Wind River (2017) Review by: Tristan Bunn
Wind River was probably my second most anticipated film of the year, so I’m very excited to finally see it and talk about it. It’s written by one of my favorite writers, Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water, Sicario), and it’s also directed by him, this being his directorial debut. I want to be a screenwriter, and my screenplays rely on a lot of dialogue so I naturally gravitate to writers with a similar style. Sheridan writes dialogue so poetic, yet so realistic, that I stay gripped to the screen every time I’m hearing his words. Wind River is a powerhouse piece of cinema and easily one of the best of 2017 so far.
Let’s start by talking about the man himself, Taylor Sheridan. I was so excited to see what a masterful writer would do as a director. He delivers. This doesn’t feel like someone’s directorial debut. This feels like a veteran who has been honing his craft for years. Wind River is genuinely one of the greatest directorial debuts ever. Sheridan uses the camera as a character. There is so much passion oozing through every single frame, that I was hooked to the film from the first shot. He has a really wonderful balance of mounted camerawork and handheld, depending on how he wants the viewer to feel at any given moment. That’s what impressed me most from Sheridan as a first time director: He uses the camera as a lens for the audience. I know that sounds obvious, but it’s rare that a director can truly transport an audience to the location with just framing and shooting style, but Sheridan does it marvelously. A lot of credit should be given to the cinematographer, Ben Richardson, because he paints pictures for the audience here with his lighting and camera setups. Sheridan makes the location feel like a character in this film. It is so integral to the plot and to the reason characters are who they are. He shoots the dialogue scenes brilliantly, sucking you in slowly, and his direction of the violence is some of the best work I’ve seen all year. This film is beautiful, unrelenting, important, and captivating.
Much of this is due to his remarkable screenplay. I still think Hell or High Water is probably his best script, but this is a close second. These characters are so well written, that I sat in my seat glued to their every word. There is so much depth to them, particularly Jeremy Renner’s character, that transported this to greatness. There is a murder investigation going on, but the emotional core of the film is what this moment brings to the surface for Renner and how he must not only help Elizabeth Olsen hunt a predator, but deal with his own personal demons. Renner walks the line to perfection. He just feels like a man who has been through these things. There’s never that “actor moment.” You know when they really let loose or make themselves cry or just show off? I’m not saying emotional actors are showing off, I’m just saying that Renner is so reserved in his acting and it suits the character and the script so well. You’re able to see the pain behind his eyes, but he has a tough exterior and just feels like a real human being. This is his best performance to date. A lot of this goes back to Sheridan’s brilliant screenplay. I’ve heard great actors say it’s almost easy when you’re working with a great script, and they definitely all had what they needed on the page for this film.
Elizabeth Olsen is also really good in her portrayal of this FBI agent who is in over her head. What’s so great about her character and what makes her so well written is that she’s very smart. She’s strong mentally and physically. She doesn’t need Jeremy Renner because she’s a girl and he’s a big strong man. There’s nothing like that happening here. She really asks for Renner to help her because of the location and because she knows his knowledge of it will lend a hand in solving this case. She’s smart, she’s resourceful, and she’s strong. Her acting is so good because we don’t know a lot about her past like we do about Renner’s. However, we feel like we know her almost immediately because Sheridan uses his dialogue as a tool so well and Olsen acts it perfectly, that you don’t even notice you’re getting to know her character until the stakes are raised and you realize you actually care for everyone involved because they’re real human beings.
Gil Birmingham is also mesmerizing in every single scene he’s in. There is so much depth to him and his culture and Native Americans as a whole, that it genuinely breaks your heart. He feels depressed and trapped, but the script lets you know that almost everyone in this place feel the same way. The characters are products of their environment and I think this might be the area where the script is the strongest. You don’t forgive characters for their actions, but you understand how this isolated location and this iron fist of government upon Native Americans can create undesirable situations and even more undesirable people. This goes back to the location being a character, and I love films where that is the case.
Wind River is truly phenomenal and it makes me even more excited to see where Sheridan’s career goes from here because I believe he’s one of the most talented human beings working in the industry today. The cast is great, the directing is remarkable, and the writing is perfect. Not only is this a stunning film, it also has something to say that I think people should see, particularly in the divisive time we live in currently. This is the perfect storm of cinema and I absolutely adored it.
Grade: A
