Monday 11 September 2017

Film: 'Wind River'

Here we go again! Films where I would dearly have wished for subtitles are becoming ever more frequent; and this time it's not just for an actor or two but here almost the entire cast is given to unintelligible mutterings, at least for my ears. Granted that for the septuagenarian that I am it would only be expected that there'd be at least some degree of hearing loss, though if that's the case so I don't know why it doesn't also manifest in my everyday life. Either that or the cinemas which I patronise must all have very inferior sound systems. Whatever the root cause is I seriously think it's further reason to cast doubt on whether it's worth continuing my reviews, bound as they are to be, skewed in an unfavourable direction.

That aside, this film is set entirely in snowbound Wyoming (though actually filmed in Utah!) mainly on Indian reservation territory.
At the film's start we see a young woman running away from something, we don't know what, barefooted through the snowy landscape. Then a local tracker (Jeremy Renner) is seen shooting at jackals/wolves(?) in order to defend a vulnerable flock of sheep. He then discovers the frozen body of the fleeing young woman, the entire film from then on concerned with finding out what happened and what or who was pursuing her.
Characters are introduced, most significantly an FBI officer (Elisabeth Olsen) who arrives to do her investigation unsuitably clad for the environment. Others appear and I quickly got lost working out who was who and, as so much of the dialogue was lost on me, I was reduced to having to read their badges or uniform insignia for identification, though that was nowhere near satisfactory with which to follow exactly what was going on.

Towards the end of the film, more than three-quarters through, there is an extremely brutal scene when it's revealed what the dead woman was running away from. (Warning - it does go on a bit!)

If I knew what was happening I might have liked the film more. I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who has seen it and didn't have the problem that I had. There's no doubt that the photography of the snowy uplands is most impressive, and that must be mentioned.

It's Taylor Sheridan's second feature film as director, and in addition he wrote this one too. I think it was actually a more superior film than I'm able to credit it with being, but failing to grasp what the hell was happening, it's with regret that I can only score it with a................6.  

10 comments:

  1. darling:

    I accidentally deleted your comment you left on my blog this weekend. I was trying to delete some spam garbage and I mis-clicked on your comment. please forgive me. smooch!

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    1. I noticed it this morning, W.Q., but it's really no problem. I thought something like that might have happened, though as I'd already deleted my very original comment (in which I, for some reason, started writing in French, for goodness sake, for no particular reason other than to show off! - or the onset of dementia?) and I added a shorter, basic greeting. So worry not. These things happen even to the best of us - as you demonstrate. Salutations to you and yours anyway!

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    2. darling, I can read french! ecrit en francais! mes chats dit "meow" a tu!

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    3. I know that you're able to read French, W.Q., which was one of the (weak) reasons for my going that way - though why I should do it at all is another matter. Seems that in this household my odd behaviour is becoming a cause for concern. ;-)

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  2. Enjoyed the limehouse golem! Btw And i thought the lead actress rather good!
    I particulary liked the atmosphere the film created of victorian london.

    Off to see GODS OWN COUNTRY on thursday when i am diwn in london

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    1. Yes, I saw your mentioning of it last night. Pleased that you liked it.

      I shan't be seeing 'God's Own' as I won't be able to take all those animals, which would dominate my mind for the whole film. I only wish I could edit them out.

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  3. I have found that, in every film in which he appears, that Tom Hardy should be subtitled. I mean, he always sounds so garbles.
    That aside, I haven't heard of this film ... but I am no fan of Renner, so maybe that's why?

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    1. Some of the reviews here have been very praiseworthy indeed, Bob, which is enough to convince me that under my major reservation there does lurk a likely fine film. It was a poor show that it should have been marred, at least for me, for the reason I state.

      I don't think I've had a general problem with Tom Hardy's diction, but I'll pay it particular attention to his next which, as he's been flavour of the month for quite a while, shouldn't be a long wait.

      Jeremy Renner I've also been okay with as an actor, and in this he's at least as good as he usually is - though I can never stop myself thinking that he's got a face so like Liberace!

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  4. Ray,
    I don't know what it is with the current fad of mumbling actors. I always use subtitles. For those rare movies that I can't have subtitles, I won't watch it. Thanks for the tip. By the way this movie sounds like a "Twin Peaks" kind of plot, which I got totally soured on after it was discovered that the writers didn't even have an end for the movie. Recently David Lynch tried to reboot that lie. No takers.
    Ron

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    1. I sometimes have to put on the subtitles even for the TV news these days, Ron. There's one particular BBC newsreader who, whenever something sombre is to be broadcast, lowers her voice as though she was speaking to someone in a public library and she didn't want anyone else to hear what she was saying. I suppose she's trying to convey 'respect' for the subject she's talking about - but, by God it's maddening! I've often toyed with the idea of writing to the BBC demanding that they fire her!

      I never saw 'Twin Peaks' and it's been one of the few TV-related regrets of my life. I was living in Germany when it was broadcast in England and it's never been repeated. I realise it'll be available to rent or DVD or whatever, but such things are not for me.

      Going back to mumbling on film, it was heartening to watch yesterday's 'Maude' to reassure me that it's not my own weak hearing skills that's the problems. It illustrates that films don't HAVE to have mumbling actors in them. Heartening indeed!

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