Reviewed by rogerco,

on 23 Apr 2022
Where seen: DVD proj @ home

Not a good telling of the story

Review of" Wind River  

Film directed by: Taylor Sheridan 

Film released: 2017

Summary
Could have been a very good film with a different director and cast

Review

The premise is promising, the location interesting, the plot has potential - but the realisation is very weak.

Olsen is hopelessly miscast as the 'rookie' FBI agent, Jeremy Renner as the hunter is much better, but we never really get under the skin of his character. In fact all of the characters in the film remain very two-dimensional. The hunter's backstory is hinted at but never properly connected to the plot, the agent has no depth at all.  The locals are simply there to provide colour. The security guards at the oil rig are mere cartoon characters for a violent shoot-out at the end.

The nature of the community on the reservation and its relationship to 'outsiders' working in the area is not properly explored, 

The plot trundles along leading to a confrontation which reveals what happened to the girl to cause her to flee barefoot through the snowy wilderness. In the end naturally the good guys win, and the bad guys are all dead, and you've just wasted 100 minutes of your life watching a technically competent but emotionally unsatisfying telling of the story.