The world of flicks and tv suffered a major blow with the passing of Graham Greene on September 1, 2025. The Oscar-nominated First Nations (Oenida) actor introduced nice consciousness and visibility to the underrepresented indigenous inhabitants, taking part in a number of native characters in traditional Westerns all through his illustrious profession. One in all Greene’s greatest motion pictures of the previous decade consists of Taylor Sheridan‘s deeply soulful Wind River.
At present out there on Netflix, there is no higher time to honor Graham Greene’s legacy than by watching Wind River. Not solely does Greene play a significant function within the movie and ship a terrific efficiency, however the film’s cautionary themes in regards to the under-reported crimes perpetrated in opposition to indigenous feminine populations in the US spotlight real-world penalties. As such, it is Sheridan’s greatest movie up to now.
Graham Greene’s Unimaginable Profession
A multi-talented TV, film, theater actor, and recording artist, Graham Greene constructed a 50-year profession in present enterprise. After logging his first credit score within the 1976 movie Bei Shao Lin, Greene went on to amass 180 film and TV credit. Born on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada, Greene was a member of the Oneida (First Nations) tribe and sometimes represented native characters onscreen.
Earlier than breaking out within the Nineties, Greene’s early film credit included Working Courageous, Revolution, Powwow Freeway, and The place the Spirit Lives. On TV, Greene appeared in such ’80s exhibits as Spirit Bay, The Campbells, 9B, and Mount Royal.
In 1990, Greene elevated his profile significantly by starring in Dances With Wolves, Kevin Costner’s Greatest Image-winning Western. Greene earned an Academy Award nomination for his great efficiency as Kicking Hen, a Sioux drugs healer who exhibits compassion to Costner’s character, John Dunbar, and a self-harming girl (Mary McDonnell).
Following Dances With Wolves, Greene continued his prolific profession with motion pictures like Thunderheart, Northern Publicity, Maverick, Lonesome Dove, The Schooling of Little Tree, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, 1883, Goliath, and several other extra. Removed from a one-dimensional actor, Greene flexed his vary in such widespread titles as Die Onerous: With a Vengeance, The Inexperienced Mile, The Final of Us, Tulsa King, Wind River, and extra.
What Is ‘Wind River’ About?
Lengthy earlier than he mounted Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan wrote and directed the soulfully compassionate neo-Western crime movie Wind River. Jeremy Renner offers an excellent efficiency as Cory Lambert, a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service worker summoned to the Wind River reservation in Wyoming. Lambert has been tasked with investigating the frozen corpse of 18-year-old Natalie Hanson (Kelsey Asbille), a local member of the Northern Arapaho tribe. Lambert is joined by FBI Agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen), whose inexperience and unfamiliarity with the land and its tribes hinder their progress.
When an post-mortem reveals that Natalie was sexually assaulted and brutally bludgeoned, an official murder investigation ensues. But, as a result of Natalie technically died from inhaling frozen air in subzero temperatures, the FBI can’t rule her loss of life a murder. The authorized roadblock prompts Lambert and Banner to dig deeper, and so they finally meet Tribal Police Chief Ben Shoyo (Greene). Ben dangers his life to help Lambert and Banner in interrogating potential suspects, together with figuring out Natalie’s boyfriend’s identify.
With out spoiling an excessive amount of, Wind River is a terrific film and a perfect method to bid a fond farewell to Graham Greene. Lauded for its convincing performances, clever writing, twisty plot, and most significantly, shining a lightweight on marginalized victims throughout the Native neighborhood, Wind River is the right movie to honor Graham Greene’s legacy of representing indigenous characters and championing their tradition. All informed, it is nearly definitely Sheridan’s greatest and most essential film up to now.
‘Wind River’ Is Taylor Sheridan’s Most Vital Film to Date
Wind River concludes with the haunting missive, “Whereas lacking particular person statistics are compiled for each different demographic, none exist for Native American ladies.” The cruel actuality is one thing Taylor Sheridan meant to take head on and expose nationally. In response to NPR, Sheridan intentionally made Wind River to lift consciousness about “Indigenous ladies who’re the victims of sexual assault and/or homicide.”
There is a deeply soulful vibe permeating the entire film, with the cultural spiritualism of the Arapaho tribe subtly seeping into viewers’ pores alongside the way in which. For example, Gil Birmingham’s efficiency as Natalie’s grieving father, Martin Hanson, and his silent interplay with Lambert on the finish of the film, is a strong requiem stuffed with heartfelt contemplation and respect for the lifeless. The 2 sit collectively, tacitly grappling with the load of one another’s loss in an unforgettable bonding second that can shake and hearten viewers to their core. It is profoundly transferring.
Boasting an 87% Licensed Recent RT ranking and 90% Popcorn Meter rating, Wind River is Sheridan’s most important characteristic movie up to now. When a critically acclaimed film tackles a sobering topic, audiences typically reply much less favorably. Nevertheless, Wind River proves the other, with 9 out of 10 viewers approving the movie with optimistic remarks. Coupled with a 7.7 IMDb ranking in comparison with its 73 Metascore, Wind River is a film that everybody can get pleasure from and can help for its humanistic trigger.
Following Wind River, Sheridan started his torrid TV run for Paramount+. After working with Graham Greene in Wind River, Sheridan solid the late actor in 1883 and Tulsa King. Greene leaves behind an amazing legacy, with Wind River serving as a perfect send-off on Netflix.