Wind River – Review

This beautifully shot, yet entirely bleak murder mystery places an investigative cop drama into a sociopolitical backdrop deep within a Wyoming Indian Reservation. As a newly minted FBI agent (Olsen) working out of Las Vegas is sent into the wintry mountains two states away, she quickly realizes that she may need additional help understanding both the unforgiving local terrain as well as tribal relations.

Working together with a local, and white, Fish & Wildlife Officer (Renner), she tries to adapt to the blustery conditions and tempered expectations of solving a dark crime while inhibited by being an outsider on tribal lands. The film results in a quasi-western in modern times, full of emotion and realism.

A dead young frozen woman kick-starts a tale all too realistic, however worth the venture if you can stomach the results. While not a gore-fest, the true-to-life horror in the story is enough to fuel plenty of anger and despair. The gorgeous shots of mountain are quite a juxtaposition to the dark story revelations. The acting is great, with everyone giving their characters reality and depth.

The tribe themselves have clearly dealt with violence and government oppression in the past, as indicated by a true-life Supreme Court ruling which strips tribes of the right to arrest and prosecute non-natives suspected of criminal action on their land, hence the FBI involvement in this movie’s story. The story and directing are top notch, and should be watched if you can stomach dark crime tales.