Movie Review: Wind River (M18)
WIND RIVER (M18)
STARRING: Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Gil Birmingham
This crime drama shows that you don't need fanciful visual effects or a who's who cast to be gripping.
A solid character-driven story is key, and Taylor Sheridan, who also wrote Sicario (2015) and Hell Or High Water (2016), drives the point home here.
The story follows game tracker Cory (Renner) and FBI agent Jane (Olsen) as they embark on a manhunt for the murderer of a teenage Native American girl on Wyoming's Wind River Indian Reservation.
Jane may be a rookie agent but she's no fool. Recognising early on that she is way out of her league, she immediately asks for Cory's assistance.
The plot is straightforward but tense, and the characters well-drawn and excellently fleshed out by Renner and Olsen.
Their chemistry, no doubt developed from working on the Avengers films, propels Wind River forward.
Renner turns in one of his best performances in playing the reluctant hero, displaying both tender and macho sides.
The scene where he consoles the grieving father (a wonderful Birmingham) is brief but heartbreakingly poignant.
Sheridan, in his directorial debut, proves he is a master storyteller, and winning the prestigious Un Certain Regard award at this year's Cannes Film Festival means we can expect more great work from him.
RATING: 4/5
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