How to watch Wind River — the Taylor Sheridan movie explained

Jessica Cullen
Jeremy Renner as Agent Cory Lamber in Wind River

Here’s how to watch Taylor Sheridan’s pre-Yellowstone movie, Wind River, including details on where it’s streaming and what it’s about.

If you’re looking to bridge the gap between now and the rest of Yellowstone’s Season 5, there’s plenty of other Sheridan-based options out there. The Dutton family creator wrote and directed several features before launching his TV universe, one of which was Wind River.

Released in 2017, Wind River is a Taylor Sheridan movie that was both written and directed by the real-life cowboy. The thriller stars several members of the Yellowstone cast, including Kelsey Asbille, Gil Birmingham, Martin Sensmeier, and Ian Bohen.

Here’s details on how to watch the haunting Western, including a plot synopsis as well as critical ratings.

Where to watch Wind River

Wind River is currently available to stream on Freevee with ads, otherwise you can rent or buy it on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.

On Amazon Prime, you can rent Wind River for $2.89, or buy it for $11.09. On Apple TV+, it’s available to rent for £3.99, or to buy for $9.99.

You can sign-up to Amazon Prime Video using the below link.

What’s Wind River about?

Wind River follows U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Agent Cory Lamber and FBI Special Agent Jane Banner as they investigate the horrific murder of a young Indigenous women on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming.

Taylor Sheridan wrote the film to raise awareness of a very real-world issue. Indigenous women face violence across the US and Canada every year, with high numbers of missing persons, murders, and a number of other horrific crimes.

Wind River opens with Agent Cory Lamber coming across the frozen body of Natalie Hanson, a young Indigenous woman. As he works with Special Agent Jane Banner, they try to piece together what happened to Natalie while coming to terms with the harsh truth of the wider problem.

Is Wind River worth watching?

Wind River was a box office and critical success upon release, and is currently sitting at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.

By way of Audience Score, it has 90%. On the platform, it’s Taylor Sheridan’s third highest-rated movie, following Hell or High Water and Sicario. It’s not an easy watch by any means, but it’s atmospheric and tense, with impressive performances from both Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen. Overall, it grossed $45 million against an $11 million budget.

If you’re looking for a neo-Western that contains unexpected settings — the icy, blistering snowscape of Wyoming — and harrowing themes, then Wind River is a worthwhile watch. It’s also a must-see if you’re looking to round-out your Taylor Sheridan slate.

For more, take a look at our guide to the Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 release date, all the movies to watch if you love Yellowstone, and everything we know about Landman.

If you click on a product link on this page we may earn a small affiliate commission.

Related Topics

About The Author

Jessica Cullen is a TV and Movies Writer at Dexerto. She's previously written for The Digital Fix, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, and Slate. Aside from her Yellowstone obsession, she loves true crime, '90s action movies, and anything with a young Harrison Ford. You can email her here: jessica.cullen@dexerto.com.