Luck Don't Live Out Here

Wind River

Hey everyone, welcome back to my Diary. Today we are going to talk Wind River, staring Jeremy Renner (The Avengers) and Elizabeth Olsen (Captain America: Civil War), a murder mystery based on actual events. How much liberties the film took with this story is unknown to me, but I was shocked by the it. More of that to come, but first a bit of news…

Gonna start of slow with the news today; but coming as a surprise to me is the news by Deadline that Bryan Fuller and Michael Green are stepping down as showrunners of STARZ series American Gods. The website stats that no official word has coming from the cable channel, however rumors are that the two ditched the show due to budgetary reasons. Now I haven’t seen the show fully, but I have to wonder why STARZ is not going to throw everything they have at this show. With big name actors, a great storyline, and a following that only ballooned after the premiere of the show last March; I guess I would give these two anything they wanted to stay in competition with other Premium cable channels and their content.

Next up…No whitewashing for Disney this time around. The titular character from the upcoming live action remake of Disney’s Mulan has been found. Liu Yifei (The Forbidden Kingdom) has been cast as the crossdressing action heroine for one of China’s beloved tales. I am all for this because I think studios are going in the right direction with casting choices now. We are going into an age where the story is going to draw people in as much or even more than who is top billed on the poster.

Lastly…Avengers: Infinity War trailer was released yesterday. With the world set into turmoil Earth’s Mightiest Heroes must unite to take down the villainous Thanos (Josh Brolin Sicario). I wish that I can be super excited about this like a lot of other people, but I just didn’t feel it. I thought the trailer was very underwhelming and I wish they would have just released the footage shown at D23 (Yeah I ‘seen’ it…shh!). Don’t get me wrong I am still super excited to see all of these characters on screen and this story play out, but the trailer did no justice to the hype that is following this film.

Let me know if you have any thoughts on today’s news…now on to the review.

When this film showed up on the release dates for this year I was skeptical and then I saw who was writing and directing it, so then I got a little more interested. Sat down and watched Hell or High Water, then I become stoked for this movie. Wind River tells the story of Cory Lambert (Renner), a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent and animal tracker, who comes across a young girl’s body in the middle of nowhere in the freezing climate of Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming. The closest federal agent to the scene is Jane Banner (Olsen), who happens to be in a training class in Las Vegas. Instructed only to determine if the death was a homicide, Banner and Lambert are swept up into a mystery that neither one will recover from.

Writer/director Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water) has definitely made a good name for himself by slowly introducing a newer genre to audiences around the world. The neo-western is greatly become an intriguing part of cinema, especially if they keep making films like this. I absolutely loved this movie. It was heart wrenching, surprising, and very well made. Starting with the acting, Olsen and Renner sparkle more than the snow they are running through. Renner gives a very deep performance that should not be over looked during award season. A broken man that just wants to forget his past is shoved face first into a situation that is all too familiar. Olsen also is great by giving the audience a character that may be very inexperienced but she portrays her in the most believable way and not in that dumb way a lot of filmmakers like to depict rookies. She gives Banner a strong exterior but is able to flash some of that naivety that comes with dealing different cultures like these. What amazed me with this film is the fact that Sheridan gives us such a straight forward story, but is able to make this simple story so compelling. The main investigation is something that comes right out of a Law and Order episode, but it is the character moments and the acting that give this film so much more life. I give credit to the actors for their performances, but I also give great props to Sheridan for pulling all this together is such a beautiful way.

The post script for this film is what really got me. It just amazes me that all people forget that there are people in America that are suffering a lot worse than what the majority is screaming for. The rest of my thoughts on that are for a different platform.

Please see this film, it is a great murder mystery that tugs at the heart strings and has one of the most haunting scores I have heard for a film in a long time. Renner and Olsen are awesome behind Sheridan’s chilling direction. Wind River will have you glued to the screen for its modest 2 hour runtime.

The Verdict: Very Much Worth Your Time.