Wind River (2017)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sheridan steps behind the camera for his visceral but characteristically didactic directorial debut. Renner delivers an ice-cold cowboy performance in this solid noir.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.