Chicago Sun-Times by Richard Roeper

Writer-director Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River is a stark and beautiful and haunting 21st century Western thriller, filled with memorable visuals and poetic dialogue — and scenes of sudden, shocking, brutal violence.

The New York Times by Glenn Kenny

An actor before he was a screenwriter, Mr. Sheridan clearly spent a lot of his time learning about filmmaking on movie sets; his direction is assured throughout.

Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan

The focus here is always on character and storytelling and the acting that brings it all alive. With thrillers this good becoming a lost art, Wind River is definitely one to savor.

Time by Stephanie Zacharek

It does show us, in threads deftly woven, how circumstances can push hard against people, making everyday living a battle.

ReelViews by James Berardinelli

Lambert’s three-dimensionality elevates Wind River above the norms of the traditional crime movie so that, in addition to delivering the expected tropes, it provides a richer, more fulfilling experience.

Movie Nation by Roger Moore

[Renner] and Sheridan and some terrific, under-used supporting players...give Wind River a somber, grim grace and the relentless forward motion of a thriller.

The Seattle Times by Moira Macdonald

You have undoubtedly seen many films that cover, generally, about the same territory as Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River.... But you probably haven’t seen one quite like “Wind River,” a movie less interested in examining the crime than in uncovering the icicle of grief at its core.

Observer by Rex Reed

It’s one terrific, offbeat and heart-pounding thriller set in the frozen wilderness of a Wyoming Indian reservation that never ceases to surprise, enthrall and pump the adrenaline with an energy that stuns.

TheWrap by Claudia Puig

With its chilly, atmospheric and convincing story, Wind River has the feel of a richly immersive novel. It’s not perfect.... But the mood is tense, the characters are well-drawn and director-screenwriter Taylor Sheridan has crafted some of the best dialogue of any movie this year.

USA Today by Brian Truitt

Renner, in one of his best roles, lends a weathered depth to Cory but also surprising intelligence to the character deemed “Sherlock Snow.”

TheWrap by Steve Pond

On the surface a tense investigative piece with Renner as a regular Sherlock of the snow, it also slips in cogent and damning points about the limitations and dead ends virtually forced on many residents of Native American reservations.

The Playlist by Noel Murray

Sheridan pares his story and characters down to their barest essentials, making a movie that comes off sometimes as slight, but which ultimately delivers the goods for those who like smart takes on life-or-death macho adventure.

The Telegraph by Robbie Collin

Wind River confirms the director as a rising talent who can be trusted to beat his own enticing path through inhospitable ground.

Screen Daily by Fionnuala Halligan

Wind River can be thrilling and it owns the ability to surprise and shock throughout.

The Hollywood Reporter by Todd McCarthy

The film yanks the viewer to attention with its keen sensitivity to the rough winter conditions and limited prospects faced by the locals. It also features one of Jeremy Renner’s best recent performances, but does fall into some traps when it ventures into Tarantino and Peckinpah territory.

IndieWire by David Ehrlich

Wind River may not blow you away, but this bitter, visceral, and almost parodically intense thriller knows what it takes to survive.

Variety by Owen Gleiberman

Wind River adds up, and skillfully, but in the end it’s not all that exciting. It’s a vision of the new American despair — not an inner-city movie, but an inner-wilderness movie — and it could have used another twist or two.

CineVue by John Bleasdale

Though it can't bear too much comparison with Sicario, Wind River is far better than its title suggests and a promising directorial debut.

The Film Stage by Jordan Raup

Let down by muddy characterization and a choppy directorial style, the drama finally coheres in its final act to deliver the uncompromising thrills that have been Sheridan’s trademark.

ScreenCrush by Matt Singer

The crime story, involving the hunt for the men who murdered this girl, is strictly by-the-numbers (and there are a few clue that still don’t fit together in my mind) but Sheridan proves himself a surprisingly effective director of action.