Wind River - Tod im Schnee

Ein finsterer Thriller mit perfekter Regie und ein höllisch trauriges Drama über die größten Verluste im Leben zugleich. An dem Ort herrscht eine angespannte Stimmung und es wird schlau auf die gesellschaftliche Stellung der Indianer im heutigen USA hingewiesen. Ein Film mit Oscar-Potenzial. (08.07.2017)

Taylor Sheridan isn't as good a director as Denis Villeneuve, but he learned a lot from him, both good (his work with landscapes, drawing out the suspense to the limits of tolerability, shocking explosions of violence) and bad (“deliberateness” and unnecessary literalness). The investigation of the crime serves mainly as a means to create an atmosphere of ruination and total disillusion (as in film noir, in which the revealing of the perpetrator often occurs rather by chance than as the result of piecing together individual clues) and as an excuse to uncover something rotten in the midst of the community, similarly as in Top of the Lake and Wilderness, though on a much smaller area, which takes its toll in the form of overwrought scenes that try to say too much at once (a woman sits in her bedroom, crying and cutting her arm; another woman sees her, closes the door without a word and leaves). Furthermore, the realistic tone is disturbed by balladic dialogue about the frozen hellscape and undefeatable evil (which would have come across much better in the pages of a book) and the use of western archetypes, shifting the drama of people anchored in a particular social reality to a timeless parable about hunters and predators and the clash of two declining cultures. The combining of these two narrative levels could have been smoother and the treatment of the female protagonist lost among men who much better understand what’s happening around them didn’t have to be so reminiscent of Sicario, and sometimes it might have been enough for the characters to simply sit and be quiet, but the catharsis that Wind River delivers in the climax is so powerful that it absolutely outweighs the unconvincingness of the film’s individual parts. 75% (10.07.2017)

If you like movies and watch a large number of them every month, including the new ones, then you will appreciate a movie that is written so perfectly from start to finish that it's a pleasure to watch. That's probably why I would simply describe why I gave the film five stars. I had a feeling that from the beginning till the end I was watching a crime film with everything it entails. There were no complicated explanations, but an amazingly chilly atmosphere and wonderful locations. Everything fits together perfectly, and you enjoy not only the suffering of Elizabeth Olsen, but also Jeremy Renner, who became the lone fighter for justice the moment he put on the white overalls and ventured alone into the wild. I was excited. I didn’t miss a single minute of this movie. And the best part is that you can really feel that Taylor Sheridan is behind all of that. You can sense the chilling atmosphere of Sicario, but also the dangerous shoot offs of the film Hell or High Water. And yet you know that this film is in its way completely unique. Hopefully, Sheridan will maintain that diligence. When it comes to filmmaking craft, Wind River is one of the best films I saw in 2017. (12.10.2017)

An Indian girl was found murdered in the middle of Wyoming. An FBI agent arrives on the scene to find the killer with the help of a local tracker. Little does she know that this inhospitable land may be a bit too much for her to handle. Taylor Sheridan's directorial debut follows in the footsteps of his earlier films, and this time we get an atmospheric, gritty and manly piece where there's plenty of time for everything, but the slowly building atmosphere is ultimately so intense that you'll be biting your nails with suspense. And root for Jeremy Renner to win an Oscar. (16.08.2017)

Als Regisseur sucht Taylor Sheridan noch ein bisschen nach seinem eigenen Stil und einem optimalen Erzählrhythmus, als Drehbuchautor arbeitet er (wieder) abermals ausgezeichnet. Ähnlich wie es bei Sicario und Hell or High Water der Fall war, entsteht hier ein weiteres raues Ambiente, bei dem es erscheint, als sei es ein wenig abseits unserer Realität. Und genau wie bei Sicario wird in diese Umgebung eine etwas naive Frau hineingeführt, die einen Fremdenführer und Initiatoren benötigt, um darin zu überleben. D.h. die Herzen orthodoxer Feminismusfans wird der Film Wind River nicht rühren. Wyoming stellt hier vor allem einen Ort der Trauer, Verzweiflung sowie verschwindender Traditionen dar, eine schneeweiße Leinwand des Elends und der Hingabe, eine Landschaft mit Jägern und Trackern, in der Frauen spurlos verschwinden. Sheridan fügt dem Detektiv-Thriller Schema eine persönliche Geschichte über eine Versöhnung, über die Akzeptanz einer Welt, in der "Glück in den Städten weilt" und die Menschen draußen höchstens dafür ausreichend Zeit haben, um zu trauern und in Verzweiflung zu geraten. Jeremy Renner ist bewundernswert, geht sparsam vor wie ein Jagdtier und ist zugleich verletzlich, sofern er den Überblick verliert. Er liefert hier die beste Leistung seiner Karriere ab, daran habe ich keinen Zweifel. Sheridan bereitet so langsam den Boden für den letzten Akt, der weder in einer Schießerei noch in einer harten Retrospektive endet, sondern mit einem abschließenden Dialog, in dem alles Wesentliche verborgen bleibt. Es geht um Menschen, die auf Boden leben, der ihnen gestohlen worden ist, sie verlieren die Bindung zu ihren Vorfahren, sie haben keinerlei Aussicht auf eine bessere Zukunft. Was bleibt ist lediglich ihre Trauer, die akzeptiert werden muss. Wind River ist ein melancholisches Filmporträt eines Ortes, eine Action-Genre-Version von Manchester by the Sea. Sheridan schreibt Worte, Landschaften und Charaktere nieder, die mich tief berühren. Es ist in der Tat sehr schade, dass tschechische Zuschauer Wind River in einheimischer Distribution nicht zu sehen bekommen ... (07.07.2017)

As expected, Sheridan presents himself as a significantly better screenwriter than a director. Even so, he is not ridiculous in his new role, he certainly does not spoil anything (he even delivers good performance), but surprisingly he cannot take full advantage of the possibilities that his own topic provides him with. And where it is more than obvious it´s the work with the environment. Where Villeneuve/Mackenzie (and I'd bet Sollima too) work with the sketched environment of arid depopulated plains as an integral part and reflection of the soul, almost the main character, so all the whining of the freezing wind, the crunching of snow under snowshoes and endless freezing distances do not fulfill this role to the extent that would be appropriate. In the beginning, they do (and in a captivating way), but it then it seems that he said to himself as if he has already given too much space to it, and in the second half he takes the ruthless landscape and its role for granted. And this is an unjustifiable mistake for a this kind of movie. Otherwise there is nothing to complain about. It's exactly the dense minimalist taciturn "McCarthy" supra-genre rough old-school contribution with an overlap building on the magnificently profiled characters that one would expect from Sheridan. (09.07.2017)

A few words about many things. In a melancholic spirit, in the surprisingly uncompromising delivery of all breakthrough scenes, and in Jeremy Renner's tour-de-force performance. Such a manly and uncompromising film that it will even be too much for some. (31.10.2017)

The Indian reservation of Wind River is not a place that you would choose for a pleasant luxury vacation. It is an inhospitable, sparsely populated place far from civilization, where only those who have no other choice or those who do not need much in life and do not want much from it live. The discovery of a raped Native American girl's body brings together local predator hunter Cory and inexperienced FBI agent Jane. The subsequent investigation can be considered a counterbalance to crime thrillers based on effects and shocking plot twists. It is an intimate story full of weight, bitterness, and melancholy. Although I did not find in it the promised "mystery," the majestic nature of the freezing mountains and the slowly dosed tension was more than enough for me. Taylor Sheridan is primarily a screenwriter, and it might have been better to look for a more established name for the director's position, but it is not that crucial. Rather, I would like to emphasize again: do not expect anything relaxing, this is an adult drama with a slower pace and without clever screenwriting tricks, built on acting performances and tragedies of ruined human lives. Wind River is a film that you don't necessarily have to see in movie theaters, but you shouldn't miss it. It is an above-average genre film that may not elicit a burst of superlatives from most viewers, but it reliably does its job. Overall impression: 75%. (19.10.2017)

A crisp, snowy crime movie with a chilling veneer. In the middle of the wilderness, hunter Cory Lambert finds the body of a raped Indian girl whose lungs burst in the frost. Who is responsible? The story is simple, but its strength lies in details. Elaborate, lifelike characters (typical Renner) and an atmosphere of ruin hides behind every footstep in the snow. The slow tempo suits the story perfectly. Recriminations, heart-searching, strong emotions. Action is fairly scarce, but the finale shootout is worth it. Very happy. P.S: A perfect explanation for why to be wary of seemingly friendly drunks. (21.10.2017)

A chilling, gradually escalating thriller set in the harsh American countryside, with minimalist production design, actors who don't talk much and, above all, an existential subtext dealing with life's greatest and most intimate losses. All wrapped up in an atmospheric and engaging crime package, where an FBI agent and her colleagues gradually and very straightforwardly uncover the evidence and traces of a murder mystery, leading to an infernal finale that you see about once every 50 or so films. A great example of perfectly mined screenwriting. (30.09.2017)

Ein verdammt eindrucksvoller und durchgefrorener harter Krimi mit einer ungeheuer eskalierten und höllisch spannenden Szene. Der Drehbuchautor (und der Regisseur) hat sich erlaubt, sie durch eine andere, noch spannendere Szene zu ergänzen, um dann das Publikum, das auf alles vorbereitet ist, mit einer heute fast unglaublichen Sache unbarmherzig erschlagen zu können. Wind River ist wie ein eiskalter Hauch von guten alten Filmzeiten, in denen den Krimis und Thrillern vor allem die Figuren wichtig waren und in denen für ein unvergessliches Finale ein Duell von zwei Leuten gereicht hat. (10.10.2017)

I was looking forward to it like few other films this year and in the end I can't say I was disappointed. Sheridan proves once again that he can create depressingly isolated fictional worlds where moral values are reshaped along with the experiences and beliefs of the characters, to whom the viewer either quickly finds their way or gets lost along with them. On these psychological scales, the script is confident and intelligent, relying on the act of murder itself as a simple symbolism of racism and the impossibility of getting out of a difficult life situation. We mostly sympathize with the characters and root for them on their journey. Unfortunately, however, the film is 100 minutes long, a good hour of which is devoted to the somewhat bland construction of the detective plot and repeated sighing about how life isn't fair (which isn't enhanced much by Renner's character's past, reeking of cliché a mile away), and for the rest of the runtime, the truth comes with an unexpected and smoothly scripted detour that essentially sidelines the existing detective storyline and emphasizes the psychological depression even more, but that again fizzles out quietly at the end without leaving a harrowing emotional wound. Big thumbs up anyway for the performances, the work with the cold snowy environment that I love so much, and the overall realism, culminating in a proper shootout that immediately aspires to cult status. Sheridan still has to mature as a director, and we can look forward to great things. (18.10.2017)

Wind River - Tod im Schnee ist ein richtig roher Thriller, der im kalten Wyoming spielt und sowohl kaltblütige Verbrechen als auch den Umgang mit dem Verlust geliebter Menschen thematisiert. In der schnee- und eisbedeckten Landschaft gelten andere Regeln als in der (Groß-)Stadt - hier regieren rücksichtslose Natur und menschliche Brutalität, wie eine junge FBI-Agentin am eigenen Leib erfährt. Gemeinsam mit den Ermittlern decken wir nach und nach ein Verbrechen auf, das mit einer Eisschicht überzogen ist, dessen grenzenlose und sinnlose Grausamkeit jedoch an die Oberfläche dringt und den Schnee rot färbt. Jeremy Renner als Cory, der Fährtenleser, bestätigt seine Schießkünste nach Hawkeye und macht deutlich, dass er nicht mit vorgehaltener Waffe zu Fuß gehen wird. Wind River zeigt, wozu Menschen fähig sind und dass viele ihrer Handlungen in ihrer Grausamkeit das natürliche Verhalten von Raubtieren in der Natur übertreffen. In vielerlei Hinsicht ähnelt dieser Film Three Billboards mit Frances McDormand, und ich denke, wenn die Filme nicht fast zur gleichen Zeit in den Kinos gelaufen wären, hätte Wind River einige Oscar-Nominierungen erhalten, was definitiv angebracht gewesen wäre. (20.03.2020)

The first half, sprinkled with centuries-old clichés, starring a rugged backwoodsman with a past who loves his son and a young, pretty, and inexperienced FBI agent in a forgotten hostile location, quite makes you feel the limits of the seats in the small Lucerne auditorium. But it's worth waiting for the devil out of the box, which flies out at the turning point of the film's second half. For Sheridan here lands his writing and directing blows. A brilliantly used flashback sequence, then, is not only itself an intense burst of painful, vicious violence, but also a means of drawing out the tension of the scene it has split. Its monumental bloody climax (with excellent sound) then multiplies the power of its impact in how it has already hooked the viewer with its development. Of course, it also wouldn't work without the excellent composition of that scene, where Sheridan proves himself a truly capable, professional director. That clever arrangement of the characters around the space, his framing, and the work with the actors just manages to create uncomfortable tension without needing the help of, say, music. As a reward for this scene, I then swallowed the whole thing the way Sheridan wanted me to, appreciating the treatment of that barren space on the edge of everything and the empty souls of its original inhabitants with nothing to build on. Even though after the first season of True Detective all such efforts are a bit half-baked. (04.10.2017)

Nach einer insgesamt recht langen Serie durchschnittlicher, nichtssagender Filme meinte ich, mit Wind River werde sich das Steuer wieder drehen und ich würde wieder einmal filmisch auf meine Kosten kommen - darin bestätigten mich meine Umgebung und meine Lieblingsuser. Ich wusste nicht, was mich erwarten würde, doch ich setzte auf die lobenden Rezensionen. Doch wahrscheinlich sah ich einen anderen Film als die anderen - eine langweilige Geschichte, in nichts originell, alles hatte ich schon einmal gesehen oder gelesen, und a priori mag ich keine Dramen/krimis in entlegenen Einöden, wo es nur schneit und alle Figuren deshalb depressiv oder verrückt sind, ich habe übrigens wohl noch keinen einzigen gelungenen Film gesehen, der in einem solchen Umfeld spielt. Von einem Krimi würde ich in diesem Fall auch nicht sprechen, ehe man es sich versieht, klärt sich alles, und im Weiteren herrscht dann nur noch Langeweile. Wenn in dieser verschneiten Landschaft nicht die Olsen aufgetaucht wäre, sondern vielleicht Jeff Bridges mit Hut und Zahnprothese, hätte ich vielleicht sogar den Saal verlassen. Wahrscheinlich die Enttäuschung des Jahres, das nächste Mal gebe ich nichts auf tolle Rezensionen. (12.10.2017)

Five stars even though the story sometimes dragged like slightly frozen condensed milk (sweetened). The perfectly bleak atmosphere outweighed all the negatives for me. I just feel sorry for all the enthusiastic admirers of the most democratic state on Earth, because the film must have shattered a lot of their illusions. On the other hand, I think the die-hards will be okay. It’s surely a made-up story, and even if it wasn't, Indians are savages and they get what they deserve, right? To sum it up, the film had a good story and atmosphere, the action scenes were decent and Jeremy Renner for once showed something other than running around with a bow. (21.01.2018)

This is one of the best thrillers of 2017, and 2017 isn't over yet. However, I doubt that The Snowman will be nearly as good. It's suspenseful, it's dramatic, and it's depressing, and there are great characters, with Renner and Olsen being a great pairing, not to mention that the supporting roles are also good. Life on the reserve is wonderfully captured, as is the beauty and eeriness of nature. (02.10.2017)

The bleak atmosphere of Wyoming, cut off from civilization, is reminiscent of a modern Wild West, where the principles of "modern and advanced society" have not yet arrived. The harsh landscape, inaccessible community, and communication (in both senses), with at first glance a very fragile heroine once again in the lead, whom no school or experience in the big city can prepare for anything like this. Wind River is a dense thriller, soaked through and through with depression, in which the only decent light is the character of Jeremy Renner. His Cory Lambert is the pure example of a vigilante whose existence is needed from time to time in the real world. Taylor Sheridan again plays with contrasts bravely, which is of course most evident in the character of the female protagonist. A wild bunch of dangerously twisted hillbillies, with Elizabeth Olsen's rookie FBI agent on the front lines against them. A splendidly depressing spectacle with luxuriously written central characters. "This isn't the land of waiting for backup. This is the land of you're on your own." (28.04.2019)

I can't think of many better TV experiences than watching a great movie set in a freezing cold environment in the warmth of my own home. And Wind River is undoubtedly one of those movies. I was happy to let myself be carried away by an emotionally charged detective story full of suspense, and I never got bored for a moment while watching it. At the same time I could enjoy the beauty of the landscapes and listen to the music of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. All this went hand in hand with excellent performances by most of the actors. (90%) (08.05.2022)