Great Direction and Amazing Performances by the Lead Cast

Rating: 8/10 (27 August 2017)

This movie, invariably, reminded me of The Prisoners. Even though it is a different plot but the overall experience of the movie is very much the same. It is a little depressing, so if you are in a mood to have some fun, this movie shouldn't be the choice. Having said that, in terms of cinema, it is a very good watch.
Story (8/10): A body of a very young girl, just adult, is found in the icy mountainous region of Wind River Reservation area of Wyoming. The FBI agent, Jane, teams up with a local hunter, Cory, to solve the mystery behind the killing that is not exactly a standard killing since the girl is found to have died because of pulmonary hemorrhage while running barefoot on the ice. While Jane has been summoned from a far away from Nevada for the case, she still has to adjust to the cultural aspect of the area and the demons in the unforgiving terrain. Luckily, she has Cory by her side to help her see the subtle clues. As they solve the case, Jane also discovers a chapter from Cory's personal life that makes him want to help her in the case. The story is very well written and the relevance of each character, besides Cory and Jane, has also been explained quite nicely which makes the entire story complete. The conceptualization of the opening scene, some of the connection of the main story with Cory's past and the climax scene is amazing and couldn't be more fitting to the entire story.
Acting (8/10): The lead cast, Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, are amazing to watch. Jeremy Renner was a near perfect choice for the role and he did justice to the character by avoiding being dramatic or aggressive. Elizabeth was amazing to watch as a dedicated, empathetic, honest but a slightly under-confident officer who knows her limitations in the unfamiliar land. Her chemistry with Jeremy Renner is quite subtle. A large part of the movie has only these two characters in the scenes. The rest of the cast, however, has done just good enough to maintain the standard of the movie.
Direction (9/10): Taylor Sheridan did a stellar job in directing this movie to near perfection. The opening scene was very well picturized and laid down the set up quite well. Some of the scenes and locations used to convey the brutality of the terrain added a lot more implicit drama to the movie. The climax scene couldn't have been more fitting to close the movie. The references and conversations explaining how differently things work in that region compared to the rest of the US brought a lot more authenticity to the story as well as the importance of the central character's involvement in solving the murder mystery. The pacing and the length of the movie are just right enough to keep you glued to the screen.
Overall (8/10): Overall, it's a great movie to watch, especially for some amazing performances by Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, and great direction.