WIND RIVER

Genre: Crime Drama

Rating: 4/5

Hosting one of Jeremy Renner's best performances, Wind River is a deep, somber story about the murder of a Native American woman in the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming and the effects on her family and particularly, the main character, Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) who is a wild life officer tasked with the investigation of the murder.

The murdered young woman happens to be the daughter of close friends and watching his friends battle with their loss triggers Cory's own emotions over the death of his own daughter. As a result, he makes it his own personal mission to solve the murder and provide justice to his friends.

The story is entwined with social issues plaguing the reservation such as drug abuse, unemployment and sexual assaults which can be quite confronting. The plot can be slow moving at times, but I was so besotted with the performances and the poignant dialogues, I hung on and was rewarded with an excellent poetic justice ending.

I walked into this movie, assuming it was just another thriller. I exited the cinema, satisfied that I had spent my dollar on one of the year's best movies.