Taylor Sheridan has seen a meteoric rise to critical and commercial success in recent years, making the major shift from popular character actor in shows like Veronica Mars and Sons of Anarchy to powerful Hollywood screenwriter. Sheridan burst onto the scene as a name to watch with 2015's Sicario, an intense, morally ambiguous thriller that plunged audiences deep into the horrifyingly vague world of the Mexican drug cartels. The writer continued to emerge as a critical darling with last year's Hell or High Water, a righteously angry film that managed to touch a topical nerve in an election year fraught with economic anxiety and a sense of injustice. When the film eventually snagged several Oscar nominations, including one for the screenplay, Sheridan solidified himself as one of the best in the game. His name may not be known to everyone, but through a quiet duo of sleeper hits, he's already a Tinseltown power player.
For his third film, Sheridan is flexing a different muscle- in addition to penning the script, he stepped behind the camera for Wind River. And with this knockout punch of a film, Sheridan has proved that he's a promising director in addition to being a great screenwriter. Once again turning his attention to the trials and tribulations of the forgotten people of America, Wind River chronicles a grisly murder that takes place on a Native American reservation. Both a brutally compelling neo-noir and a devastating, effective meditation on grief, death, and loneliness in the bitter cold of Wyoming, this film contains multitudes, and is never anything less than completely engrossing. As a thriller, it's totally captivating, and as a character study, it's painfully heartbreaking. A drastic shift from the work that Sheridan has done before, Wind River proves that the multi-hyphenate has plenty of stories to tell. And while they may vary in tone and approach, they all contain his distinct eye for flawed people, crime stories, and the way they intersect in the tragic world of modern America.
A woman runs through an icy cold field. She's frantic, in a hurry, barely dressed for the weather and not even wearing shoes. She collapses in pain. She tries to run forward, but she can't. She dies. A few days later, Cory Lambert, a tracker and hunter looking for mountain lions on the Wind River Indian Reservation, discovers her frozen body in the snow. He calls in the reservation police department, a small group of individuals completely unequipped to handle a murder investigation. Sheriff Ben (Graham Greene) calls in FBI Agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen), who just so happens to be the agent closest to the crime scene. Banner just wants the autopsy to declare murder as the cause of death so that an FBI unit can be brought in, but the coroner refuses- it isn't clear that the woman was killed. So with that roadblock in the way, Jane teams up with Cory to solve the case. But everything won't be as clear-cut as it seems in this American wasteland. Cory has a profoundly sad past of his own, and when the two get closer and closer to solving the case, the result is a swirl of violence and revenge that has lasting effects on everyone involved.
While Sheridan touches on many of the same themes in his work- revenge, the nature and morality of justice, the forgotten land of America- anyone who goes into Wind River expecting Hell or High Water 2 is going to be sorely disappointed. That film was pissed off and ready to raise hell; this film is contemplative and quiet, more muted in its examination of a pitch black story. Hell or High Water was a classic western in the vein of the 1970s, with a little dash of Coen-esque humor thrown in; Wind River is full-on No Country for Old Men, a harsh, unforgiving story that is as difficult as it is entertaining. I love that Sheridan, while working within the confines of a similar template, has proven that he is far from a one-trick pony. His work can be funny, it can be exhilarating, it can be utterly fascinating in its depiction of flawed individuals. Wind River is an icy horror story told to clinical perfection, and I was completely enraptured from the opening frame to the tragic epilogue.
If there's a weak spot to Wind River, it's that Sheridan's direction doesn't always feel as innovative or inspired as that of Denis Villeneuve or David Mackenzie (the directors of Sicario and Hell or High Water, respectively). Part of what made those two films near-masterpieces was the perfect combination of Sheridan's hard-boiled writing and the sharp directorial flourishes of the filmmakers, which is something that Wind River regrettably lacks at times. But this is a debut feature (Sheridan directed a film called Vile in 2011, but barely anyone saw it), and if it didn't feel like we knew his work so well already through the screenplays, Wind River would probably be referred to as a revelation. Sheridan has an eye for capturing images that carry a sense of anguish and desperation, which fits in with the thematic arc. This is an incredibly patient film, and the sense of stillness is often mesmerizing. But when it's time for the action beats to deliver, Sheridan gives us the explosion of violence we've all been waiting for, detonated after an unbearable amount of tension.
Even if Sheridan shows both immense promise and some first-time hiccups as a director, his screenplay work is as polished as ever. Wind River is thoroughly gripping stuff, and the fact that it's so thematically rich and nuanced only adds to the fact that it's a crackerjack thriller. Sheridan has a knack for blending old-school genre setpieces with quiet meditations on morality and justice, and Wind River is perhaps the strongest example of that yet. The film's setting adds to its complexity, and after focusing on the broad group of rural America in Hell or High Water, Sheridan zeroes in on the country's Native American population. There's an almost apocalyptic sense of emptiness, and the characters who have been doomed to a life of misery and suffering only adds to the atmosphere. There's a sense of lingering darkness in Wind River, a feeling that beneath a layer of grief and hardship, something even more sinister awaits. The culture of profound desolation on the modern reservations isn't enough- more horrors lurk beneath the already grim exteriors.
Elizabeth Olsen is quite good as FBI agent Jane Banner, but I don't think it's a radical statement to say that her character is extremely underdeveloped. No, this movie belongs to Jeremy Renner's Cory Lambert, as well as Gil Birmingham's Martin in a supporting role. Ultimately, Wind River is about a man who suffered a tremendous loss who goes to great lengths to exact his revenge in a unique way, both by solving a crime and helping another father make his way through a similar struggle. It's a psychologically intricate role, and it allows Renner to do some of his most dramatically poignant work ever. He's incredible as Cory Lambert- there's an understated quality to his work that is crushingly sad at times, but he also gives Cory a warm sense of humanity that shines through in the darkest moments. And his scenes with Birmingham are dynamite, captivating and tragic and quietly moving all at the same time.
Wind River is a potent and explosive slow burn crime drama, but its best moments come when it evolves into an introspective look at the scars of grief, and the way that death and loss shape a community. Sheridan continues to prove that he's a master at blending narrative, character, and theme into a straight-forward but endlessly compelling concoction, and Wind River is certainly his bleakest feature yet. But for all of its gruesome moments and disturbing scenes (which, trust me, there are plenty), this is certainly one of the finest films of the year, a subtly powerful thriller that slowly draws you into its world until you can't look away. Wind River is dynamic stuff, and further proof that with Taylor Sheridan, we're witnessing the emergence of a distinct American master.
Images courtesy of The Weinstein Company
Poster: IMDB
For his third film, Sheridan is flexing a different muscle- in addition to penning the script, he stepped behind the camera for Wind River. And with this knockout punch of a film, Sheridan has proved that he's a promising director in addition to being a great screenwriter. Once again turning his attention to the trials and tribulations of the forgotten people of America, Wind River chronicles a grisly murder that takes place on a Native American reservation. Both a brutally compelling neo-noir and a devastating, effective meditation on grief, death, and loneliness in the bitter cold of Wyoming, this film contains multitudes, and is never anything less than completely engrossing. As a thriller, it's totally captivating, and as a character study, it's painfully heartbreaking. A drastic shift from the work that Sheridan has done before, Wind River proves that the multi-hyphenate has plenty of stories to tell. And while they may vary in tone and approach, they all contain his distinct eye for flawed people, crime stories, and the way they intersect in the tragic world of modern America.
A woman runs through an icy cold field. She's frantic, in a hurry, barely dressed for the weather and not even wearing shoes. She collapses in pain. She tries to run forward, but she can't. She dies. A few days later, Cory Lambert, a tracker and hunter looking for mountain lions on the Wind River Indian Reservation, discovers her frozen body in the snow. He calls in the reservation police department, a small group of individuals completely unequipped to handle a murder investigation. Sheriff Ben (Graham Greene) calls in FBI Agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen), who just so happens to be the agent closest to the crime scene. Banner just wants the autopsy to declare murder as the cause of death so that an FBI unit can be brought in, but the coroner refuses- it isn't clear that the woman was killed. So with that roadblock in the way, Jane teams up with Cory to solve the case. But everything won't be as clear-cut as it seems in this American wasteland. Cory has a profoundly sad past of his own, and when the two get closer and closer to solving the case, the result is a swirl of violence and revenge that has lasting effects on everyone involved.
While Sheridan touches on many of the same themes in his work- revenge, the nature and morality of justice, the forgotten land of America- anyone who goes into Wind River expecting Hell or High Water 2 is going to be sorely disappointed. That film was pissed off and ready to raise hell; this film is contemplative and quiet, more muted in its examination of a pitch black story. Hell or High Water was a classic western in the vein of the 1970s, with a little dash of Coen-esque humor thrown in; Wind River is full-on No Country for Old Men, a harsh, unforgiving story that is as difficult as it is entertaining. I love that Sheridan, while working within the confines of a similar template, has proven that he is far from a one-trick pony. His work can be funny, it can be exhilarating, it can be utterly fascinating in its depiction of flawed individuals. Wind River is an icy horror story told to clinical perfection, and I was completely enraptured from the opening frame to the tragic epilogue.
If there's a weak spot to Wind River, it's that Sheridan's direction doesn't always feel as innovative or inspired as that of Denis Villeneuve or David Mackenzie (the directors of Sicario and Hell or High Water, respectively). Part of what made those two films near-masterpieces was the perfect combination of Sheridan's hard-boiled writing and the sharp directorial flourishes of the filmmakers, which is something that Wind River regrettably lacks at times. But this is a debut feature (Sheridan directed a film called Vile in 2011, but barely anyone saw it), and if it didn't feel like we knew his work so well already through the screenplays, Wind River would probably be referred to as a revelation. Sheridan has an eye for capturing images that carry a sense of anguish and desperation, which fits in with the thematic arc. This is an incredibly patient film, and the sense of stillness is often mesmerizing. But when it's time for the action beats to deliver, Sheridan gives us the explosion of violence we've all been waiting for, detonated after an unbearable amount of tension.
Even if Sheridan shows both immense promise and some first-time hiccups as a director, his screenplay work is as polished as ever. Wind River is thoroughly gripping stuff, and the fact that it's so thematically rich and nuanced only adds to the fact that it's a crackerjack thriller. Sheridan has a knack for blending old-school genre setpieces with quiet meditations on morality and justice, and Wind River is perhaps the strongest example of that yet. The film's setting adds to its complexity, and after focusing on the broad group of rural America in Hell or High Water, Sheridan zeroes in on the country's Native American population. There's an almost apocalyptic sense of emptiness, and the characters who have been doomed to a life of misery and suffering only adds to the atmosphere. There's a sense of lingering darkness in Wind River, a feeling that beneath a layer of grief and hardship, something even more sinister awaits. The culture of profound desolation on the modern reservations isn't enough- more horrors lurk beneath the already grim exteriors.
Elizabeth Olsen is quite good as FBI agent Jane Banner, but I don't think it's a radical statement to say that her character is extremely underdeveloped. No, this movie belongs to Jeremy Renner's Cory Lambert, as well as Gil Birmingham's Martin in a supporting role. Ultimately, Wind River is about a man who suffered a tremendous loss who goes to great lengths to exact his revenge in a unique way, both by solving a crime and helping another father make his way through a similar struggle. It's a psychologically intricate role, and it allows Renner to do some of his most dramatically poignant work ever. He's incredible as Cory Lambert- there's an understated quality to his work that is crushingly sad at times, but he also gives Cory a warm sense of humanity that shines through in the darkest moments. And his scenes with Birmingham are dynamite, captivating and tragic and quietly moving all at the same time.
Wind River is a potent and explosive slow burn crime drama, but its best moments come when it evolves into an introspective look at the scars of grief, and the way that death and loss shape a community. Sheridan continues to prove that he's a master at blending narrative, character, and theme into a straight-forward but endlessly compelling concoction, and Wind River is certainly his bleakest feature yet. But for all of its gruesome moments and disturbing scenes (which, trust me, there are plenty), this is certainly one of the finest films of the year, a subtly powerful thriller that slowly draws you into its world until you can't look away. Wind River is dynamic stuff, and further proof that with Taylor Sheridan, we're witnessing the emergence of a distinct American master.
THE FINAL GRADE: A (9/10)
Images courtesy of The Weinstein Company
Poster: IMDB
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