Chilling in every sense of the word

Rating: 9/10 (12 December 2018)

This film is engrossing from beginning to end. The dialog is as sparse as the vistas. Yet every word is chosen with care to be a piece of a puzzle. It keeps you guessing and more important it keeps your heart raw the entire time. The bleak story is one of form, function and setting meld together.
Sheridan is quite a gifted writer and he hits it out of the park again. This script, and especially the ending, functions as a murder mystery, a northern western and as an expose on a current issue. There is a bitter irony that this film was largely overlooked when it came out given its subject matter. The ending and climax is absolutely perfect. The symmetry and symbolism is just memorizing.
Renner gives a very touching performance here and yet he retains his gruff masculinity that fits the feel of the film. Everything is chilled, barren and poignant. This is a very good film.