The powerful crime thriller that is Wind River.

Rating: 9/10 (20 January 2019)

Wind River is the story of a local wildlife hunter who teams with a small time FBI agent to investigate and solve the murder of a young girl, set In Wyoming Wind River Indian reservation. This is a murder mystery with thrill, suspense and great character depth. When it comes to crime thrillers, this film ticks all the right boxes.
Jeremy Renner is perfectly cast as the worn down hunter with a troubled past. While dealing with his own demons, this investigation is definitely somewhat of a personal journey for his character and Renner plays it off great. His character is damn good at his job. He knows the people, he knows the land and with his tracking skills he may be more crucial to this investigation than you'd initially think. He's a family man who's dealt with tragedy, though is always trying to keep it together. I find that respectful, it adds to the strength of his character as not only a hunter, but a father.
Elizabeth Olsen as an FBI agent felt like a major miscast for me going into this film, she proved me wrong. Here she plays a rookie FBI agent in a fish out of water type situation, sent to investigate a murder in the snowy climate of Wyoming, completely unprepared. I was relieved to see she isn't playing a damsel in distress here who constantly relies on Renner's character, but instead lives up to the title of an agent. She holds her own, and proves her worth in the investigation, despite being the worst choice for it at first glance. Olsen played her part well and really surprised me, she has a lot more range as an actress than I judged.
Olsen's character also helped to introduce and explore the ongoing conflict between the native Americans who live on the remote land, and the outsiders, outsiders being anyone living outside of the Indian reservation. You get an immediate sense of that when Olsen's character enters the scene. Wind River in all it's chilling glory really sets the tone for the film. The setting makes for some great cinematography and really digs deep on the harsh conditions that the eastern Shoshone and northern Arapaho tribes have to endure.
The plot itself takes time to tell its tale, though there's never a dull moment thanks to the performances of the cast. And during that buildup to the third act there is a lot of character build and depth. And so by the time we reach the climax, it feels climactic. You're there with these characters you come to know pretty damn well within the space of an hour, and it's a hell of a pay off. Director and writer Taylor Sheridan plays with tension so well, I'm talking Christopher Nolan level tension. When it comes to action there's little to none in the film, but when it's used, it's used to its full potential in synergy with that tension. No plot holes, and many questions answered. It's a powerful, well written air-tight script, and a great film I highly rate.