A well crafted modern crime/noir story

Rating: 8/10 (17 September 2017)

Given Taylor Sheridan's previous works as the writer of "Sicario" and "Hell or High Water", I was rather excited to see what he would do when also taking the helm. This feature "Wind River", as Sheridan has said himself, completes his unofficial trilogy of stories exploring the American frontier and it does so on a high note.
The film is captivating from beginning to end due to well paced writing, directing and editing and raw performances particularly from Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen and Gil Birmingham.
Renner plays a Fish and Wildlife officer/tracker named Cory Lambert who patrols the Wind River Indian reservation in Wyoming which gives the film it's name. Olsen plays an FBI agent named Jane Banner who is called in to investigate the death of a Native American woman found at the reservation. She represents an outsider looking in perspective of this culture as Renner represents the opposite of someone who lives within in it and understands the landscapes due to his occupation.
When the autopsy of the body reveals it was a homicide, Jane asks Cory to help with the case due to his expertise and he agrees so they set out to investigate. It is revealed later on that Cory's daughter was murdered too and he feels responsible for it so he is using this case as a chance for redemption and closure.
The film's slow but deliberate pace and crisp cinematography makes you almost feel the biting cold of the environment and the harshness that this culture deals with on a day to day basis. The film highlights some unfortunate truths like the fact that even though the medical examiner believes the case is a homicide he can't report it as one due to a technicality. Also, it is revealed just before the credits in the form of text on the screen that there is no record keeping of missing Native Americans therefore nobody knows how many are truly missing.
It is clear that Sheridan likes to explore uncomfortable subject matter such as the Mexican drug cartel in "Sicario", disenfranchised Middle America in "Hell or High Water" and now the mistreatment of Native Americans in "Wind River". It is also clear that he is very good at it as each of these films are filled with palpable passion and care.
The only thing I had a problem with in "Wind River" was editing in the third act. I felt the way the flashback is utilized is disorienting and a little clumsy which makes the whole final act somewhat disjointed.
However, other than that, "Wind River" is a well crafted crime drama/noir thriller which sheds light on issues seldom talked about.