An American Indian murder mystery

Rating: 7/10 (7 April 2018)

Wind River is a movie about a Fish and Game hunter who helps an FBI agent try to solve a mysterious murder on the Wind River Indian Reservation. This film explores the other side of living on an American Indian reservation. This journey in the film, while important for discussing the culture of American Indian society, often makes the film feel slow at times. A lot of dialogue about pain, hope, despair, and lost opportunity are intertwined within this murder mystery.
The film is very similar in style to the 1992 movie, Thunderheart. As a movie, I thought Thunderheart was a much better overall story/murder mystery mainly because while it showed American Indian life/culture, the story remained focused on the mystery. In this movie, Wind River, the murder mystery tends to get lost at times within the long dialogue scenes about Wind River society and culture. Then it gets back to the murder mystery.
As a film, I recommend seeing it. It has a good story and great ending. However, because of the film's pace, I think many viewers will probably only watch it one time.