Wind River may not be a horror movie, but it contains one of the most stressful, terrifying scenes in any of Taylor Sheridan’s work. Between the ever expanding Yellowstone TV saga and his other shows like Lioness, Sheridan is currently overseeing a TV empire.
After years of working as an actor on shows like Sons of Anarchy, it was Sheridan’s miracle run of screenplays for Sicario, Hell or High Water and Wind River that changed his career. All three Taylor Sheridan movies were dark, emotional neo-Westerns that combined great characters and dialogue with shocking bursts of action.
Sheridan directed Wind River himself, which involves an FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) and a U.S. Wildlife Officer (Jeremy Renner) investigating the murder of a young woman on an Indian Reservation. The film is a harsh thriller that doesn’t shy away from violence, including an unexpected shootout in the third act.
Wind River’s “Flanking” Ambush Is The Most Terrifying Scene In Taylor Sheridan’s Career
This involves Olsen’s character, Banner, investigating an oil-drilling site with some local police accompanying her. The private security guys escorting them begin to act strangely, and that’s when Deputy Evan (Ian Bohen) notices the men are trying to surround them.
Evan loudly calls them out with “Why are you flanking me?“, with his alarm leading to an armed standoff between the groups. Again, this isn’t a horror scene, but the way Sheridan slooooowly cranks up the dread, to Evan’s rising panic as he realizes the security team is trying to get them in a crossfire is terrifying.
As both a writer and director, Sheridan knows how to tap into an audience’s anxiety and that the threat of violence can be just as powerful as the act itself. Just like the cartel ambush in Sicario, the flanking scene sets a very uneasy vibe and tries to make viewers as anxious as the characters themselves.
Banner is able to calm tensions and continue, but Evan’s quiet plea of “You didn’t see it?” to the federal agent is a haunting one. Evan senses they’re being led to a slaughter, even though he can’t prove it at the moment. Audiences will agree with him, too, which makes the resulting firefight that follows so tragic.
Wind River’s “Flanking” Scene Is Scarier Than Anything In Taylor Sheridan’s Actual Horror Movie
Technically, Sheridan’s directorial debut was the horror movie Vile, a tiny budget offering from 2011. The filmmaker later revealed to Rotten Tomatoes that he was brought into that production by a producer friend who needed help. While Sheridan “kept the ship straight,” he doesn’t consider it his first movie.
Sheridan didn’t write or edit Vile and believes he was “gifted” the credit for his help on the film. For all its gruesomeness, Vile never feels anywhere near as intense as Wind River’s ambush. For one, the characters aren’t nearly as well-rounded or fleshed out.
By the time the flanking scene happens in Wind River, audiences are fully invested in Banner and her investigation, so the danger feels very palpable. It’s not only this sequence where the director turns the screws either.
The flashback showing the actual crime is horrific, with an equally unbearable buildup to the brutal act. The key reason Wind River works and Vile kind of feels like a Saw ripoff is that Sheridan has written the material and feels connected with it. With Vile, all he was doing was helping a friend get a movie through production.
With Wind River, he’s shining a light on violence inside reservations and pulling from his own background and experiences. There’s a lot of heart and emotion in the Neo-Western too, so when violence kicks in, it bites even harder.
The MVP Of Wind River’s Flanking Scene Is A Yellowstone Regular
Renner and Olsen grabbed most of the kudos for Wind River – and with good reason. It’s career best work for them both, but the cast is littered with great performers, including the late, great Graham Greene. There are plenty of Yellowstone regulars in the cast too, including Kelsey Asbille, Gil Birmingham and Ian Bohen.
Bohen plays Deputy Evan, though Yellowstone fans may not recognize him as Ryan without his cowboy gear and his more clean-shaven look. Bohen’s Deputy Evan is the one to call out the old-drill security team’s flanking maneuvers, and is able to push through his panic to call them out.
Jon Berthal is also part of Wind River’s cast, and worked with Taylor Sheridan on his next movie, Those Who Wish Me ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.
Bohen is incredible in this Wind River sequence. He’s not afraid to play to the character’s fear, which just makes him feel braver. He knows they’ve wandered into a miserable situation, but he makes sure to call them out. When the gunfight erupts and he’s mortally wounded, Ryan keeps fighting until he’s eventually sH๏τ down.
It’s easy to see why Sheridan brought so many of his Wind River ensemble into Yellowstone. Even with a small role, Bohen leaves a big impact. This goes to show how Sheridan’s talent for fleshing out the supporting players, because while Renner and Olsen carry the film, the other actors give it more texture.
Maybe Wind River is a sign that Sheridan should try an actual horror film one day, if he feels like taking a break from his Neo-Western niche. He probably shouldn’t remake Vile with a larger budget though.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
