Taylor Sheridan likely isn’t a name you know, but it’s becoming increasingly apparent that you should. Following-up on screenplay credits for the critically acclaimed crime dramas Sicario and Hell or High Water, Sheridan makes his excellent directorial debut adapting another of his own stories, Wind River. His first film isn’t without faults, especially in its somewhat plodding pace, but through superb acting and character development as well as a glorious final act, Wind River effectively transcends genre tropes and delivers an affecting murder-mystery that is worth seeing.
Wind River opens on a severely underdressed teenage girl hurriedly trudging through the frigid, snow-covered terrain in the mountains of Wyoming. Hours later, her frozen corpse is discovered by US Fish and Wildlife Serviceman Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner). She was Natalie Hanson (Kelsey Chow), a Native American girl who grew up and lived near the area she was found, in the Wind River Indian Reservation. Elizabeth Olsen co-stars across Renner as Jane Banner, an FBI agent called to the scene who, immediately upon examination, rules the death a homicide.
The first half of the film feels very familiar as Sheridan sprinkles bits of evidence that allow us to slowly piece together what may have transpired that led to Natalie’s death. We follow Lambert and Banner as they visit the mourning parents, lambast the estranged older brother, and trek through the surrounding areas tracking various snowmobile tracks that may or may not lead to the answer they’re looking for. The first half of Wind River builds its resolution rather slowly. Instead, Sheridan lends the focus to assembling complex characters, like Lambert, who is revealed to have previously lost his own daughter in a similar, unresolved homicide.
And while Wind River takes its sweet time before solving its riddle, it is absolutely worth the wait. With one magical edit at the one-and-a-half hour mark, Sheridan takes us back to the hours preceding Natalie’s death for a reveal that is both masterfully crafted and, better yet, unanticipated. The film’s driving force is wholly rejuvenated by a powerful finale.
This review would have read much differently had Sheridan not delivered a climax of this caliber. Yes, the film is well-rendered in every aspect, from its strong cinematography and captivating setting to its remarkable performances given by its leads (Jeremy Renner in particular gives what is perhaps his career-best performance) and smaller characters alike (Jon Bernthal and Gil Birmingham especially stand out amongst a wonderful cast). But these aspects could not have saved a film that, up until the third act, I was afraid was leading to an expected resolution. Fortunately, Sheridan comes through with a powerhouse of an ending, ultimately saving his film and in turn making it doubly better than it would have been otherwise.
4 stars out of 5
— Michael Lane, Blog Editor
