Wind River

I had a very unique and concrete experience on how I decided I would review this film. It was after my school’s first home football game, we won, and I was sitting in my car with two friends from the Cross Country team drinking milkshakes. I didn’t want to drive and eat, so we parked in front of the closest building, a movie theater, and I looked up at the marquee where they put the names of the movies they were showing. There was no screen. No digital words scrolling by. Just simple, plastic letters that spelled out Wind River. That moment is a great example of one of my favorite elements of a good film: simplicity is key.

Anything that involves the name TAYLOR SHERIDAN: buy it, rent it, watch it in any convenient way you can, this guy is amazing. He’s only written three screenplays, Sicario, Hell or High Water, and Wind River, and I am a huge fan of every single one. This film, Wind River, also directed by him, is his most emotional piece yet. It sheds light on the world Native Americans live, and it’s not a pretty sight; there are snowstorms in the spring when it is not too cold for clouds, and predators of all kinds stalk the livestock fences night and day. Jeremy Renner’s character is a Fish and Wildlife Services agent, and his job is to take care of the predators that eat the livestock, until he finds a dead body. Elizabeth Olson is also in this movie; her character is a fish-out-of-water FBI agent that is sent from Vegas to see if it was a homicide. She shows the most development in this film, but that’s only because the rest of the characters try to hide it. The writing, again Taylor Sheridan, is simple yet powerful. The people that personally know the girl that was murdered show their anger and sadness so well, to the point where it is hard for other characters to watch. Those scenes are emotionally heavy, but there are other scenes with humor to make sure this film isn’t a sob fest, and there is a gripping action scene in the end that does not miss a beat. The ending almost stands apart; it is the perfect example of poetic justice.

The problem other critics are pointing out is that this film centers its focus on a “White Savior,” that Jeremy Renner is the Caucasian superhero that defeats all evil with his trusty hunting rifle. No. That’s not what this film was saying. A world populated by minorities that struggle under their limited possibilities is a problem that most common people can’t understand, but a movie like this gives them the chance. Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olson were hired because they know how to sell the scene and how to sell the movie. If their faces are on the poster, more people will see it than a movie about Native Americans hunting down white monsters and forcing them to die from the cold; that’s based on my experiences, and I may be wrong, but why else do you think Tony Stark was in Spider-Man: Homecoming?

Unlike most films, this one keeps going after the action ends. Its resolution is bittersweet as Jeremy Renner talks to the father of the girl who was murdered. That scene where they talk shows how this film shines. There is no conflict, no goal either character is trying to reach. Both of them simply want to be there before they have to continue on with their lives. The last shot alone shows the skill and passion put into this film, and that’s why I was emotionally affected. I recommend Wind River one-hundred-percent. I cannot compare it to the blockbusters that came out this summer because it is most powerful in its simplicity and desolation, two things blockbusters never truly advertise.

P.S.: this movie is rated R for a very good reason, make sure you know what you are getting into before watching.

Story Rating: 9.5/10

Character Rating: 9/10