Wind River is a murder mystery film directed by Taylor Sheridan which was released in early August. This is a movie that I failed to see in theatres, failed to watch a single reason and watched it solely because there were two Avengers cast in it. I didn't know that it was even a murder mystery film because I didn't see a single trailer for it.
THE PLOT:
Jeremy Renner plays the role of Cory Lambert, a veteran hunter who is often called up by people who complain of their livestock being in danger or being killed by dangerous predators. This movie is set in the Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming where Cory is called up regarding a lion threatening the livestock. Cory arrives with his son to his in-law's house in Wind River. Cory is a divorced male probably in his early forties and through the course of the movie, we discover the real reason behind his divorce.
Coincidentally, while looking for the lions, Cory stumbles upon the body of a young native American girl he once knew. So this slow paced movie suddenly catches some fire when FBI officer Kelsey Asbille arrives at the scene to investigate the incident. Cory makes himself useful by assisting the rookie FBI officer and showing her around the place along with a local sheriff. One thing leads to another and we then find out the real reason behind Cory's involvement with the case and we come to know that he's doing all this for redemption.
The death of the native American girl is listed as death due to pulmonary hemorrhage by the coroner because the girl inhaled frozen air while dying but it's pretty clear from the autopsy that its a homicide despite the results. That was quite a heavy reality bomb the movie dropped on me and it hit me hard and left me wondering how easy it was to tamper with a cause of death whatever the real reason might have been. So this case is now listed as any other case makes things extremely hard for the FBI officer and she's forced to work with limited resources and absolutely no backup because of the non-homicide listing it received from the coroner. The movie is about the chain of events occurring as Cory and Kelsey keep digging deeper and the danger that follows them everywhere they go.
JEREMY RENNER - CORY LAMBERT
Before this movie, I've only known him as Hawkeye, the useless Avenger and the dude who tried playing Jason Bourne. My favorite performance from Renner came from the Mission Impossible series where he plays Brandt, the kickass analyst you wouldn't want to pick a fight with. He was no new face for me and he absolutely killed it as Cory.
Throughout the movie, Cory is hunting the murderers of the young girl while everyone else thinks he's here to hunt the lions and the real reason behind his involvement is heartbreaking to know. He's a master tracker who can hunt humans as good as he hunts predators. The scene he shares with the girl's parents is probably my favorite scene of the movie which is followed by another scene he shares with Elizabeth Olsen describing the psychological trauma his family has suffered. He owns every scene he's in and he constantly backs the local sheriff and FBI officer Kelsey.
He displays class and proves that he's not just good with arrows and that he can do just as good with a sniper rifle. This movie is by far my favorite Jeremy Renner performance and for the first time, I've seen some great acting coming from him. An Oscar worthy performance for Renner which took me and everyone else who watched it by surprise.
ELIZABETH OLSEN - KELSEY ASBILLE
As mentioned earlier, she was the second reason I watched this movie, the famous Scarlett Witch now plays the role of an unlucky FBI officer who had to report to the crime scene because she was the only one in close proximity to the area. She displays her inexperience very well and it's nice to watch her learn and grow.
Cory assists her throughout the case and she'd probably be lost without him, it almost feels like she's assisting him considering his expertise and knowledge about the snow-capped lands. Together they track down the assailants successfully with danger following right behind them. Every scene she shares with Cory is perfect and to see the rookie officer learn from her mistakes and get a taste of reality is fantastic to witness and Olsen has done a great job with this character. I look forward to watching more of her movies than just Avengers.
THE MESSAGE
Wind River is based on true events. The movie is written beautifully and not a single scene feels like a waste. I was at the edge of my seat when it came to the second half and this is truly one of the best murder mysteries I've ever seen. It never loses focus and the ending literally left me in tears, all credits to Renner and Olsen. I don't feel like watching it again not because its a bad movie but because I'm afraid to revisit these feelings again. The reality bombs that are dropped throughout the movie are pretty heavy and bitter, the actual incidents that happened to the girl were equally painful and Cory's past is tragic, to say the least.
It's really sad to know that there's not even a missing person list for Native American girls and that they're given no priority at all considering how much their safety is at stake. The message was pretty loud and clear, this was one of those rare occasions where a movie becomes more than just a movie and Wind River clearly belongs in that category. The soundtrack was awesome, the locations were beautiful, and the best part for me was the poetic justice towards the end. For a moment, I was left wondering what I would have done if I were in their place and I actually began to wonder if what the murderers said actually made sense. Their complaints felt real and reasonable and the snowcapped lands filled with despair might have been the real villain after all. The people have two choices, survive or surrender and there's no living or hope in these lands.
VERDICT:
9/10
This is one of the best thrillers I've ever seen and I'm expecting this movie to pop up in a few departments for the Oscars 2018.
