Wind River - Review

Release Date: August 4, 2017

Have You Heard of This?
​There are a ton of movies that don't get seen every year. This is due to them not being the big tentpole films that the studios prop up for everyone to see. There are so many small movies, small from a budget perspective, that get made and are overlooked. Television killed the small movie, the ones not trying to compete for awards at the end of the year. Wind River is trying to get awards at the end of the year, and it at least deserves a couple of nominations if not winning a few.

The main character in the movie is played by Jeremy Renner, most known for being Hawkeye in the Marvel Studios movies. At first, that is all I could see was his Marvel character; it didn't help that the other lead was Elizabeth Olsen who also plays a notable character in that studio production. The actors melted into their new characters so much that it is going to be hard for me to see them as superheroes again. They do such a great job bringing their characters to life and making you feel attached to them. They are supported immensely by the overall story of the movie.

The movie doesn't let you know that it is important at any point before you actually go and see it. I would advise that you not watch trailers or know as little as possible before seeing it. The emotional weight and depth sneak up on you while watching the movie. This is not an action movie, it is first and foremost a drama. So when there are scenes of high tension with action, it looks like people are dying. In most action movies the death count is so high, you don't actually realize people are dying. Every death in Wind River is powerful and full of suspense, not that the body count is that high.

​The movie caught me off guard on how powerful it became. There were moments when I tensed up and others where I was elated by the actions happening on screen. It was a visceral experience that when over, everyone in the theater sat through a pretty good chunk of the credits to let it sink in. The writer and director of the movie, Taylor Sheridan, wrote last year's Hell or High Water. That movie was also good but not on the same level as this movie. He also wrote Sicario, but the person to get all the fame out of that was the director Denis Villeneuve. My point in bringing him up is that it would be a good idea to look out for his future work because it seems he is getting better and better.

Overall, Wind River was an amazing movie. From the beautiful cinematography to the amazing story and acting, it was all amazing to watch. You should see this movie at some point.

                                      9/10
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