Wind River: The Old-World Cowboy and the New-World FBI Agent

Rating: 10/10 (14 September 2017)

I've often wondered, in the bleak and a-moral world that we live in, what would the morally 'good' John Wayne or James Arness-type of cowboy do in the face of rapists, child killers and bad men and women who escape justice through pleas of insanity of mental disorder? In Jeremy Renner's Cory Lambert we get the hint of an answer. A tough cowboy and 'hunter of predators', Renner encapsulates both the straight-down-the-middle 'good guy' western hero and the complex pathos-driven study in masculinity that emerged in post-John Wayne cinema. Not that Renner's could be described as soft, indeed the pathos and tragedy that motivates him is potent and the means through which he channels this pain creates a 'new' cowboy who is the perfect combination of traditional and contemporary sensibilities.
Elizabeth Olsen's Jane Banner provides the chink of light shining from the modern outside world into this Western microcosm which straddles both the 'Wild West' frontier and a Trump-ruled America in its savagery and desperation. Her hero is our doorway into the frozen landscapes of Wyoming and it is through her eyes and her compassion that the viewer can begin to process the tragedy and sadness that permeates Wind River. The FBI agent perfectly balances against the old world cowboy, both characters are reflections of each other in their strength, compassion and tenacity.