Wind River review: Taylor Sheridan steps behind the camera for this Cannes hot ticket, starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen.
Wind River review, Andrew Gaudion.
Taylor Sheridan has very quickly established himself as one of modern American cinema’s most assured genre screenwriters. With the one-two hit of Sicario (directed by Denis Villeneuve) and Hell or High Water (directed by David Mackenzie), Sheridan has shown an ear for character, stylistic dialogue and a very keen skill in mounting a third act of excruciating tension, with a particular interest in volatile US landscapes. Both Sicario and Hell or High Water stand as two of the more impressionable and impressive thrillers of recent memory, which means many people must be looking to Sheridan’s own directorial effort, Wind River, to see if the man himself has got what it takes to put his own words on the screen in as effective a manner as Villeneuve and Mackenzie before him. No easy feat; but by Jove, the boy has done it!
Jeremy Renner stars as US Fish and Wildlife Service Tracker Cory Lambert who works on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Whilst out hunting, Cory stumbles across the body of young local girl Natalie; frozen solid with clear signs of sexual assault. Rookie FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) arrives into town and enlists Cory’s help to discover what events lead to Natalie’s mysterious death.
From the very opening, a shot of a stark snow-covered landscape bathed in moonlight, there is the sense that this landscape is one that brings with it a great number of dangers, both seen and unseen. The sense of threat is immediate, be it from the harsh conditions or the vacant assailant forcing this young girl to run barefoot in these vicious, icy conditions.
With mystery firmly established, Wind River takes the time to establish the players of this mystery and what they all have at stake in this unforgiving landscape. A great deal of time is devoted particularly to Cory and the personal relationship he has with this particular case, but Sheridan presents enough individual stories and experiences of the people living on the reservation. This is a landscape that seems determined to stifle optimism and force those with aspirations to keep their expectations in check and find a means to survive in this icy cul-de-sac of heartland America. Everyone seems to have faced tragedy in one form or another, making this an even harsher landscape for rout-of-town rookie FBI agent Jane to navigate.
Within these moments of crafting character detail, Sheridan could be accused of drawing out the second act a little too much, as the facts are slowly gathered by Cory, Jane and the chief of police (a scene-stealing Graham Greene). But, much like is the case with Sicario and Hell or High Water; it is all kindling for the fire of the volatile third act. As all the pieces fall into place Wind River becomes a thriller of excruciating tension and heart-pounding suspense. The patient approach pays off in dividends with a third act that’ll have you biting your nails down to the bone.
Much as to why this approach works is through the performances given by an eclectic cast of character actors. Elizabeth Olsen, freed from her silly Scarlet Witch accent shows why she is such a strong actress within smaller indie-fare. Her character is perhaps the most cliched out the of the vast array of characters, but her sense of rootlessness to the surroundings matched with her eagerness is a source of many moments of tension and wit. Renner also excels, letting his character actor muscles flex for the first time in a long while, blending his natural charisma with the more questionable nature of some of his actions to provide the film with its tortured heart and soul.
Completing what feels like an unofficial trilogy of a portrait of American landscapes in the 21st century, Taylor Sheridan has very much confirmed his voice as one of almost Cormac McCarthy-esque quirks, simmering violence and struggles against what is right, just and fair. He has once again deftly crafted a tale of deep, moral murkiness set to the backdrop of a distinct landscape, one which often makes it hard to see which of the two paths laid in front is the correct one to take. Wind River operates on a level which proves to be affecting to the very core, a film which leaves its mark and stays with you like a vivid fever dream, helped in no small way by the haunting ethereal score from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. Exceptional genre filmmaking, and yet another example of Sheridan’s searing talent.
Wind River review by Andrew Gaudion, September 2017
Wind River is released in UK cinemas on Friday 8th September, 2017
