Wind River (2017)

I love this film for many reasons. It's not an overly complicated film. But it is well done. The setting is a Native American Reservation in Wyoming. The land is starkly beautiful. Winter here is harsh and unforgiving. I love the outdoors, and I love the tough, isolated, lifestyle of those living far from civilization, so I enjoyed this film from the start. The cast is very good, the acting also. I don't need a lot of surprise twists and a shocking ending in a detective story in order to enjoy a film, so it doesn't bother me at all that this one doesn't have that. The things which make this film different make it more enjoyable to me.
I am frankly tired of the 'action/mystery' movies and the familiar formulas and techniques they employ: the rapid shift of camera perspectives used to simulate fighting action, the 70's reminiscent, 'fast n furious' car stunt segments with their blaring music, etc. Pharmaceutical companies, oil companies, preachers, and social conservatives are so frequently employed as villains in such films that it's beyond boring now. This film is different.
It tells a story about the brutal death of an Indian girl, and her missing boyfriend. We see the actions of a few dedicated, over worked, law officers trying to solve the crime and bring the perpetrator to justice, and a civilian tracker contracted to help them. It pushes no hidden or thinly veiled agenda.
It's just a story, set in the modern west, about human nature, crime, and justice.

The icy tundra of Wind River is an oppressive backdrop for this vicious crime thriller, with tones of Western.
_Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._