--- title: "Wind River" year: 2017 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/wind-river" fi1m_score: 76 critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 26 published: "2026-09-17T08:47:07.305837+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T08:47:07.781716+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Wind River (2017) Directed by Taylor Sheridan · 1h 47m · MPA R · Crime, Mystery, Thriller **Fi1m score: 76** · Critics 70 from 26 reviews *In a sentence:* We would happily watch Jeremy Renner read tracks in the snow without anyone explaining what grief means > Taylor Sheridan makes the snow and isolation frightening in a crime thriller carried by Jeremy Renner’s restraint. The speeches explain too much, but the performances give its familiar investigation a convincing weight of grief. ## Synopsis A murder on a Native American reservation in Wyoming draws Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) and FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) into an investigation across snowbound country. Jane wants to establish what happened, but the reservation’s isolation complicates the work, while the case exposes the limited protection afforded to its people. Martin Hanson (Gil Birmingham) is among those whose grief the investigation brings into view. Tracks in the snow offer evidence, and conversations reveal how much goes unspoken. Cory and Jane must follow the clues through a landscape where the cold presents a danger of its own. ## Review *Wind River* is a good, sombre crime thriller that occasionally talks itself into trouble. Writer-director Taylor Sheridan uses a murder investigation on a Wyoming reservation to examine grief, neglect and violence against Native American people. He also wants the satisfaction of an efficient thriller, with clues to follow and danger to anticipate. For much of its 107 minutes those aims sit comfortably together, though he too often interrupts the investigation to explain what the people and places have already shown us. Ben Richardson’s cinematography lets the snow dominate, making distances look punishing before anybody needs to explain the cold. The open country gives us plenty to examine, and the attention paid to tracks makes looking carefully part of the pleasure. Neil Spisak’s production design keeps the inhabited spaces plain enough to belong to that country, without making deprivation picturesque. That restraint works: the surroundings suggest daily hardship without every detail demanding that we stop and acknowledge it. Jeremy Renner plays Cory Lambert with a concentration that makes watching him observe things interesting. His reserve is useful in a procedural, encouraging us to look harder because he appears to be doing the same. It becomes less convincing when the script asks him to deliver another settled truth about suffering, giving a guarded man an unlikely readiness to explain himself. His strongest work comes in the pauses around those statements, when he seems reluctant to say quite as much as the writer requires. Gil Birmingham, as Martin Hanson, gives the grief a weight the dialogue cannot always manage. We were moved by his strained composure, by the visible effort involved in speaking without giving too much away. Graham Greene’s Ben adds a welcome dryness, keeping some ordinary human impatience in a film prone to solemnity. These supporting performances matter because they give the reservation people we remember individually, with feelings that extend beyond the immediate demands of the case. Elizabeth Olsen does creditable work as Jane Banner, the FBI agent, although the writing gives her less to play. Her unfamiliarity with the place helps us follow the investigation, but too much of her role involves receiving information. We can believe her concern without learning enough about the person who feels it. The familiar crime-film arrangement, with an outsider asking questions and a more knowledgeable man providing answers, limits a character who needs more independence. Gary D. Roach’s editing gives the attention to clues a satisfying rhythm, then has to accommodate the script’s longer explanations. Those pauses are where the tension slackens, because the next speech seldom tells us much we have not already understood. The score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is more effective at sustaining the sadness beneath the business of the investigation. Its mournfulness can press hard, but it suits the performances and keeps the suffering from being forgotten when there is evidence to discuss. The western influence is useful here, particularly the importance given to knowing the country and recognising danger before it announces itself. Anyone drawn to patient crime stories should find enough in that attention to justify the occasional lecture. Be prepared for harsh violence, which makes this a poor choice for an undemanding evening. Give it the concentration that Jeremy Renner gives those tracks. *Fi1m score 76, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics find Wind River a tense, affecting crime thriller, with praise concentrated on Jeremy Renner’s restrained performance and the harsh Wyoming landscape. The snow, silence and procedural detail give the investigation weight, while Taylor Sheridan’s handling of grief earns approval alongside the suspense. Several reviews also value its attention to Native American marginalisation, finding substance in the reservation setting rather than simply an unfamiliar backdrop. The spread is wide, however, and even favourable reviews question the script’s tendency to explain its themes through earnest speeches. Character development and pacing draw further reservations, with some critics finding conventional thriller plotting where others see assured storytelling. Little White Lies argues that the reservation’s specificity goes insufficiently explored; the Evening Standard objects more sharply to the hero’s philosophising and the indulgence of vigilantism. The central disagreement is over whether the social concerns deepen the thriller or are poorly served by its familiar machinery. ### Reviews we read (26) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): This tense, convincing independent film is the most accomplished violent thriller in quite some time, with gritty dialogue, authentic characters, and a stellar turn from Renner. Sheridan demonstrates a deep understanding of his own script through strong direction and storytelling. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-wind-river-review-20170803-story.html) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a gripping, satisfying drama and a smart western forensic thriller with muscular confidence in storytelling. They single out the atmospheric snow and silence as central elements alongside strong performances from Renner and Olsen. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/07/wind-river-review-jeremy-renner-elizabeth-olsen-taylor-sheridan) - **The Telegraph** (4/5): The review praises Sheridan's chilly noir for getting the riveting best out of Renner in a subtle, individual performance. It highlights the director as a rising talent navigating inhospitable ground effectively. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/wind-river-reviewthe-director-deserves-prize-getting-riveting/) - **Time Out**, Joshua Rothkopf (4/5): The review praises this lean, mean crime drama as a forlorn western that makes viewers sharper observers of clues and tracks. Sheridan’s sharp observations of Native American characters and tense, unsentimental style stand out as strengths. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/wind-river) - **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (B): Sheridan steps behind the camera for his visceral but characteristically didactic directorial debut. Renner delivers an ice-cold cowboy performance in this solid noir. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/wind-river-review-jeremy-renner-taylor-sheridan-sundance-2017-1201772472/) - **Radio Times**, Damon Wise (7.7/10): The film delivers a strong mix of politics and pulp addressing indifference to crime on Native American land, with a tense climax that works well. However, it falters with overly earnest talk and slightly patronising philosophising after a promising start. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-8kxe7e/wind-river/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (75/100, inferred): Sheridan's directorial debut delivers shrewd insights into troubling American social issues in a punchy package centered on a murder on a Wyoming reservation. It features one of Renner's best recent performances but falls into traps with Tarantino and Peckinpah territory. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/wind-river-review-967103/) - **RogerEbert.com**, Christy Lemire (70/100, inferred): The film excels at evoking the harsh, isolated Wyoming landscape and its emotional weight on characters. Sheridan draws strong performances, especially from Renner and supporting players, though the script occasionally spells out themes too explicitly. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wind-river-2017) - **Screen Daily** (70/100, inferred): Sheridan’s directorial debut is a combustible, masculine and tense thriller that shows he can direct with ease and that his written work is eminently filmable. The film succeeds as a solid thriller with heart, though it may appeal more to fans of his earlier scripts than those put off by Sicario. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/wind-river-sundance-review/5114018.article) - **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (B-): The weakest of Sheridan’s loose trilogy with thinnest characterizations, but the filmmaker’s gift for procedural and environmental detail still shines through the pulpy crime fiction. It returns to a mythic outlaw frontier. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/wind-river-sends-jeremy-renner-to-a-colder-stretch-of-t-1798192733) - **The New York Times**, Glenn Kenny (Critic's Pick): Sheridan proves a strong director with assured handling of the material and excellent performances from the cast. The film builds to a shocking climax that highlights larger injustices faced by Native Americans. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/03/movies/wind-river-review-jeremy-renner-elizabeth-olsen.html) - **The Times**, Ed Potton (★★★★☆): The critic finds it a curious but ultimately humane story of brutality and grief with a plangent, spacious savagery that lingers. They single out Renner's moving, unconventional lead performance as a highlight. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/film-review-wind-river-t37q7m0k8) - **Little White Lies**, Elena Lazic (4/3/2): The critic finds the film the dullest of Sheridan’s three features, with a promising opening that gives way to conventional thriller tropes and artificial drama. The interesting reservation setting is undermined by a story that fails to explore its specificity in depth. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/wind-river) - **Vulture** (60/100, inferred): Sheridan packs convictions about inequality and racism into pulp thrillers but overwrites and shoots on the nose in his directorial debut. The powerful ending offers no catharsis, just a sense of waste. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2017/08/wind-river-is-overwritten-but-has-a-crazy-powerful-ending.html) - **Empire**, Andrew Lowry (55/100, inferred): The critic praises Sheridan’s writing for vividly recreating the bleak reservation life and the effective score, but faults the directing for awkward pacing that undercuts emotional impact and leaves the film feeling like a prestige project without the polish. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/wind-river-review/) - **Slant Magazine**, Christopher Gray (2/4): The film slips into formula and redundancy; Sheridan’s script is fatally keyed to the main character’s unwavering stoicism and didacticism that masks a smug worldview. The supporting cast is terrific but cannot fully temper the laborious tactics. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/wind-river/) - **Film Comment**, Michael Sragow (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film adrift with mixed results, as Sheridan struggles to cohere his script around themes of violence and marginalization on the reservation despite strong subject matter. Renner's performance stands out, but the story is hampered by didacticism and a lack of thriller momentum. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/deep-focus-wind-river/) - **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (30/100, inferred): The critic notes some effective sequences highlighting abuse of Native American women and a well-choreographed shoot-out, but overall finds the film leaves a bad smell due to an unconvincing, fortune-cookie-spouting hero and indulgent vigilante elements. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/wind-river-review-dont-be-a-sucker-for-the-american-nightmare-a3682776.html) - **HeyUGuys**, Nathan McVay (5/5): Sheridan's directorial debut is one of the most complete and thrilling films at Sundance, with an incredible script and direction. Jeremy Renner gives a career-best performance as the enigmatic lead in this deep, moving thriller. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/wind-river-review/) - **Den of Geek**, Ryan Lambie (4/5): Sheridan's assured directorial debut is a gripping thriller that blends murder mystery with commentary on Native American marginalization and male violence in a harsh Wyoming landscape. Renner's lead performance and the film's detailed writing about the environment and community are highlights. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/wind-river-review/) - **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (80/100, inferred): Sheridan's thriller is well-served by its genre action sequences, but the traces of grief linger longest. The film develops characters effectively before delivering a subversive take on mismatched cop expectations and emotional resonance. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/wind-river-2017-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B): The critic finds it a captivating, thoughtful drama on compassion and grief in a modern Western setting with a strong script. Direction is competent but lacks the vision of comparable filmmakers. [Read](https://collider.com/wind-river-review/) - **/Film**, Ethan Anderton (7.5/10): The film plays like a polished procedural with a beautiful snowy setting and strong acting, especially from Renner in his best performance. The third act delivers a shocking punch, though the script isn't as sharp as Sheridan's prior screenplays. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/548852/wind-river-review/) - **The Playlist**, Kevin Jagernauth (75/100, inferred): Sheridan's directorial debut pares the story to essentials and delivers smart takes on life-or-death adventure, though it can feel slight at times. It succeeds as a thoughtful, earthy procedural with strong performances from Renner and Olsen. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/sicario-writer-taylor-sheridan-delivers-goods-wind-river-jeremy-renner-elizabeth-olsen-sundance-review-20170122/) - **The Wrap**, Claudia Puig (75/100, inferred): The critic finds “Wind River” an absorbing and well-crafted murder mystery that stands out for its tense mood and sharp writing. She particularly praises Taylor Sheridan’s dialogue and the vivid portrayal of the harsh Wyoming landscape through cinematography. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/wind-river-review-jeremy-renner/) - **NME**, Olly Richards (3/5): Sheridan's intelligent murder mystery uses sparse structure and precise dialogue to explore ideas about justice and a divided nation, making for an engaging debut despite some flaws. The film is let down by underdeveloped characters like the FBI agent and occasional directorial indulgence in monologues. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/wind-river-film-review-2134623-2134623) ## Details - **Director:** Taylor Sheridan - **Director:** Taylor Sheridan - **Writer:** Taylor Sheridan - **Cinematography:** Ben Richardson - **Editor:** Gary D. Roach - **Music:** Warren Ellis, Nick Cave - **Production design:** Neil Spisak - **Costume design:** Kari Perkins - **Producer:** Matthew George, Basil Iwanyk, Wayne L. Rogers - **Cast:** Jeremy Renner as Cory Lambert; Elizabeth Olsen as Jane Banner; Gil Birmingham as Martin Hanson; Graham Greene as Ben; Jon Bernthal as Matt Rayburn; Kelsey Asbille as Natalie Hanson; Teo Briones as Casey Lambert; Tantoo Cardinal as Alice Crowheart - **Runtime:** 1h 47m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 4 August 2017 - **Genres:** Crime, Mystery, Thriller - **Budget:** $11 million - **Box office:** $45 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0qRHABxvfc ## Where to watch in the US - Netflix: streaming - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, DK, FI, FR, GB, HK, IT, JP, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, SE, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Mystery Road* (2013): Another patient investigation where knowledge of the land matters as much as procedure. - *Frozen River* (2008): A small-scale crime story that gives economic desperation faces and difficult choices. - *Memories of Murder* (2003): Rural police work and institutional failure, with more uneasy humour amid the dread. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/memories-of-murder.md) - *The Pledge* (2001): For the troubled investigator, the patient pacing and the refusal of easy comfort. - *The Ox-Bow Incident* (1943): A spare western about the terrible confidence of people who mistake punishment for justice. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/wind-river