Desolate and secluded is what “Wind River” is as a crime thriller for the modern-western push. Taylor Sheridan directed this film with Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen as the two leads. It took forever for me to see this film. First it premiered at Sundance back in January, then had a limited release at the beginning of this month, and only this past weekend did it get its wide release. I was both excited and relieved when it showed up as available on Fandango. I must say the wait was worth it.
Renner plays Cory Lambert, a hunter and tracker on the Wind River reservation in the middle of Wyoming who needs to help rookie FBI agent Jane Banner (Olsen) solve the mystery behind the death of an Indian teenager. From the start I was hooked by the premise and depth of character development from Renner who gave this manly outdoorsman a broken heart. A hunter who wants to do the right thing. It’s surely one of his best performances that shows the type of range he has as an actor.
Olsen too showed me and the audience the strong and vulnerable side of female strength. She is basically a fish out of water who’s taken out of her normal routine and put into a situation that required her to put all of her training to good use. That and having to wear winter boots for the first time in her life. Both Renner and Olsen gave stellar performances that drew them both together in order to survive in the wilderness and to convince us that they can surely act.
My biggest take from this film is that it shows small films can be powerful still in this modern age of grand sci-fi epics. Once in a while, a small budgeted film like this comes around and brings a big gulp of fresh air to my cinema loving lungs. I had that same feeling with “Hell or High Water” (2016), another modern-western written by Sheridan. “Wind River” followed super hero movies such as “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. II”, “Wonder Woman”, and “Spider-Man: Homecoming”. It’s not going to make as much money or become as popular as these. Its storytelling, simple sets, good acting, and use of the terrain and weather brought out the human side of film-making.
Elizabeth Olsen (L) and Jeremy Renner (R) in “Wind River”
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