Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Kelsey Asbille | ... | Natalie | |
Jeremy Renner | ... | Cory Lambert | |
Julia Jones | ... | Wilma | |
Teo Briones | ... | Casey | |
Apesanahkwat | ... | Dan Crowheart | |
Graham Greene | ... | Ben | |
Elizabeth Olsen | ... | Jane Banner | |
Tantoo Cardinal | ... | Alice Crowheart | |
Eric Lange | ... | Dr. Whitehurst | |
Gil Birmingham | ... | Martin | |
Althea Sam | ... | Annie | |
Tokala Black Elk | ... | Sam Littlefeather (as Tokala Clifford) | |
Martin Sensmeier | ... | Chip | |
Tyler Laracca | ... | Frank | |
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Shayne J. Cullen | ... | BIA Officer #1 (as Shayne Joel Cullen) |
East of Boulder Flats, deep into the vast and unforgiving white territory of the Wind River Indian Reservation, the seasoned game tracker, Cory Lambert, discovers the frozen body of the young Native American, Natalie. As this is a federal crime, the F.B.I. dispatches the inexperienced but courageous agent Jane Banner to lead the investigation, however, the unprepared outsider will soon team up with Cory to unravel the mystery of Natalie's murder. Before long, Cory will inevitably have to face his own past, while at the same time, both he and Jane are thirsting to see justice done. In the end, will this be a fruitful alliance? Written by Nick Riganas
Taylor Sheridan's achievement in this film lies in his success in crafting an old school crime drama that doesn't try to re-invent the wheel but instead relies on good old-fashioned storytelling. Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen are both exceptional as a dissimilar pair who out of sheer happenstance form an alliance to solve the mystery of a young woman's brutal death on an Indian reservation. Renner is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tracker. Olsen is an FBI agent sent on an assignment very much alone.
The narrative remains low-key but gradually builds toward its gripping conclusion. We come to learn quite a lot about Renner's character through his backstory. He's quite understated and effective in this role. Olsen enters the picture as an outsider to the bleak region of despair that the American wilderness is portrayed as here. She must learn quickly in order to do her job or leave a possible crime completely unsolved.
Because this film deals with life on an Indian reservation, much of the social and economic woes might seem unfamiliar at first, but the film does a good job of providing a snapshot of the hardship that pervades in this part of the country and the difficulty that law enforcement has in conducting even a workmanlike investigation. Sheridan depicts a world that is sympathetic and troubled at the same time, masking its tears with courage and doggedness. Recommended to everyone.