Wind River (2017) – Neo-Western, Mystery and Crime

With Wind River, writer Taylor Sheridan made his directorial debut to complete his neo-western Frontier trilogy. Following his two previous written efforts in the Denis Villeneuve-directed Sicario and the David Mackenzie-directed Hell or High Water, Wind River continues Sheridan’s venture with neo-westerns and adds a bit of mystery. Here we find a veteran hunter played by Jeremy Renner, teaming up with Elizabeth Olsen’s FBI agent to find the man responsible for the death of a local Native American woman. Though seemingly just a simple investigation story, the film offers a small glimpse into the limitations and dead ends that many Native Americans deal with on their reservations.