Wind River (Walmart Exclusive 4K UHD Blu-ray Steelbook Review)
Since 2018, TV fans have been insane over Yellowstone. The show continues to be so popular even in hiatus (at least until later this fall), and we have Taylor Sheridan to thank for that. Just before that, the treat that is Sicario came out, and with the atmospheric direction of Denis Villeneuve to drive the incredible Sheridan story home, we were given an action thriller for the ages. Between one incredible project and a TV show that is inescapable, Sheridan quietly released his directorial debut Wind River. The film did small business but critically the film was loved and found a home with streamers and us Blu-ray buyers too! Now, 7 years removed from its original release, we get a fantastic new Walmart exclusive 4K UHD Blu-ray edition! So read more about the mysterious Wind River below. There’s also a link to purchase your own copy of this new 4K edition at the end!
Film: 
From Taylor Sheridan, creator of “Yellowstone,” comes this chilling thriller set in Wyoming’s remote wilderness. After game tracker Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) discovers a murdered Native American girl’s frozen body on federal land, rookie FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) is sent to lead the investigation. As the ghosts of Cory’s past return to haunt him, Jane’s attempt to treat the case as a homicide is thwarted, and the two soon realize that what unites them – bringing the girl’s killer to justice – isn’t an outcome sought by everyone in Wind River.
Tracking game has kept Cory Lambert away from home for a long time. He spends long stretches of time out in the unforgiving Wyoming winter hunting predators to keep locals and farm animals safe. Cory is divorced and shares a son with his ex-wife. On his day with his son, Cory is called in to investigate some tracks and stumbles upon the frozen body of a woman. We see her while the movie opens, running in the freezing cold snow barefoot and know something terrible is going to happen, if there hasn’t already been something terrible before it. When the body does not appear to have died just from freezing, Cory is asked to help Jane Banner, an FBI agent flown in from Vegas. His tracking skills are the way to begin to put the pieces of the death together.
After some close calls and hiccups, Jane and Cory begin to unravel a series of events connecting the girl’s death to others in the region. The investigation shows signs of struggle and possible sexual assault, and this is triggering to Cory, who himself has seen this horrible ordeal unfold in his own family. The path to the attackers draws the pair and other law enforcement into a very vulnerable spot that leads to some intense and shocking discoveries.
Wind River came out so quietly way back in 2017, that I had never heard of the film. Going into my first viewing, I was excited to see Sheridan’s first film and hoped to find much to enjoy during the runtime. The writing of the film is simple, but you are drawn into the character’s search and also hoping for justice for the people who have lost so many women in these same ways throughout time. A title card reads that countless Native American women have met similar fates with their murders and attacks going unsolved – To the point that there isn’t even an accurate statistic of how many women are missing or have been killed. This for me even just as a viewer of the film feels unforgivable and is a truly shocking point to note.
I was fully engaged throughout the entirety of Wind River. Jeremy Renner gives an earnest performance as the expert tracker, while Elizabeth Olson is very good in her role as the novice federal agent. She may be new, but her instincts are all right, and her hunger to solve the crime at hand feels genuine. When matched together, Banner and Lambert make a great investigative team. I cannot divulge much further on the plot for those who don’t wish the film to be spoiled, but the ending wraps things up satisfyingly, to the point that I was shouting at my TV during the final moments of the film. Justice served, indeed! A great, low-key crime thriller, Wind River deserves a new audience appraisal as it arrives on 4K UHD Blu-ray. If you love a good whodunnit, or thirst for a movie that dares to be more than the average blockbuster, Wind River is a must-see film.
Video:
Encoding: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Layers: BD-100
HDR: Dolby Vision
Clarity/Detail: Wind River was captured at 2K, and I’m not quite sure if the film was given a new scan or if this release contains an upscale. What I can say is that regardless of how the film made it to disc, the results are quite stunning. Dolby Vision expands the color gamut just enough while retaining a nice clean and crisp look that shows sharpness in close ups and in grand wide shots of the Wyoming landscape.
Depth: Vistas take beautiful shape in 4K, with lovely range of motion in scenes of fast movement. Focus points are never soft unless called for to be that way, and there is nothing to report on judder or anything odd like that.
Black Levels: Black levels are deep and inky without giving way to crush. The film boasts some very dark night scenes, but you’re never squinting to make out the details.
Color Reproduction: Dolby Vision has widened the color spectrum for Wind River. Overall, colors can be muted in moments where that look is needed, but plenty of the film pops with blues and greens among other primary colors.
Flesh Tones: Digitally shot, the films actors all look natural and vibrant, even in the films wintry cold.
Noise/Artifacts: None.
Audio:
Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos, English Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Dynamics: Wind River is a film on the quieter side. The most amazing thing though is how subtle and complimentary the new Dolby Atmos mix is. The sounds of Wyoming wilderness become a soundscape of cold winds and birds flying all over. When action happens, it is dynamic and loud. The quieter moments can benefit from the more open sound stage too.
Height: Echoes, flying animals, gunfire, and snowmobile engines fill in the height channels with sound.
Low-Frequency Extension: Bass is mostly reserved for the score and source music of the film, with a late in the runtime gunfight also firing off some bass.
Surround Sound Presentation: The surrounds carry the sound of nature in them, with other moments reserved for catching echoes, gun fire and engines of vehicles.
Dialogue Reproduction: Clean.
Extras:
Extras for Wind River are a trailer and the same extras from the 2017 Blu-ray, Deleted Scenes and a Behind The Scenes Video Gallery. It may be too soon for a retrospective, so these slim pickings aren’t much to gripe about. It’s a small film that says a lot on its own, so the process of the making of the film would be interesting, but not a necessity.
Summary:
Wind River arrived with a whisper in 2017. The fans of Taylor Sheridan’s work who haven’t seen this are in for a really quality crime drama. Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen give compelling performances that elevate the material even further. Writing and direction are first rate too! This Walmart exclusive 4K Steelbook will be an ideal addition to your 4K collection, with a great transfer and an excellent audio mix!
