Review of Wind River (2017) by Jonan G — 27 Nov 2017

White snow, a trail of bloody footprints, a woman collapsing from the cold. It's a bleak opening to a film that only gets bleaker from there.

Following a rape and murder, FBI special agent Jane Banner arrives on the scene to investigate. With the help of a local tracker, Cory Lambert, she follows a trail of clues to try and uncover the perpetrators.

Absolutely gorgeous cinematography, in that Roger Deakins, No Country for Old Men vein of wide shots and desolate natural scenes. It's right up my alley; I always fall hard for these types of scenes.

I appreciate that Wind River is trying to say something about minorities - Indians dispossessed of their land, women struggling to stand out in a male-dominated field of work; all this fine work is undermined by the lead hero of the story, as basic a straight white male cowboy stereotype as ever their was. He's tough, manly, well versed in fieldcraft; he can track a cougar for miles, and race his snowmobile at ridiculous speeds through snowy pine forests.

I'm not saying Jeremy Renner doesn't shine in this role. He's perfect. It's just a little incongruous. And ultimately, his character saves the day, for both the dispossessed Indian and the female FBI agent. As I said, incongruous.

Ultimately, strong acting & beautiful cinematography don't quite cover up the weak story.