Wind River
review by Bobby Blakey
When handled right there is nothing better than a good murder mystery thriller. The latest Wind River features Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen reteaming outside of the superhero genre as well as Jon Bernthal, Gil Birmingham, Martin Sensmeir, Kelsey Asbille and Julia Jones.
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Wind River follows a rookie FBI agent who teams up with a game tracker with deep community ties and a haunted past to investigate the mysterious killing of a local girl on a remote Native American reservation. This film starts a bit slow as it sets up the events it will focus on, but finds its footing pretty quickly to make for a great crime flick. It was great getting to see both Renner and Olsen outside of the superhero genre and in something completely different like this. They both got to stretch their legs and emotions that allowed them to just carry the movie on performance alone without all the bells and whistles of the usual blockbuster. Both of them shine here creating a story that you can really buy into. Gone is the stereotypical gun toting hero and instead real people dealing with a real horrific crime.
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While watching this film it reminded me of a big budget episode of shows like Longmire in the best way possible. It has allowed the crime to be the focal point but there is still so much more here. The characters are flawed and relatable, but it’s the landscape that becomes a character all its own. The use of the surroundings makes for a bigger more epic murder case than it might have been otherwise and in turn a better film. They did an interesting thing with leaving the mystery until a very big moment in the film and then instead of just solving the case allowed the viewer to see what really went down before it unleashing a great final sequence.
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I really enjoyed this film and think Renner and Olsen along with the rest of the cast were excellent here. I love movies like this when they work and this one surely does to perfection. In addition to the film this release includes deleted scenes and a behind the scenes photo gallery. Join in on mystery of Wind River available now on Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.