Would have preferred if it was just a wildlife documentary.

Rating: 5/10 (3 December 2017)

Wind River is one of those films that many will really like and many won't like at all. Im in the latter.
A very quick summary of the plot revolves around the discovered body of a murdered native young woman/girl in an Indian reservation. Out of towner female FBI agent Elizabeth Olsen turns up to solve the case with the help of the native law enforcement and also local tracker/ mad max-vigilante, Jeremy Renner.
It starts off very promising and straight away we get a dose of Wyoming's beautiful snow capped land scales and feral wildlife - a real visual treat, but then unfortunately the so called murder investigation/plot starts.
The main reason reason I didn't like this is because there was no murder investigation. Renner, who mumbles his way through the film, and Olsen kinda just move from one location to the next causing more harm than good. Olsen's character is supposed to be this rabbit in in the headlights turned tough cookie Clarice Starling alike and feminist alarm bells start ringing when she clashes with local authority and the natives over the murder and her ability to get it resolved. To be honest that doesn't bother me to much, but want did bother me was the morality side of the two lead characters.
Both seem deeply troubled throughout by the death of the native girl who was found frozen and molested in the snow and walked 6 miles before falling to her death. Sure of course that is awful, but her death is the only one that counts, the numerous men that are killed in the process of their 'investigation' is of no importance at all. The scene that cements this the most is where Olsen's FBI agent knocks at the door of a potential suspect, he runs she chases they have a short stand off where she blasts him to death with a flurry of bullets from her gun. He did have a gun in his hand so could be perceived as self defence, but that isn't the major issue. The major issue is that it turns out he had nothing to do with the murder investigation, but its very much swept under the carpet. The very next scene Olsen is Jovially chatting with Renner on their next move, there is absolutely no signs from her that she just shot an individual to death, no emotions or anything, as though it did happen, what does she do this every day? Didn't sit well with that, seeing as this film is not a tongue in cheek actioner like Kick Ass.
The silly shoot outs don't stop there as there a climatic one where 10 or so law enforcement agents are killed in a stand off where everybody dies except Olsen's tough brave and extremely lucky FBI agent who happened to be bang smack in the middle of it. She is helped by Renner who is sniping some of these bad guy cops from a distance. Thats right Renner who through most of the film is an ordinary local tracker has now turned into a psychopathic killer and vigilante, who dishes out mad max style justice on one one of the girls murderers when he catches him.
OK I think you can tell i wasn't keen on there films plot and moral grounds, I also thought it lacked any drama as there was no real investigating, it was more action.
I must say though the film is shot beautifully and has a compelling score. The best bits for me was the stunning scenery and interaction with wildlife in this remote part of the USA. Its a real pity the characters turned up!