique cinematic experience. Like all of the films on Sheridan’s resume, from Sicario to Yellowstone, Hell or High Water to the less seen (but still very good) Those Who Wish Me Dead, Wind River strives to uncover difficult truths simmering beneath America’s rich soil. As such, his films are a different breed than most action thrillers and often leave the viewer with plenty to think about. While Wind River doesn’t quite hit the highs of Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario, it is no less gripping, fascinating and enlightening.
But don’t take my word for it. Check out Wind River for yourselves, then come back here and let us know what you thought. And be sure to watch all of Sheridan’s flicks if you haven’t already. The man is a cinematic treasure.
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