White Heat: Review of Wind River

Wind River

Director: Taylor Sheridan

By Alex Watson

Beneath its snowy winter exterior, Taylor Sheridan's Wind River is a movie where secrets are lost on the wind. After grabbing an Oscar nomination for his fine screenplay for Sicario, Sheridan proves he is also a fine talent behind the lens as well. This crime drama is like a ticking time bomb of tensions and Sheridan makes full use of the desolate Wyoming backdrop. A pair of fine lead performances by Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen is a compliment to Sheridan's fine style.

Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) is a local tracker and hunter who takes care of wildlife problems. One day while travelling by snowmobile he finds the bloody and frozen corpse of Natalie Hanson (Kelsey Chow) a Native American girl who was once friends with his daughter. FBI agent Jane Banner is called in to assist when it is suspected to be a homicide but finds herself unprepared for the harsh winter. After an autopsy reveals the victim was raped, a dangerous game of cat and mouse ensues.

Opening with a clearly terrified and barefoot Natalie running across a snow covered terrain, it is clear something has scared her to the core. Wind River is a slow cooker and Sheridan lets us see Cory in his quieter moments first. A man still mourning the tragic death of his daughter, he is simply trying to live with the pain he has. Sheridan makes us feel the icy cold of the surroundings and there is a sinister menace that mocks the residents on the breeze. Banner's arrival does shake up the locals as her 'strictly business' approach fails to endear her. Although Cory is not law enforcement, he and Jane are forced to work together as there is no better tracker around than him. At first, the pair does not bond well, but eventually, she comes to depend on his knowledge.

Sheridan is unafraid at showing us the ugly side of this drama, one visit by Jane to Martin Hanson (Gil Birmingham) reveals his wife's tragic breakdown. There are also moments of pure shock such as a botched raid on a shack full of drug addicts. Sheridan has the jump scare factor aced here and there are few minutes in this picture which inspire calm. Getting the tribal members to talk in this region is hard, especially since the majority of crimes against them go unnoticed. Police Chief Ben (Graham Greene) is attempting to keep order with minimal staff in an area 'the size of Rhode Island'. Wisely we are not given any real leads as to who the guilty person could be? The snow covered ground has covered a lot of tracks- though Cory as a tracker is an expert at spotting tiny details.

The third act of Wind River is where Sheridan's talent really shines. When the crime is revealed we are treated to a flashback that is so grotesque and uncomfortable it makes us feel ill. Think Hell or High Water meets Deliverance. The lengths people will go to protect others is horrifying and there is an intense paranoia all around. Possibly the tensest scene comes from when 10 people comprised of law enforcement, oil workers and Jane all decide to point guns at each other. It's a scene where things could get out of control fast and when everyone has itchy trigger fingers, it can only go south. This community has an 'eye for an eye' feel and there is a last act of revenge by Cory that continues this trend. Sheridan's movie is a rare beast and shows us that beneath the picturesque landscape, horror can be found everywhere.

Jeremy Renner showcases what a fine leading man he can be as Cory. Although a fascinating presence in The Hurt Locker, Arrival and The Town, Renner will mostly be remembered as The Avengers Hawkeye. The layers he adds to Cory are simply stunning and he gives the impression of a man holding on. His character possesses some good wits and is unafraid to get his hands dirty. Elizabeth Olsen is one of Hollywood's most underrated talents and as Jane, she shows just why she should be richly rewarded. At first a slightly obnoxious by-the-book agent, it becomes clear that she will need to go against her principles to get the desired result. Together Olsen and Renner make a good double act that ties the movie together nicely.

Wind River is a movie that will hopefully garner Sheridan some much-needed attention come award season. One of the best Hollywood writing talents now proves he has a director's eye to match.

Get Rich Or Die Trying: Review of Hell or High Water

Hell or High Water

Director: David MacKenzie

By Alex Watson

After being screened 'Un Certain Regard' at Cannes this year, David MacKenzie and writer Taylor Sheridan have come up with a thriller that packs a punch. One on the hand a heist movie and on the other a deep story of brotherhood, Hell or High Water is a picture with both brains and brawn. While the story at the centre may take some time to wrap your head around, MacKenzie, in the end, gives us one of the strongest pictures of 2016. 

Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) are brothers who have resorted to robbing banks to wrestle much-needed funds. When word about a series of robberies gets out, soon to be retired Texas Ranger Marcus (Jeff Bridges) is soon on their trail. Throughout it becomes apparent these brothers are just targeting any banks, they are going after the same branch. Toby is not only desperate to save his families land, but he is also thinking of what it could bring in the future too. 

Hell or High Water starts with a breathlessly calm opening where Toby and Tanner rob a bank early morning but are forced to wait for the manager to arrive. They only take small bills and hit another bank shortly afterwards. The principle reason for their heists is a smart one as Toby has inherited his families farm land but the bank is threatening to take it due an unpaid loan she took out. This land is potentially worth a lot of dough due to oil being discovered. Toby is desperate to hand this land over to his children in a trust, Tanner as a career criminal is able to assist him. Through their treks crossing the scorched Texas' plains, the brother's relationship is one that is always on the verge of exploding. Ex-con Tanner is very much the firecracker of the duo, the burden of his brother's life who will go off with the slightest jolt. Divorced Toby is the calmer and smarter of the two and his lack of criminal activity makes him the perfect sidekick. 

The moment that impending retiree Marcus gets on the trail, MacKenzie is able to inject a newer sense of comedy into proceedings. Faced with a retirement he doesn't want, Marcus scene with his Native American co-worker Roberto (Gil Birmingham) are an endless array of witty quips as he remains unafraid to tease his ethnicity. In the midst of everything so serious, MacKenzie is able to find moments that both shock and delight like when the pair finds a grumpy old waitress who demands they only eat steak and grumbles about a New Yorker who once ordered Trout in 1987. At first along with the two Rangers we are mystified about the reasons for pair hitting the same branch of banks. When the big reveal is shown, the real genius of Sheridan's script is revealed and as their lawyer, Billy Rayburn (Kevin Rankin) says "It doesn't get much more Texan than that!" Gilles Nuttgen's gorgeous cinematography of the harsh landscape makes this feeling a journey into the nether region of the soul.

The final act of Hell or High Water is a chest tightening one as Marcus closes in on the two boys. The scene watching Toby attempt to reconnect with his estranged son is awkward but for this type of drama very realistic. The real emotion comes not from their botched final robbery attempt (seriously never piss the locals off!) but from Tanner's acceptance to his final fate. All the way through their dedication to each other is nothing short of miraculous, just watch Toby happily beat some wannabe gangsters making thinly veiled threats while Tanner just sleeps nonchalantly. He may have been despised by their mother and wasted his life with all his stretches in the pen, but when it comes to protecting his kin- Tanner is exactly the brother you need. Combined with a belting original score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, MacKenzie's movie shines brightly. 

Chris Pine again shows just why he is fast becoming one of the stars of 2016 and as Toby, this is his strongest work. Showing a maturity and brains on screen never seen before, Pine convinces well as a desperate man looking to save his family legacy. Jeff Bridges is always electric whenever he comes on screen and his dedication to go out on top causes him an inner conflict that is glorious to watch. Unwilling to retire quickly, Marcus' dedication to the chase is often mocked by Roberto, but it's his work during the final act that really hits home as his carefree attitude is tested. Ben Foster might be an actor who doesn't always hit the mark but as Tanner his hair-trigger performance is wonderful. A man who will lose his shit at a moments notice, Foster give his character a calm yet horrifyingly casual approach to violence. 

Hell or High Water is a possibly one of the best pictures you will see in 2016 with a trio of sizzling turns and gives proof that MacKenzie and Sheridan are two of the strongest hands possible at the moment. 

South of The Border: Review of Sicario

Sicario

Director: Denis Villeneuve

By Alex Watson

Slowly burning tension from the opening frame, Denis Villeneuve delivers one of the finest efforts of 2015 with Sicario. This story of the FBI attempting to bring down a Mexican cartel is one that is thoroughly heart-stopping and excellently creates a sense of unease about the situation unfolding. Aided by some gorgeous and striking cinematography by veteran Roger Deakins and a cracking and unpredictable script by Taylor Sheridan, Villeneuve succeeds in drawing us in a world where the law has been long forgotten. 

Kate Macy (Emily Blunt) is a member of the FBI Kidnapping team, but when a raid in Arizona goes wrong a media firestorm ensues. A Mexican cartel has operated dangerously close to the border which prompts official Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) to convince to join a task force to bring them down. When she arrives in Juarez, Mexico she discovers that this teams approach to bring down the enemy is a bewildering one. Also the arrival of shady operative Alejandro (Benecio Del Toro) only heightens her suspicions. 

"This is a land of wolves" says Alejandro at one stage and Villeneuve early on throws into a world where ruthlessness reigns supreme. A thrilling opening raid on a cartel safe-house sets the tone, purely for the fact the aftermath is one of extreme horror. Shaken by this revelation, Kate desires to do good joining Graven, only to find a more frightening discovery. Everywhere there is a lurking sense of dread and the lack of explanation about Alejandro only adds fuel to the fire. A buttoned down and silence presence who goes "where I am sent" underneath there lies a traumatized and unscrupulous figure who idea of justice is a nauseating one. 

Kate is always struggling to understand what motives are at stake with Graven's operation? When it becomes clear that his wish is to break the rules of engagement and strike fear into cartel hearts, events take a turn into more dangerous territory. One moment while transporting a key figure back to US soil sees them stuck in traffic on the Bridge of the Americas. Knuckles tighten as they look around for potential shooters, only to Kate's horror they casual execute several members in broad daylight! There are blurred lines of procedure and Graven's macho and cynical attitude only serves to push her ideals even further down. 

What starts as a simple operation broadens into a much wider picture and Villeneuve skillfully alert us that wiping out this cartel might be the main idea. Sicario boasts a superb paranoid edge to it and we are able to engage with Kate's fears and doubts about what has become involved with. Villeneuve's shows himself a capable director and masterfully handles the movies heavier qualities with ease. His finale set against an all or nothing raid on a key cartel site is almost like something out a video game with its infra-red camera use. His last message though is the most potent that law is sometimes brutally enforced by the lawless. 

Emily Blunt is an inspired piece of casting for the picture and she is able to bring across a steely resolve mixed with a heavy fragility. Kate is a woman who brings across a sense of confidence in what she wants to achieve, but gradually Blunt gives her character a terrific sense of disillusion in the movies later stage. Josh Brolin is a forceful presence and his jokey and scornful approach to bring down his enemies makes him almost as much of a villain as it does ally.  Benicio Del Toro steals the supporting honors with a masterclass in repressed emotion combined with fearlessness. 

Denis Villeneuve has finally made the cross over from his earlier more psychological work and proves a stunning and adept action thriller director. Sicario is one of the most tense and absorbing films you will have the pleasure of seeing in 2015

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